Hi All,

I'm planning to convert a light switch into a wall outlet, I've taken some picture and hopefully to get some advise here.

Many thanks in advance.

So this is what I have in the room.
Left side I got 2 switch, both were for lights and one was remove sometime ago
Right side is a normal three pin plug


I tot it will be easy until i opened up the box.
I saw 2 blue and 3 red.



So i decided to check the three pin wall socket and i notice that the wires are totally different. I've yellow and green wires.



This is what is left of the removed lights. 2 Black, 2 Green and 1 Blue.


So my question here is can I somehow connect the cable into the leftover(2 Black, 2 Green and 1 Blue) and change it into a wall mounted three pin socket or maybe straight into a 4-way extension cord for CPU, monitor, speaker and fan?

Thanks again for any advise.

Ken

 

Singapore's wiring colors are a bit batty - and what makes things even more interesting is that they have been revised, and the revision swaps hot and neutral colors.. But the presence of the red/blue/yellow seems to indicate old colors.

The easiest thing to do would be to install the outlet where the light was, and you can bypass the switch.. Black is neutral, blue is hot, and green is ground.

We need a better view of the box that houses the current outlet.. Do the red wires that go to the switches come from there or do they come from somewhere else?

Give us a better view of the other box and we'll see what we can do for you. Do you have a test light or meter?

 

Hi Jersey,

Yes, I agree with you. but I'm so sure that my is old colour. I've been living in this unit for 26 years and no rewiring was done.

So this my circuit break outside in the living room. The wire were all terminated here.



There is the overview of my room. From the light switch(left) to the terminated old light wire.



This is the existing working light in my room. the right switch if you refer back to the first post.



My plan is to connect the 2 black, 2 blue and 1 green with a normal brown, blue and yellow/green and end off with a 4 way to power a CPU, monitor and fan.



I'm planning to get a meter today or tomorrow. Also checking if i can borrow it from a friend.

thanks,
Ken

 

The quantity/colors in your picture don't match your description.

Also..... your colors in that receptacle device look incorrect.
E = earth = green wire
L = hot = blue wire
N = neutral = brown wire.

 

Hi PJMax,

Thanks for your reply, maybe it's quantity I will check again later tonight when I'm home. But just to confirm which receptacle device you're referring too?

Ken

 

The last picture in post #3.

Maybe it's the letters in the wrong place ?

 

Oh, I got that from the Internet. Just trying to illustrate what i intend to do. Sorry for the confusion.

 

I'm a little confused as to why there are two blacks and two greens but only one blue.. And it's like that at both lights.. Granted I'm not well versed in the quirks of wiring in Singapore, and maybe there's a reason for it, but I don't understand it.

Also if you could pull the existing outlet (the one shown in the first picture next to the two switches) all the way out and show a picture of all the wires inside, and also show how the wires connect to the two switches, that would be helpful too.

 

Hi Jersey,

I'm not surprise if the wiring isn't accordingly to standards like mention early this block goes a way back at least 30 years I believe.

Will do on the pictures. As for pulling out the outlet let me try and see what I can do.

I also manage grab hold of a meter and tested the cable, blue is the live wire, carrying 250V.

 

Hi Jersey,

I manage to do it!

Old socket



Left is new and right is still old



Connection from the terminated light wires.



Both are new




I also kinda figure out why the wiring is done this way. Apparently my entire home light switch is on a daisy chain effect and it is on one single switch on the circuit breaker(Sorry I'm not sure of the exact technical terms).

Now I'm wondering base on my post #3 picture number 3, which is earth and nature? Black or Green? I assume the blue is definitely the Live wire?

 

Don't assume anything.

Green should never be used as a current carrying wire.

In your picture..... doesn't the green wire(s) get connected to the metal frame of the light ?
And doesn't the black get connected to what looks like a starter ?

 

Hi PJMax,

That ceiling light was done by an electrician therefore i'm not very sure about details.

As for the 2 black wire, they are not connected to anything but itself.

Green, I'm not so sure where it goes to.

 

Hi Guys,

It's possible to tell what based on this picture which is the earth and which neutral?

The black wire is not connected to anything but itself.

I can't tell where the green is going to.

THe blue is connected to the started I believe.

 

Earth should be green. According to the old color code which all of your existing wire should be, black is supposed to be neutral and blue is supposed to be hot.

On a device like a new power strip that has brown/blue/green-yellow, it's the new color code.. Green is still earth.. But blue is neutral and brown is hot..

So the brown from the power strip needs to go to the YELLOW in your existing sockets (BLUE in the existing light), and the blue from the power strip needs to go to the BLACK in your existing sockets and light.

 

Hi Jersey,

Thanks for your reply. That was what I tot too but after connecting.





The problem now is my CPU which is connected to the power strips and it has current all over itself. I was like buzz twice just by touch the outer part of the CPU. It can light up a test pen with the outer casing.

Do you happen to know what is cause of this and if there is anyway to resolve this?

Any help or advise is greatly appreciated.

 

Only way for that to happen is to have hot and earth reversed.. Assuming the green wire is not hot at the old lamp connection it has to be at the power strip..

I cant tell for sure but are the terminals in the power strip labeled? It looks like they go in the correct general directions, hot would have to go to the switch first, earth to the middle where the earth pins are, and neutral to the top.. But you would have to check for labels (L/N/E) to be sure.

From what I can find, your plug configuration is reversed from ours as far as which pin on the receptacle is hot and which one is neutral. . When looking at the outlet with the earth pin at the top, the one on the left should be neutral and the one on the right should be hot.. Use your test light between left and earth, and right and earth and see which way it lights up. It should only light between right and earth.

 

Hi Jersey and PJMax,

Thanks a lot for your help. Although it was more complicated then i tot it will be, i manage to learn from you guys. End solution i got an electrician to do the job. So yup! thanks many!

 

I'm glad you learned something and it's appreciated that you stopped back to let us know how everything worked out.

 

Hi PJMax,

I wasn't around when the electrician came so ya.. Sorry about it.