Home Maintenance Tips

How to

This is one of those projects that can be very rewarding, but you MUST be absolutely certain of what you are doing, as the consequences of getting it wrong could be serious.

First of all, let’s look at the colour coding for wiring in South Africa…

Fixed wiring

Fixed insulated cables, which comprise two or more electrical conductors, are usually encased in an outer insulating sheath, often black or white, but might also be supplied as individual conductors and are power cables that are installed as permanent wiring for buildings – as the name suggests these wires are fixed in place. They may be channelled through conduits embedded in walls, or conduits affixed to the wall’s surface, or through ceiling spaces, buried underground, exposed or run overhead from poles and/or wall attachment points.

The colour coding for these wires are as follows:

  • Red, white or yellow, blue – live (phases)
  • Black – neutral
  • Green/yellow or bare copper – earth

Flexible wiring

Examples of flexible cables are those that typically connect appliances to the power via wall plug sockets, such as extension cords, power (line) cords (such as those supplied already fitted to appliances such as refrigerators, TV sets and so on) and lamp cords. As the name suggests these cables can be moved, to take power to where it is required. Before going further, a caution: Don’t hide any of these cables under carpets and so on, because repeatedly stepping on them can lead to the insulation being damaged, the wires shorting out and possibly resulting in a fire.

The colour code for this wiring is as follows:

  • Brown – live (phase)
  • Blue – neutral
  • Green/yellow – earth

Disclaimer/Advisory:

  1. Please note: any work associated with electricity or electrically-powered devices can be inherently hazardous and you should ensure that you exercise all due care when operating any such device, such as testing equipment such as a multimeter (also known as a volt-ohm meter).
  2. Ensure that you read and understand the manufacturer’s operator’s instructions and guidelines completely. In the event that you are in any doubt whatsoever as to the meaning of any aspect of the instructions/guidelines, or the safe use of the device, obtain expert assistance from the manufacturer and/or a qualified and licensed electrician.
  3. All electrical testing devices are operated at the owner/operator’s own risk.
  4. Note that in terms of regulations, only a qualified and licensed electrician may work on the fixed wiring/electrical circuit of a home or business.

In this particular instance, therefore, the following applies…

DISCLAIMER/WARNING:

Please note: As, by law the fixed wiring is supposed to be worked on only by a qualified and registered electrician, if you are at all unsure of how to go about a project of this sort, DON’T! Rather get an electrician in to do the job for you.

Right, having got that out of the way, the chandelier in this case was bought at an antiques shop, and though on the old side, still retains a lot of character and charm… certainly more charm than the lampshade it was intended to replace, which, though effective, was rather plain. So…

Materials:

  • Chandelier
  • #16 brass-plated screw eye or hook

Method:

  1. This diagram (the block is coloured yellow for clarity, but the one actually used in this fitting is black) shows the attachment to the block as used in this feature, so please note the following:
    In this case the live fixed wire was red-insulated, but please note the colour coding information above, in which it is mentioned that the live wire’s insulation’s colour can be WHITE or YELLOW or BLUE.It is vitally important that the wires on both sides of the block be connected to their correct mates on the other. So… RED to BROWN; BLACK to BLUE, and BARE COPPER (OR GREEN) to GREEN/YELLOW.
    Obviously, should the fixed live wire have white or yellow or blue insulation, it must be connected to the brown-insulated flexible wire… so don’t get the two blues mixed up by connecting the live blue fixed wire to the neutral blue flexible wire.
  2. This first step is extremely important… use a multimeter (for further information on how to use one if you are unsure, check out https://www.mica.co.za/?s=multimeter (MICA – HOW TO USE A MULTIMETER). The one I am using here is the small digital one in the centre of the next image. It has a sound function, so when there is a connection it sounds with a “Beeep…” – which is a great feature. So… check each centre contact in each bulb position with the other end of the wire in the block… each “Beeep…” tells you there is a connection between the centre contact in each bulb position and the corresponding point on the block. Then, without moving the probe from its position in the block, check each other side connector in each bulb position (there should be no “Beeep…”), to ensure you do not have any cross-connections. Then, still keeping the probe in the same position in the block, touch the other probe to the brass fitting itself. If there is a “Beeep…”, then you have short circuit. If nothing sounds, the connections to the bulb positions are all fine. I repeated the procedure a couple of times, just in case I might have allowed one of the probes did not always make full contact.
  3. Here are three examples of multimeters. The one on the left is analogue, and the other two are digital. Read and understand their instructions before using them so you do not get incorrect – and possibly hazardous – readings.
  4. This is one of the bulbs… this chandelier uses three 629 lumen clear E14-type 42W low energy halogen bulbs – which are bright enough to fry your eyeballs! If you are unsure as to what bulbs to buy, visit your local Mica’s electrical department for advice. If necessary, do this before installing the chandelier… take it with you so that you get bulbs of the correct type.
  5. The existing shade has done its job well, but it’s time to go…
  1. Safety first! This shows the distribution board. When the switches are up, they are ON. There is a mains switch, geyser, lights, outdoor building and plugs… each of the latter serving individual circuits in the house. Naturally, the number of circuit breakers and their application will vary from house to house… you may have a pool, fish pond, heat pump, or whatever… each might have their own circuit breaker. You could, as you are working on a light, simply flick all the lights circuit breakers down, to turn them off. But I believe in two precautions too many rather than one too few. So…
  2. I always flick ALL the switches down. That turns off the whole system. Yes, you might have to reset a pool timer or something else, but at least the system is dead, and not you! Check appliances and lights to confirm everything is off and NO power is going to any of them.
  3. The old shade was attached a piece of wood cut into a disk shape, so I removed that and having opened one of the #16 brass-plated screw eyes to create a hook (no hooks or the required size were in stock when I did this work, so I made a plan). I hung the chandelier on the hook
  4. The fixed wiring was quite lengthy so I cut each conductor back a little.
  5. Then I attached the fixed wires to the block already fitted on to the chandelier… note, RED to BROWN; BLACK to BLUE, and BARE COPPER to GREEN/YELLOW. Please note: NO BARE WIRES (apart from the bare copper earth (grounding) wire on the fixed wiring side, is exposed; I took a great deal of care to ensure that the insulation of all the wires fitting into the block was well within the block, allowing NO metal-to-metal contact with any part of the chandelier’s brass exterior.
  1. Then I gently pushed the cover cup up and secured it with its grub screw. This locks it on the shaft and up against the ceiling, hiding all the wiring. Then I went back to the distribution board, turned on the main switch, then the earth leakage, and then the plugs circuit breakers one by one, and finally the light circuit breakers… one at a time, so if the earth leakage tripped, I would know which circuit the new chandelier was on.
  2. But all was well, and light flooded the room. As a bonus, the bulbs’ reflection off the brass of the chandelier seemed to give it a warmer, cosier hue.

Panel:

These materials are available at Selected Mica Stores. To find your closest Mica and whether or not they stock the items required, please go to www.mica.co.za, find your store and call them. If your local Mica does not stock exactly what you need they will be able to order it for you or suggest an alternative product or a reputable source.

Project guide

TIME: Less than an hour

COST: Cost of chandelier and hook – assuming all the wiring is already in situ

Skill: 1 (but please note the DISCLAIMER/WARNING above

Tools required:

Multimeter (also known as a volt-ohm meter), cordless drill/driver; wire cutters/stripper/side cutters, small screwdriver, ladder