Three gang 2 way light switch help!

[We_Called_Today]

Hi,

I have a three gang light switch as follows...

Excuse the poor diagram, please!

It's a three gang switch - switch 1 operates a ceiling light, which is also switchable from the other side of the room.

Switches 2 and 3 operate wall lights 2 and 3.

With this set-up, the wall lights only work if switch 1 is on, i.e. the wall lights only work with the ceiling light on, which is pointless!

What mod do I have to make here so that wall lights 2 and 3 work independently of the switch 1? i.e. so that I can have the wall lights on without the ceiling light on!

Anyone?!? Please?!?

Many thanks in advance!

Paul

 

[Spark123]

Have you got the two yellow wires the wrong way around?

 

[securespark]

Yup, you've c*cked up with the conductors. My guess (only a guess, mind!) is that one of the reds will be a permanent live. This needs to go to the Commons. As for the remaining switch wires, you need a multimeter or a bit of trial & error testing to find out which switches what.

Or, as 123 says, you may have the two yellows the wrong way round.

That strikes me as odd, incidently, that there should be reds & two yellows at this switch position. Can you take a photo?

 

[Spark123]

My guess (and is only a guess), the blues and blacks will all be in a terminal block (neutral).

 

[We_Called_Today]

...I drew the diagram up assuming that the two yellows were the wrong way around, and have ruled that out, as the two way switch wouldn't work if it was the case that the live were connected to C2, not CCOM.

i.e. if C2 were the live, then when C2 to CCOM was bridged, BCOM and ACOM would also be live, as would the ceiling light, so would give the symptoms I am seeing now. However, the two way switch would not work if this were the case(i.e. from the other light switch which controls the ceiling light across the room), as when I flick the switch from CCOM-C2 to CCOM-C1, the live (C2) is isolated (as are the wall lights, I guess).

What was that about the blacks and blues being connected into a terminal block?

Cheers

 

[fireman22]

you dont say in your post, but i guess this has never worked? i think the yellow with red tape goes to the switched live terminal of your ceiling light. if the C terminal of the other switch on the two way for the ceiling light comes from the ceiling light fitting, you will need to swap the yellow and whatever that cable is. i hope you understood that its the only thing that will make it work. if your ceiling light has been changed at some time it may have been reconnected wrongly, especially if the C terminal in the other switch is a yellow cable

 

[We_Called_Today]

God, now I'm really confused!

When you say the yellow wire with red tape on goes to the switched live, are you talking about the one which is on C2 in my diagram?

And when you say the C terminal of the other switch, are you talking about the Common?

Never worked since I've known it, no, which is why I'm trying to get it working now...

)

 

[fireman22]

in your diagram i think the yellow cable in the top C terminal goes to the switched live of your light fitting. if you go to the other switch check to see what cable is in its C terminal. if that cable goes to the light fitting you just need to swap the two over (the yellow and whatever other colour that C term has in it)

 

[fireman22]

when i talk about the other switch i refer to the switch that is two way for the ceiling light

 

[fireman22]

when i say swap over i mean in the light fitting on the ceiling, sorry if i am confussing you i`m starting to confuse myself

 

[fireman22]

your 3 gang switch is wired correctly i believe so you can close that up.

 

[We_Called_Today]

So...swap over the black and red in the ceiling rose? Is that what you are saying...?

I'm trying to draw this, and I have spaghetti...

(

 

[fireman22]

no, what cables have you got at the ceiling light?

 

[We_Called_Today]

Ah...this is where it starts to fall apart, as I'm not at that house at that moment.

As far as I can recall, it all looked normal to me (was looking at it yesterday)

i.e. a terminal block, with the reds grouped together in one, two black into one, and one into another (apart from the earth) which I guess would be the switched live from either CCOM on the 3 way gang, or from C on the other light switch?

 

[fireman22]

any yellows? well anyway one of the lives goes to the "other switch" onto its common terminal then it sends a pair a strapper cables from its L1 & L2 terminals to your 3 gang switches L1 & L2 terminals then when ceiling light is on your Common terminals all become live. the common terminal at your 3 gang switch with the yellow cable goes up to your ceiling light.
now someone may have changed your ceiling light at some point or moved switches and extended using other cables either way......
the common terminal in the other switch will be live all the time and you will have to find this cable in the ceiling light then swap it with the single cable which becomes live when the light comes one. let me know if this makes sense, as you have drawn the circuit you should be able to follow what i mean