Light switch single to double

[Shrimps2021]

I have 2 ceiling lights that work on a single switch. The single switch currently has 3 sets of grey cables coming through the back box. The wiring behind the single switch, am I able to turn this into 2 switches, Ie a switch for each ceiling light. This would mean that I can turn each ceiling light on separately. What switch socket would I need? Is it a 2 gang 1 way? And how would I wire this up?

 

[ericmark]

Can't work that out from the info given.

There are basic two ways to wire lights, one use the ceiling rose as a junction box, the other use the switch back box as a junction box, however you can get what you want using smart bulbs without any rewiring, but if you want to hard-wire, pictures are good.

 

[ETAF]

picture of what you have at the moment , would help , showing the switch and how wired

3 sets of grey cables - maybe - live and neutral , switched live to light 1 - switched live to light 2 - all the neutrals connected together

BUT guessing, and could be completely wrong

 

[Shrimps2021]

Please find pictures of the switch and wires

 

[Shrimps2021]

There are 4 pictures enclosed

 

[pete01]

No you can't do it

 

[Murdochcat]

No you can't do it

But you could Use smart bulbs

 

[Jurassicspark]

Well, you can do it if you verify the 2 wires in Com go the light switch.

Or use smart bulbs.

 

[sparkwright]

No you can't do it

How do you know the single brown isn't the feed?































































I bet it isn't though.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Remove one of the brown wires that goes to the COM terminal. (safely turn off the supply, of course). Insulate the removed wire, of course.
Turn the supply back on and find out if your switch now just switches one lamp on and off. If it does then you might be in business.
Also, if it does, then swop the browns in COM, and try the test with the second light.

If it doesnt and/or lights in other rooms dont work then, i'm sorry, you'd need to go the smart lamp route.

 

[ETAF]

it maybe connected up as i suspected

any chance you have a multimeter at all

What i would do , is
FIRST know how to Isolate the lighting supply
1) Test to see if the L1 brown wire is LIVE in - so Live all the time
BUT you could
2) disconnected the 2 wires in the COM
3) Just connect one of the wires - to the COM - see if just 1 light works
4) disconnect that wire from COM and connect the other wire - see if the 2nd light works

if that is how it works -

Then a good chance you could add a double gang switch ( 1 or 2 way will be OK)

and connect L1 with another piece of wire to L1 of the other switch
and split the 2 com , and 1 in each com

BUT you need to now how to work with electric and keep safe

Adding an extra light from a light switch

How to add an extra light, connecting from an existing light switch with some minor modifications

flameport.com

Your wiring would be similar to the above

BUT it maybe live in to COM and Live out to somewhere else and the L1 cable connects to Both lights daisy chained somehow

a multimeter maybe be useful, if you know how to use it

 

[Taylortwocities]

it maybe connected up as i suspected

any chance you have a multimeter at all

What i would do , is
FIRST know how to Isolate the lighting supply
1) Test to see if the L1 brown wire is LIVE in - so Live all the time
BUT you could
2) disconnected the 2 wires in the COM
3) Just connect one of the wires - to the COM - see if just 1 light works
4) disconnect that wire from COM and connect the other wire - see if the 2nd light works

if that is how it works -

Then a good chance you could add a double gang switch ( 1 or 2 way will be OK)

and connect L1 with another piece of wire to L1 of the other switch
and split the 2 com , and 1 in each com

BUT you need to now how to work with electric and keep safe

Adding an extra light from a light switch

How to add an extra light, connecting from an existing light switch with some minor modifications

flameport.com

Your wiring would be similar to the above

snap!

 

[ETAF]

 

[Shrimps2021]

I was hopefully looking to switch them separately as I wanted one of the ceiling lights to be a ceiling fan!!
People have suggested smart bulbs? how would that work if I wasn’t able to have 2 light switches?

 

[ETAF]

so you want to replace one of the lights with a ceiling fan and just have the other light only

still the same IDEA - whats the spec of the ceiling fan ?

you need to establish if the 2 lights are indeed connectedd to that COM separately and each light has an individual wire - OR if its all doing somethign else