intermediate switch or not?

[morpheus83uk]

I have 3 switches which control a single light...

One is at the bottom of the stairs one at the top of the stairs and the other at the opposite side of the landing.

The first switch is a 2 gang 2 way switch which is at the bottom of the stairs.

The second switch is a 1 gang and 2 way switch at the top of the stairs.

The third switch is a 3 gang 2 way switch at the other side of the landing.

Would the second switch be an intermediate switch? The reason I ask is the other half wants to swap the switches to polished chrome screwless flat plates. Is there anything which would give it away that it's intermediate or not?

Also while looking at the switches pretty much all of the screwless polished chrome switches I have found seem to be 10ax switches. Are these alright as a normal switch as I believe these are normally used for fluorescents?

Thanks

James

 

[EFLImpudence]

Intermediate switches have four terminals.

10AX is fine.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Would the second switch be an intermediate switch?

If there's a light which can be controlled by all three switches then one of them has to be an intermediate.

But it doesn't have to be the one "in the middle" - it could be any of them.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Have a look in the WIKI at this section
//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Intermediate

It includes a nice graphic of an intermediate switch and its connections.

In fact, studying this section would help improve your knowledge of how lighting circuits work.

 

[JohnW2]

If there's a light which can be controlled by all three switches then one of them has to be an intermediate. ... But it doesn't have to be the one "in the middle" - it could be any of them.

Do you mean "in the middle" physically or electrically? If the latter, I will need to think (and probably scribble!) about that!

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I mean the former - you may stand down on the scribbling.

 

[JohnW2]

I mean the former - you may stand down on the scribbling.

Thanks for clarifying - particularly since I strongly suspect that the scribbling would have been to no avail!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Mattenstein]

I'd imagine the intermediate one would be the 1-gang one; I've never heard of an intermediate switch that isn't all alone on its faceplate.

Rather surprised nobody brought that up already....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's been covered before, including relatively recently.

I thought the conclusion was that nothing greater than a 2-gang intermediate existed, not nothing greater than 1-gang.

 

[JohnW2]

It's been covered before, including relatively recently. ... I thought the conclusion was that nothing greater than a 2-gang intermediate existed, not nothing greater than 1-gang.

Yes, I think that was the conclusion. That is, of course, if one is constrained to have a 'single' size faceplate. If one is prepared to have a 'double-size' plate, then there are at least some 3-gang ones available (at a price!) - (such as this one) . I don't recall ever having seen a 4-gang one, but they may exist.

Kind Regards, John