2 way switch

[paddy1]

Problem with my 2 way light switch.

2 light switches to control the kitchen light one on either side of the room.

Switch no. 1 turns the kitchen light on and off.

When switch no. 1 is at on position switch no. 2 is able to turn the light on and off.

When switch no. 1 is at the off position switch no. 2 does not do anything.

Where does my problem lie.

Using my voltmeter is there an easy way to tell which wire out of the 3 is the linked wire?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Problem with my 2 way light switch.

2 light switches to control the kitchen light one on either side of the room.

Switch no. 1 turns the kitchen light on and off.

When switch no. 1 is at on position switch no. 2 is able to turn the light on and off.

When switch no. 1 is at the off position switch no. 2 does not do anything.

Has it always been like this, or have you recently improved it into this state?

Does switch 1 turn it on and off whatever the position is of switch 2?

Where does my problem lie.

Probably in the way 1 & 2 are linked - have you looked at the diagrams in For Reference?

Using my voltmeter is there an easy way to tell which wire out of the 3 is the linked wire?

Not sure what you mean by that...

 

[paddy1]

I had my room plastered and told them i was putting on new face plates.
they switched the light circuits off, disconnected the face plates and left 6 red wires hanging on switch 1 and 7 on switch 2.

I have managed to get the rest of the wires connected correctly but the kitchen one aint workin as it should.

It used to work in that either switch turned the light on or off regardless of the position of the other switch.

I think that switch one works regardless of the position of switch 2 but switch 2 only works if switch one is on.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You're going to need a multimeter to work out which wires are which...

 

[tommo2]

Ok , try this...
On switch 1: swap the wires that are in terminals C and L1.
See does this work.
If not put the wires back to their original positions and swap the wires that are in C and L2.
I dont5 wanna get into why this might work.... so many possibilities i'd be here all night. It sounds like you have mixed up your live feed or light feed with one of the strappers.
Try what i've suggested and see how u get on.
If it doesnt work let me know in detail how it is wired. You say that there are 6 wires on one switch and seven on the other. I assume some of these wires are CORES of a twin and earth wire. Check how many individual wires are coming in and how many cores they have (are they twin or single). Dont worry about the uninsulated earth wires.
Check also the colours of the cores. Check are any cores joined seperately in connector blocks, they could be neutrals. I know this may get complicated but with enough info and a multimeter we can sort it out.

 

[paddy1]

All the wires are red.

4 in switch one operate another light which i have wired up correctly.

2 in switch 2 operate another light which i have also wired up correctly.
the other odd one in switch 2 is a loose wire which runs from the C terminal of one switch in switch 2 to the C on the other.

Therefore on switch 2 I have 3 wires comming in.
1 is the linked wire from switch 1 which is red and the other 2 should be going to L1 and L2 (which are also red).
The fourth is the loose wire which will connect the C on the 2 switches in this unit.


On switch one again the wires are all red.

I tried it all last night and it seems that switch one has to be on in order for switch 2 to work. And switch 2 must be on in order for switch one to work.

Thanks again.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

4 in switch one operate another light which i have wired up correctly.

4?? The usual number for one light is 2...

I tried it all last night and it seems that switch one has to be on in order for switch 2 to work. And switch 2 must be on in order for switch one to work.

1) Look at the diagrams in For Reference for details of how 2-way switch circuits are wired.

2) With the power on, carefully identify & mark the permanent lives.

3) With the power off identify & mark the wires running between S1 & S2 for the 2-way function.

 

[paddy1]

the 4 wires are because it is switch 2 of a two way switch operating another light.

one is the earth..

I assume that I can determine the permanent live using my voltmeter..

How do i identify the wires running between S1 & S2 for the 2-way function? is there an easy way to do this.

Thanks.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

1) Temporarily extend the wires from one switch to the other using choc-block and a length of flex, and on continuity / low-resistance setting match up the ends

or

2) at one switch temporarily connect one at a time to earth, and use continuity / low-resistance setting at the other switch to find the other end.

 

[tommo2]

Ok paddy...
Heres what you should have... I assume all the red wires are single-core.
Terminal L1 on switch 1 should be linked to terminal L1 on switch2.
Terminal L2 on switch 1 should be linked to terminal L2 on switch2.
These wires are known as strappers.
(it doesn't matter if the strappers are crossed over, ie L1 to L2 and L2 to L1).
One of the switches has a wire going to your light. This connects to terminal C on that switch.
On the other switch the live feed is connected to terminal C. This feed may be linked to another switch and so may have more than one wire.
This is all you require to get the light working.
You should only have one wire in all terminals of each switch except terminal C on one of them (although this does not mean you HAVE to have 2 wires in it).
All other wires will be for the other switches (hall light etc)
The best place to start is to identify which wire is going to the light.
Then place this in terminal C on that switch.
Use a continuity tester to test which two wires are the strappers and connect them as described above.
You may find that you have three or four wires going between switches but the others will be live feeds for other lights.
You mention linjks between terminal C on both switches. This should not be the case.
Try all this and see how you get on. Failing that.... Where in ireland are you.... You could live next door

 

[ban-all-sheds]

(it doesn't matter if the strappers are crossed over, ie L1 to L2 and L2 to L1).

Unless you're anal about the symmetry of the switch positions when the lights are on.