Help with lighting please.

[chrishay]

Hi I am brand new to the froum and found it trying to get an answer to my question, I have looked at the wiring diagrams but cant find the answer, apologies if it is there and I am being thick.

My questiion is in my cottage one of my bedroms has a wall 1 gang light switch and also a pull cord switch, I think it was for the old dear that used to live here so she could turn it off from bed. I want to get rid of the pull switch altogether but cant fathom the way to change the wiring.

The wall switch has a cable with two red wires one going to L1 and one going to L2 and an earth, and another cable with another red wire wired to common and an earth wire.

The pull cord switch has the same configuration a cable with red wire to L1 red wire to L2 and an earth and a cable with a red wire to common and an earth.

The switches work correctly but on lookng at the wiring diagrams for two way light switches there doesnt appear to be enough wires, can anyone explain how to remove the pull cord switch and have the light operated by the wall switch only.

many tanks in advance.

 

[333rocky333]

If only one wire in each terminal,you proberly have feed at one switch and switchline at the other.
You cannot then easily remove the pull switch without some rewiring

Could you not remove the cord and leave the base and wiring,

 

[chrishay]

333rocky... man thanks for your reply I am not sure what you mean about live feed and switchline I presume that it is not conventionaly wired then. I might have to just cut the cord and make do... dont supposeI could just push it up into the attic still wired and then plaster over hole could I?

 

[333rocky333]

There are two main ways , yours is one of them,the drawings are here somewhere , it is just that yours uses , twin red cable and also single red
The twin goes from L1 and L2 to the same on other switch

One single red is live
One single red is switchlive

If you can get the single red from the pullswitch to go to the wallswitch
And remove the two core completely
Then connect each single red across common and L1
All earths together in wall switch

If you cut the cord make sure wall switch is in right position ,up and light off , otherwise it will be upside down
As for the last bit ,although not ideal, as long as not buried in plaster, it could be safely screwed down in the loft , acting like a junction box

 

[333rocky333]

A bit more involved you could

IF both of the single reds go to the LIGHT, remove them there at the LIGHT.

Remove the two core at the pullswitch and reroute that to the light ,
Connecting to where you removed the other two single ones.

Then at the wallswitch connect the two core across Common and L1
Remove or seal off the ends of the single core reds

All earths connect together

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Sounds like what you have is what's described here as the Conduit Method, even though you don't have conduit.

So the permanent live will go to one switch, and the switched live will go from the other.

As Rocky says, you can't just remove one switch. If you have access to the loft, your best bet is to get up there, find the wires, take the one from the pull switch over to the wall switch and get rid of the twin red linking the two.

Second best is to do what you suggest, or to replace the switch with a choc-block in a choc-box connecting the single red to one of the cores of the twin red. Doesn't matter which one - if you end up with the wall switch working upside down just swap L1 & L2 at that switch.

 

[chrishay]

many thanks for your replies very helpful think this is not a job for me though!! But thanks again

 

[RF Lighting]

Cut the string off, and leave the swich as it is

 

[333rocky333]

Could you not remove the cord and leave the base and wiring,

 

[RF Lighting]

Just skimmed through the thread, and missed that bit