Which is live wire?

[JohnW2]

....it can be taken as read that all (two or three) terminals are live, or can be live with the switch in the appropriate position.

Indeed, and it's hard to envisage any situation, certainly in normal uses, in which there would be any terminal which could not be live under some circumstances, given what switches do! Even if, naughtily, switching was in the neutral feed, some of the terminals would be pretty live under some circumastances (provided a load was present in the circuit).

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Paul_C]

Does that means the conversion method for 2 way lighting is not allowed.

What's the bottom diagram?

But as I said before, anyone who thinks that these diagrams are somehow absolute must think that swapping the L1 & L2 around on 2-way switches isn't allowed, or that using two intermediate switches to control the light from four different places isn't allowed either.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[Paul_C]

I know - Having spent a couple of hours this afternoon sorting out a few boxes full of components, including batches of rotary switches anything up to 12-way and about 6-poles, I hate to think what some people would get in a flap about over those, considering how much argument a simple 1-way light switch seems to have caused!

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[Paul_C]

Just trying to understand why some people seem to think it matters, that it's "good practice" to connect to C and L1 a particular way, etc.

 

[sparkwright]

I think people just like to be consistent in their wiring, so everything is the same. Just a quirk I think.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I think people just like to be consistent in their wiring, so everything is the same.

Yes, we know it doesn't matter electrically but the alternative is what? At random?

Or on Mondays I put the Live in Common, Tuesday in L1, Wednesday in L2 and put the switch on upside-down.

 

[Paul_C]

If somebody wants to be consistent throughout an installation by putting, say, the feed in C and the light to L1, that's one thing. But it doesn't mean that it's any better or worse than somebody else who chooses to do it the other way round. It's just different, and of no consequence, in the same way that it's of no consequence which way round you connect two wires to a reversible-2pin plug, or which way round you connect two wires to a double-contact BC lampholder.

 

[sparkwright]

Without repeating too much of what's been said, in conduit systems and many wiring diagrams, two perm feed wires are 'commoned' together so there is logic in wiring them to the common terminal. In a changeover switch the feed goes to the common.

Many traditional 2 way switching diagrams show the perm live in one common, and the switched live to the light in the other common.

In reality, in a typical installation where a 2 core switch cable goes to the first switch, with a 3 core linking the second switch, it's not wired like this.

The permanent live goes in L1, the switched live goes in L2.

To wire the above set up to one of those traditional wiring diagrams you would put the 2 core perm live in first switch common.

Strappers linking each L1 and each L2.

A wire from the second common would have to be joined in a connector block at the first switch to the switch live of the switch cable.

Switches are versatile and can be wired in numerous ways and still be right.

 

[Paul_C]

Switches are versatile and can be wired in numerous ways and still be right.

That's the long and short of it.

 

[JohnW2]

Switches are versatile and can be wired in numerous ways and still be right.

That's the long and short of it.

Quite - 'long' being the crucial word, given that it appears to have taken 8 pages to get to this point

Kind Regards, John.

 

[333rocky333]

Switches are versatile and can be wired in numerous ways and still be right.

That's the long and short of it.

Quite - 'long' being the crucial word, given that it appears to have taken 8 pages to get to this point

Kind Regards, John.

You seem to be the one missing the point,
I feel as a Diy forum accurate advise should be given, not individuals own inaccurate advise with no evidence to support it, nothing personal really


Never disputed the workings of a switch, its the claim that the "L1 or L2" terminal of a one way switch is the switchline according to manufacturers instructions

That the standard method used to install a one way light switch is to connect the permanent live to the com terminal and it is also good practice.
If we take a look at BS7671:2008
134.1.1
This bit becomes relevant:

"Electrical equipment shall be installed in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the equipment."

Are you disputing that?

And recently

Your red should be permanently live and go to wavy line/arrow terminal and black to L2.

8 pages yes, stating the obvious which i know,but still no drawing or anything to support either from PBoD, when all i asked was,

That the standard method used to install a one way light switch is to connect the permanent live to the com terminal and it is also good practice.

Is it ?

But never mind, obviosly struggling to find any

 

[JohnW2]

You seem to be the one missing the point, I feel as a Diy forum accurate advise should be given, not individuals own inaccurate advise with no evidence to support it, nothing personal really

What, IMO, has been wrong/silly with this discussion are the various assertions, and challenges made to those assertions, about 'what is right and wrong' or 'what is standard/conventional etc.' or 'what manufacturers do/do not say is right', when what both 'sides' should have been doing, particularly in a DIY form, is saying that there is no right and wrong (although it's no bad thing for an individal to be consistent). What we've seen is, again IMO, probably more to do with egos than useful electrical advice for DIYers.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[333rocky333]

Frankly I don't care how others wire a switch, i've never said i was right or wrong, its nothing to do with ego, i know my qualifications and experiance and happy with that.

It was all aimed at PBoD, nothing personal, just interested how he came up with that quote,

However others intervened when it was PBoD that made the initial claim and I just stated what i believe to be correct, unless the manufacturer invarioubly does and claims, the switch wiring can be connnected either way round.
Let him show a drawing to prove otherwise.

Want make any difference, put it's the correct way to do it!