Lights no longer used - can I replace 4 way switch with 2 way?

Hi,

I think the people who built our house had shares in a light fitting company, because there are lights everywhere. We've just redecorated and I've removed 3 uplighters from our hallway. The cables are capped with taped over switch blocks and will be left on the surface, hidden behind decorations.

This leaves me with some unnecessary light switches. The one at the bottom of the stairs has 4 switches on a double width plate, but now only needs 2. The switch at the top of the stairs has 2 switches on a single width plate but only needs 1.

Can I disconnect these lights at the switch and replace the plates with more appropriate ones so that I don't have zombie light switches everywhere? Is there anything in particular I have to know, or is it as simple as isolating the live and switched lives in taped over screw blocks behind a plate with fewer switches?

Many thanks,
Andy

AndyArbon said:

The cables are capped with taped over switch blocks and will be left on the surface, hidden behind decorations.

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What exactly do you man by that? Are you saying that all the old uplighter cables are on the surface?

Can I disconnect these lights at the switch and replace the plates with more appropriate ones so that I don't have zombie light switches everywhere?

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You may. Are any of them 2-way? (Not 2-gang)

Is there anything in particular I have to know, or is it as simple as isolating the live and switched lives in taped over screw blocks behind a plate with fewer switches?

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Better to disconnect all of the old cables which served the lights, and the switch drops, than leave them live.

But they would still need terminating in choc-block. Make sure you keep all of the earths connected together, including the ones in the defunct cables.

A picture of said light switches would be handy (terminal side obviously!)

You will also struggle to get a 2 gang light switch to fit a twin box. You can use a grid switch arrangement, but the best you can hope for there, is two switches and a blank module. Won't look great, but better than 2 un-used switches.

Other choice is to get the twin box out, and replace with a single.