I am planning to change a ceiling light fixture in my 1980s-built home in the UK.
I had a look at the box and was surprised to see 3 red wires nutted (?) together and 3 black wires feeding the light. And a healthy amount of tape.
Even though the wires are red and black, the fact that the 3 red wires sit unused does not seem to match any UK wiring scheme of any era, but hopefully I am wrong!
The two beige cables go to the light box hanging below.
Can someone tell me what's what? Note again this is in the UK. I don't know how old the wiring is but the house was built in the 1980s.
Best Answer
Standard UK loop in wiring.
The 3 reds joined together will be live in, live out (to the next light) and live down to the switch.
The 2 blacks joined together willl be neutral in, neutral out.*
The black on its own should be sleeved brown (was sleeved red) for switched live.*
The new light connects to * and * (and earth, if it's not doiuble insulated).
from
https://www.practicaldiy.com/electrics/lighting-wiring/light-wiring-loop.php