Wiring ceiling lights

Summary: Learn how to wire a ceiling light, replace a lampholder, replace flex and fit a ceiling rose.

Replacing a lampholder

  • Cut off the power supply to the relevant circuit from the consumer unit.
  • Remove the shade, frame and light bulb.
  • Undo the lampholder cover and slide it up the flex to give you access to the screws connecting the cores to terminals in the socket.
  • Release the cores and remove the socket.
  • Feed the flex through the new socket.
  • Attach the cores to their terminals again: brown to live (L), blue to neutral (N) and green-and-yellow to earth (E).
  • Attach any grips securing the flex in place.
  • Push the cover back down the flex and screw it onto the lampholder.
When attaching the new earth core make sure the other earth cores have not dislodged before tightening the screw.

Replacing flex

  • Prepare the new flex for connection by stripping about 40mm (1 1/2in) from the outer PVC protective covering at the end of the flex using a sharp knife. Avoid cutting or nicking the insulation on the colour-coded cores and separate the colour-coded conductors.
  • The cores are connected to the flex connector by screw-down terminals. About 15mm (1/2in) of the colour-coded insulation needs to be stripped from each of the cores using wire strippers. With the coloured insulation removed, twist the strands of wire together.
  • Cut off the power supply to the relevant circuit from the consumer unit.
  • Remove the shade, frame and light bulb.
  • Take off the rose cover and disconnect the cores of the flex from their terminals.
  • If the bulb holder is metal, prepare the earth core by insulating the exposed core in a green-and-yellow sheath.
  • Connect the new flex to the bulb-holder, following the instructions above.
  • Thread the rose cover onto the flex.
  • Connect the wires to the rose terminals: brown to live (L), blue to neutral (N) and green-and-yellow to earth (E).
  • Slide the rose cover up the flex and screw it to the base.

Replacing ceiling roses

  • Cut off the power supply to the relevant circuit from the consumer unit.
  • Remove the shade, frame, and light bulb from the pendant.
  • Unscrew the rose cover, and pull it gently away from the wall.
  • Make a diagram showing which terminals the cores connect to.
  • If you are simply changing the rose cover, only disconnect the flex cores. Otherwise release all the cores.
  • Unscrew the base of the rose.
  • If the earth core is bare, slide some green-and-yellow insulating sheath over the end.
  • Press out the hole in the rose base and feed the cables through.
  • Fix the new rose base to the ceiling and reconnect the cores.
  • Screw in the new rose cover.

Tools needed

  • Insulated screwdriver
  • Trimming knife
  • Wire strippers

Materials needed

  • Flex
  • Green-and-yellow insulation sheath

Important note:

The colour-coding system for electric cable changed in 2006, make sure you read Electric cable and flex to view the new information.

How to fit and wire a ceiling light video

The below video shows how to fit and wire a ceiling light, change ceiling rose pendant and explains lighting circuits

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