Bathroom light switch broken.

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Hi all, my pull cord bathroom light switch has broken.
On taking it apart I can see a small spring has snapped so the mechanism bit isn't springing back into place.

Anyway I've bodged it for now using a random spring from my spares tub but it isn't going to hold.

I can see replacement switches are only £1.71 from Screwfix! But I'm not an electrician so don't know if it's the right spec or not?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/2-way-10ax-ceiling-pull-cord-switch/70874

Here is a photo of my current switch, as you can see it says 5AX, whereas the Screwfix one says 10AX. Also my switch says 250V, but there's nothing about this on the Screwfix page. Also I'm not sure about the "AC only" bit, and what "2 way" means on Screwfix.

Also, last year my bathroom light was changed when I had an electrician in fitting a new consumer unit, it is now an extremely bright LED one.







Thanks all!
 
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Don't laugh but what are terminals lol? Are they the holes that the cables screw/clamp into?
 
Here is a photo of my current switch, as you can see it says 5AX, whereas the Screwfix one says 10AX.
That's 5A X vs 10A X. Your switch can handle 5A, the one on Screwfix 10A, so it will be fine. (So would a 5A one).

X means that it can handle its full rated current for loads like fluorescent lighting.


Also my switch says 250V, but there's nothing about this on the Screwfix page.
It's fine.


Also I'm not sure about the "AC only" bit,
It means the switch is only for use in AC circuits, not DC. Not an issue, as AC is what you have.


and what "2 way" means on Screwfix.
It means it can be used as part of 2-way switching.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Two-way-lighting

But it's also fine for 1-way.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Intermediate
 
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Here is a photo of my current switch, as you can see it says 5AX, whereas the Screwfix one says 10AX.
That's 5A X vs 10A X. Your switch can handle 5A, the one on Screwfix 10A, so it will be fine. (So would a 5A one).

X means that it can handle its full rated current for loads like fluorescent lighting.


Also my switch says 250V, but there's nothing about this on the Screwfix page.
It's fine.


Also I'm not sure about the "AC only" bit,
It means the switch is only for use in AC circuits, not DC. Not an issue, as AC is what you have.


and what "2 way" means on Screwfix.
It means it can be used as part of 2-way switching.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Two-way-lighting

But it's also fine for 1-way.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Intermediate



Thanks for the detailed response!
 
I can see replacement switches are only £1.71 from Screwfix! But I'm not an electrician so don't know if it's the right spec or not?
http://www.screwfix.com/p/2-way-10ax-ceiling-pull-cord-switch/70874
That switch could be used, but it's a cheap and very nasty effort.

This: http://www.screwfix.com/p/crabtree-6a-1-way-pull-cord-switch-white/63249 would be much better.


Thanks for your reply, you're right I should spend a pound more for a branded one (I should already know this but got dazzled by the low price and high reviews and just thought that will do lol). Will go for this Crabtree one. Only thing I don't like is that the screws are showing. But functionality and reliability is more important.

Is it definitely 100% the correct spec that I need yeah?


SCRAP THAT - THE CRABTREE ONE ISN'T IN STOCK ANYWHERE!
 
The MK 6A pull-cords are not what they used to be, though. Don't get me wrong, they're not awful, just not as good as they once were.

They now buy them in from a far-eastern manufacturer who used a copy of their design.

The lampholders and pendants are also not comparable to those of yesteryear.

MK used to buy in MEM lampholders - T1 and T2 (remember those?) - really sturdy.:(
 
Ah good I made the right choice then! I rode my bike there last night and just randomly made a decision on the spot and went for the MK one as I already knew they made good plug sockets.

Saying their not as good as they used to be is the same for everything these days really ain't it. Having to use recycled materials, mass produced in other countries etc etc etc.


Anyway the top of this switch says 250v which matches my old one, but it says 16AX, whereas my old one says 5AX.
So going by what I've been told on here, that just means it CAN handle 16A max. It doesn't mean the light HAS to be 16A.

See how much I'm confusing myself here! lol.
I think I'm just terrified of something exploding.



 

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