Switch & plug help needed

[TehBen]

Hi,

Heres an existing switch and plug set up wires into our house in Issan. The lights don’t work, so I turned off the power and opened up the box to take a look.

 

https://ibb.co/gAAwxH

 

the left double wires are going to the light fixings, the right is the mains. The bottom live and neutral is a cheap 3-way mains plug. 

 

If the live cable isn’t going to the switches, it won’t be switching anything. I’m not sure I understand what’s going on. 

 

Edited April 12, 2018 by TehBen

[johng]

Very often you'll find the switches wired to switch the neutral...which is of course wrong but works...also black wire should be live.

[johng]

Check the light /all switches and circuit breakers for ants nests.

[bankruatsteve]

The photo doesn't help much except to illustrate that it was probably done by a non-professional (even for Thailand).  How did you determine which wire color is "live"? 

 

Anyway... as mentioned, the live should be the one that is switched.  But it's probably something in the switch or the light or the light fixture that is causing your problem.  Does the switch feel spongy?  Could be full of dust or ant diggings.  Does the light bulb work somewhere else?  Is the light socket clean or full of dust?  

[jenny2017]

   

 

   Lights have often plus at the lights and you're only switching negative to it.

 

  Please check that fist, if there's plus at the light.

 

    Did you check if the black wire is hot? 

Edited April 12, 2018 by jenny2017

[bankruatsteve]

19 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

   

 

   Lights have often plus at the lights and you're only switching negative to it.

 

  Please check that fist, if there's plus at the light.

 

    Did you check if the black wire is hot? 

Did you happen to live on a boat?  Domestic power is AC, so there is no plus or negative.  It's "Live and Neutral".  Most color coding will have black as Live but in rural Thailand you don't really know for sure unless its tested.

[jenny2017]

1 minute ago, bankruatsteve said:

Did you happen to live on a boat?  Domestic power is AC, so there is no plus or negative.  It's "Live and Neutral".  Most color coding will have black as Live but in rural Thailand you don't really know for sure unless its tested.

Banana boat, to be precise. Sorry, was more about a car now. I could fix my own switches and better be quiet on my boat. Sorry. 

[jenny2017]

Okay, let's help the OP. The whole electric in our former house was wrong.

 

  You basically switched on with neutral, live was connected to the light in all rooms. My wife and I had to find out what 230 volts really mean standing on a ladder in the bathroom.

 

 It's pretty much easy to connect it, I saw your wiring at the box, which seems to connect other users?

 

    First get yourself a tool to check if there's power on, or not.

 

    At your box you'll have to check where the wires are actually going to, it seems that you've got black and grey going to another switch, or power user.

 

   But you'll have to find out if the switch gives neutral to the light, or lead.

 

   Please see attached images, one is a diagram of an ordinary switch, but you haven't got ground, so just forget about that when you check. 

 

  P.S. If I were you, I'd connect grey wires to see clear, as some pieces of black wire are attached to a grey wire, which should be neutral. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by jenny2017

[suuki]

start by switching the switch to the lighting they are usually poor quality in Thailand

just make sure you break the mainswitch to The house before you do change.

 

//suuki