6 Red wires in a 2 Gang switch !!

[ArnieUK]

Hi,

I have recently moved into my house, and wanted to replace all light switches with new ones.

I did all perfectly fine apart from the downstairs 2-gang light switch (2 switches to 2 lights, that works with the upstairs switch).

Because all 6 cables are red, apart from the 2 earth cables this was tricky, i managed to do the upstairs switch fine, but I must have swapped over a cable accidentally, as the second switch always blows the fuse even if I I swap L1 and L2 around. The first switch seems to work fine without blowing the fuse!

I also had a small piece of wire connecting the 2 COM ports together.

So, assume I don't know what any of the cables are for, where do I start to work out where the cables should go??!

Was thinking of getting a screwdriver that will tell me which of the cables are live - would these be the COM cables?

As you can probably tell, I don't know the first thing about electricals

Please help, as I don't want to fork out 80 squid for a sparky just for this

thanks in advance

 

[plugwash]

If there are only red wires present and fuses are blowing that suggests there is something badly wrong with the way your place is wired

I'm wondering if someone has done the dodgy "switch changing between live and neural" style of two way switching.

is the upstairs switch one gang or two gang and what wires are present at it?

What wires are present at the lights?

 

[ArnieUK]

all the switches worked fine before I started tampering with them

The upstairs switch is exactly the same 2-gang, and all the wires are red too

The lights have the proper colour coded wires (brown/blue etc)

 

[Albert]

I think that you should get something better than a screwdriver detector, using a basic meter (does not cost much) will allow you to check continuity.
1) Look at the light fitting (after you turned off the MCB/Fuse), mark the wires position.
2) Identify each cable (normally will have 3 wires) do the same in the switch. Short live to neutral, go to the switch and check for continuity if the meter will not beep try another set of wires and so on until you identify all the cables.
3) If the light fitting has a ceiling rose you can easily identify the SL cable it will be the black or may be red that supplies the bulb's live. The other reds will be together and one of them will be the permanent live.
4) the permanent live will be connected to the other reds and the neutral of this cable will be with other neutrals connected to the bulb's neutral.
5) You might not be able to identify one of the cables because this will be the supply to the next light fitting(that activated by the same switch).

 

[Taylortwocities]

That's definately an £80 job, that is!

 

[securespark]

If you've only got red wires & g/y wires in the switch box & the fuse is

blowing then either the reds are not all live conductors, or there is a g/y

wire attached to the switch or shorting against a switch terminal.

 

[Lectrician]

Sounds very much like there is a fair few cables in a small box......and youu have squashed one.