# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  Light fitting appears to have a switched neutral?

## kjparker

We are in the process of having some renovations done.  I originally in the room had some regular long fluro lights on the ceiling that were working. 
These were taken down, and terminated to BP's. 
When I hold a (non contact) volt stick near these wires, (they are well separated) I get a constant active there, regardless of the switch position.  One wire is obviously the earth, it's green, and does not appear to carry any current, and one I would take to be the neutral, as it also gives no response to the volt stick regardsless of switch position. 
Is my theory correct in that the neutral is likely to have been switched on this circuit?  I'm not going to try and fix it myself, however i'm trying to get my head around whats going on there.  
Does that (assuming access to run new wiring if required is good) sound like a difficult job for a competent sparky to fix?

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## chrisp

The non-contact indicators measure electric field and don't actually sense current in the wiring. 
I'm guessing a little here, but I take it that you had a group of (2 or 3, maybe more) red wires, a group of black wires (one less than that for the reds), a group of green wires (usually the same number as the blacks), and a single white wire? 
In which case, the reds will always be active - regardless of whether the switch is on or off.  The white will be active when the switch is on, _but_ as there is stray capacitance in the wiring, it is still likely to light the non-contact indicator anyway (regardless of whether the switch is on or off). 
The electrician fitting the new light will check it out anyway, but it all sounds normal.

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## LinesElectrical

Black is not always a neutral conductor that's a trap for new players. 
You most likely have feed in feed out and annother red to the switch and a black switched active. 
Pretty standard for a old install.

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## Uncle Bob

> Black is not always a neutral conductor that's a trap for new players. 
> You most likely have feed in feed out and annother red to the switch and a black switched active. 
> Pretty standard for a old install.

   :What he said:  It was sometimes common with 2 way switching.

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