controlling to sets of garden lights from one 2 gang switch

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Hi guys i am new to the forum so i appologise if this question has been asked before, i want to control 2 seperate sets of lights in my garden,from
one 2gang switch, i will come off the ring main with a fused spur,which is RCD protected at the fuse board. do i need a 2gang single pole switch or 2gang double pole switch ip65? do i use flex or cable from FCU to switch,
3or4 core cable then i was going to use rubber flex in conduit into wiska boxes with waterproof glands, is this ok, or i have done SWA terminations before but this is a bit time consuming as im not a pro.!! P.S i live in a basement so no access to any loft space. etc. so i will have to come off the ring main with a FCU, thanks for any help guys :?: chunkykev.
 
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two gang single pole switch plate will be okay, as you will have double pole isolation at the FCU.
You can use either flex(3 core) or cable(twin and earth)
The external cable will need to be suitable for the environment and routed/and or protected for provisions against mechanical damage, frost, sunlight, fauna, flora and enclosures protected against water ingress.
 
thanks for the advise prenticeboy, could you give me advice as to the connections at the 2 gang switch,two seperate cables or flex coming into the switch from the garden lights, plus the cable or flex from the FCU into switch, 3 cables in all?
or should the 2 sets of garden lights be wired into a garden box(wiska)
then onto the two gang switch??? :?: thanks
 
You will have a two gang plate:
Gang one (light one) Likely to have terminals of COM-L1-L2.
Gang two (light two) As above.

Step one:
The cable incoming from the FCU will have:
Brown (line)
Blue (neutral)
Green/Yellow (CPC/earth) this could be bare but will require sleeving Green/Yellow
Cable going to lights as above.

Step two:
At the switch plate on gang one (light one):
Terminate incoming cable from FCU as so:
*Brown (line) to com
*Blue (neutral) to choc block
*Green/Yellow (CPC/earth) to earth terminal of backbox or switch plate if
one supplied, if not in to a choc block

Step three:
Cable to light one (via external junction box):
*Brown (line) to L1 of gang one
*Blue (neutral) to choc block with incoming Blue (neutral), so connected they are together.
*Green/Yellow (CPC/earth) connected to terminal used as earth from incoming cable, so connected together.

Step four:
Cable to light two (via external junction box)
*Brown (line) to L1 of gang two.
*Blue (neutral) repeat as in step three.
*Green/Yellow (CPC/earth) repeat as in step three.
NB: The two lighting lines must be kept separate at the junction box.

Step five:
*Fit a Brown (line) link between com of gang one) and com of gang 2.

Step six:
*Fit outside lights as per instruction with product.

Step seven:
Follow these test procedures for Dead Tests
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/8.1.1.htm

*Continuity
*Dead Polarity
*Insulation resistance
Post the results back and will tell you if you are safe to go live
 
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BAS will be along in a second with a rhetoric about blindly following 'put this wire in this hole' :rolleyes:
 
Depending on the relative positions, it may be easier to use 4 core (or 3 plus earth) cable from the switch to where the circuits split. Both circuits would share a single neutral core, but they would have separate switched live cores.

Where the circuits split, you'd connect two sets of 3 core (or 2 plus earth) cables to the 4 core (3 plus earth cable). This could be in the terminal box of the first light fitting if that's how the positions work and there is enough room for an extra loose terminal.

So a little more information might be useful.
 
Thanks for all the replies and help guys,especially prenticeboy who detailed very well so an amateur like me would understand, just to throw
a spanner in the works would it matter at all if on one of the lights in series, ie (daisy chain) would it be a problem if one of the lights were a PIR bulkhead, question 1
question 2 the same as above without the PIR but with photocell bulkheads
my question is would this change any of the wiring or could it be done as previously wanted, if its going to be too much agg!!! i think i will just use them by the two gang switch, and leave them wired as per instructions above. thanks again guys for your input:cool:
 
Thanks for all the replies and help guys,especially prenticeboy
no worries
would it matter at all if on one of the lights in series, ie (daisy chain) would it be a problem if one of the lights were a PIR bulkhead,
it would matter if one of the lamps failed, as they all will. So normal practice would be to wire in parallal.
the same as above without the PIR but with photocell bulkheads
Same as above
my question is would this change any of the wiring or could it be done as previously wanted, if its going to be too much agg!!!
Yes the configuration of wiring would differ. What did you previously want?
i think i will just use them by the two gang switch, and leave them wired as per instructions above. thanks again guys for your input:cool:
You could still install a PIR light but if sharing the same switch of other lights, this could become a nuisance if the PIR light was used as security/safety, as the switch would require to be closed for permanent power to the PIR, therefore all other lights would be on.
It maybe worth considering using a three gang switch rather than a two gang switch and using the third switch for PIR.
 
Thanks for all the replies and help guys,especially prenticeboy
no worries
would it matter at all if on one of the lights in series, ie (daisy chain) would it be a problem if one of the lights were a PIR bulkhead,
it would matter if one of the lamps failed, as they all will. So normal practice would be to wire in parallal.
the same as above without the PIR but with photocell bulkheads
Same as above
my question is would this change any of the wiring or could it be done as previously wanted, if its going to be too much agg!!!
Yes the configuration of wiring would differ. What did you previously want?
i think i will just use them by the two gang switch, and leave them wired as per instructions above. thanks again guys for your input:cool:
You could still install a PIR light but if sharing the same switch of other lights, this could become a nuisance if the PIR light was used as security/safety, as the switch would require to be closed for permanent power to the PIR, therefore all other lights would be on.
It maybe worth considering using a three gang switch rather than a two gang switch and using the third switch for PIR.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_and_parallel_circuits
 

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