Help please. Dangerous garden light. Is this a doggy elec DIY job? Photos attached.

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Help please. Dangerous garden light. Is this a doggy elec DIY job? Photos attached.

PPAP

41 posts

Geek

#177837 15-Aug-2015 18:21

Just moved in, found a worn garden light by the door, the fixing is loosing and leaking rain, the switch is installed in the meter box on the house's external wall.

And the connection!!!!! It looks very dangerous to me as a outside mains voltage light. The insulation tape is the only thing protect the terminal block from the rain. Is this even compliant to the code?

The light is still working, though I try not to use it at the moment. What is the proper way to do the connection?

andrewNZ

2487 posts

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Inactive user

#1367091 15-Aug-2015 18:26

If this is in fact mains voltage, it is non compliant for a number of reasons, the most serious of which you have spotted.

The light really needs to be disconnected until it is fixed. Fixing it may be a fairly expensive job.

Are you renting or do you own the property?

syousif

41 posts

Geek

#1367092 15-Aug-2015 18:29

do you know the voltage.

the workmanship looks bad, but they may not have paid attention as it could be ELV (low voltage) and I have seen worse on garden lights.
it will have a transformer somewhere

ensure it is low voltage with a meter before doing anything with it or cal a pro.

the are generally referred as SELV (Separated) or PELV (Protected), the cables should really be buried about 600mm under ground and up where the light is.

PPAP

41 posts

Geek

#1367102 15-Aug-2015 18:45

andrewNZ: If this is in fact mains voltage, it is non compliant for a number of reasons, the most serious of which you have spotted.

The light really needs to be disconnected until it is fixed. Fixing it may be a fairly expensive job.

Are you renting or do you own the property?

I'm the owner of the property.

Will test whether it's a mains voltage or not tomorrow using a tester neon screw and multimeter.

PPAP

41 posts

Geek

#1367105 15-Aug-2015 18:49

syousif: do you know the voltage.

the workmanship looks bad, but they may not have paid attention as it could be ELV (low voltage) and I have seen worse on garden lights.
it will have a transformer somewhere

ensure it is low voltage with a meter before doing anything with it or cal a pro.

the are generally referred as SELV (Separated) or PELV (Protected), the cables should really be buried about 600mm under ground and up where the light is.

Not quite sure about the voltage at the moment. It is a fluorescent light inside the fixing. Will do some measurement tomorrow.

Also, the switch is in the meter box on the external wall, the main fuse panel is inside the house on the 2nd floor. I will test to see the light is fused or not.

gzt

17104 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1367172 15-Aug-2015 21:41

PPAP: Will test whether it's a mains voltage or not tomorrow using a tester neon screw and multimeter.

That may not be a good idea and it is potentially very dangerous in a messy environment like that.

I will suggest (after turning off power) removing the bulb. It will have a voltage printed on it.

I am not an electrician.

LennonNZ

2459 posts

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#1367246 16-Aug-2015 01:00

PPAP:
andrewNZ: If this is in fact mains voltage, it is non compliant for a number of reasons, the most serious of which you have spotted.

The light really needs to be disconnected until it is fixed. Fixing it may be a fairly expensive job.

Are you renting or do you own the property?

I'm the owner of the property.

Will test whether it's a mains voltage or not tomorrow using a tester neon screw and multimeter.

I would never use one of these "neon screwdrivers"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLAJ-keFmpk

gregmcc

2147 posts

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#1367252 16-Aug-2015 05:31

PPAP:
syousif: do you know the voltage.

the workmanship looks bad, but they may not have paid attention as it could be ELV (low voltage) and I have seen worse on garden lights.
it will have a transformer somewhere

ensure it is low voltage with a meter before doing anything with it or cal a pro.

the are generally referred as SELV (Separated) or PELV (Protected), the cables should really be buried about 600mm under ground and up where the light is.

Not quite sure about the voltage at the moment. It is a fluorescent light inside the fixing. Will do some measurement tomorrow.

Also, the switch is in the meter box on the external wall, the main fuse panel is inside the house on the 2nd floor. I will test to see the light is fused or not.

Being a fluorescent lamp, it's 230V, leave it turned off, do not use, get your electrician out to sort it out and make it safe

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DizzyD

523 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1367254 16-Aug-2015 06:58

The Bulb will tell you what voltage you are dealing with.

Personally I would just do this myself.
Switch off mains, Replace the entire light fitting. Preferably with one of those free standing units.

Bung

6477 posts

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Subscriber

#1367261 16-Aug-2015 08:22

The bulb won't necessarily tell you what the input voltage to the fitting is. There are portable torches with fluorescent tubes.

What sort of cable is it? The colours look different to standard TPS on my screen here.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#1367385 16-Aug-2015 12:28

PPAP:

Good lord.
I am not a sparky. My son is an apprentice. When he was doing polytech pre-trade, one of the tutors was posting photos like this on facebook for amusement. That's priceless. Love the way he's used green tape on the wires, orange on the chocolate block - perhaps to show that some thought actually went in to that.