Replacing dimmer with a emergency lighting switch

Hi folks, new to the forum and total newbie to electrical maintenance

I am looking to change an existing dimmer switch controlling three bulbs for one of those emergency light switches. Long story short, I am running those Phillips Hue wifi bulbs and people keep knocking off the switches. I bought one of these off amazon: White Emergency Lighting Double Pole Test Key Switch inc Key https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007GMO8W6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lpQByb9E8JP0F
I was hoping I could use the switch to turn on the lights and leave them on,then use the hue switch to control the bulbs which I will stick over the key hole.

It came today and has 4 holes in the back for wires, 2 marked L1 and 2 marked L2.



I have attached photos of the existing switch setup





I removed the two wires in L1 and put one in each L1 of the new switch, I then put the third wire from the one with the little squiggly lines into one of the L2 holes on the new switch.

Switched the lecky back on and the switch wouldn't work.

There are other wires inside the wall which I didn't touch (see the blue ones and I know the other one is an earth?) wasn't even sure what they were.

Please help as I am a little lost and frustrated. Have I bought the wrong type of switch or can we get this working?! One thing may be worth noting,I have another dimmer in the kitchen which is upstairs but appears to be controlled by the same fuse.

Many thanks in advance!

Pepe

Hi, connect the two wires in L1into L1 and the one in wavy line into com on the new switch.

DS

deadshort said:

Hi, connect the two wires in L1into L1 and the one in wavy line into com on the new switch.

DS

Click to expand...

Its a double pole switch there wont be a COM
Use the opposite terminal

Yip, sorry well spotted rocky333.

DS

Wow quick reply thanks!

So just to clarify,both wires from the L1 in the existing switch (both in same hole) into the same hole on L1 on the new switch and the cable from the wavy lines into the other L1 hole? So I don't touch the L2 holes at all on the new one?

Cheers

Yes. that is correct.

Thanks one and all,gonna try that and hopefully all will be good with the world!

If not I may be back. Lol

Let's hope you haven't mixed your brown wires up!

Pepe1980 said:

Long story short, I am running those Phillips Hue wifi bulbs and people keep knocking off the switches.

Click to expand...

That's because switches are what people use to control lights. You should give really hard, serious consideration to whether you really need to do something different. Just wanting to, or enjoying doing it are not enough, because you should be tempering your desires with social responsibility.

I have never wanted, or even momentarily thought it might be fun (let alone useful) to control my lights by using a phone, or a tablet, or a PC, or an Internet café on the other side of the world.

Have you? Really?

This is not some old-fuddy-duddy-luddite rant, it is a vitally important question (as in it genuinely does have life-and-death significance in some parts of the world). Unfettered manufacturing and use of stuff which we need so little that the reality is we can manage perfectly well without it and not have our lifestyles crimped is one of the ills of society which contributes to wasteful use of energy and other natural resources and ties into the whole narrative of "growth" being essential even though it is destroying the planet and exacerbating the divisions between and dissatisfactions of the have-nots vs the haves.

ban-all-sheds said:

That's because switches are what people use to control lights.

Click to expand...

Well, thats not very responsible of them is it ! They could save electricity by using pir or wifi and save energy when they are left on.
It's a bit judgemental of you BAS, as you do not know the circumstances of the OP ? e.g. are they disabled, and cannot reach the light switch ?

Regards,

DS.

p.s. BAS I have pressed the 'ignore' switch for you

deadshort said:

I have pressed the 'ignore' switch for you

Click to expand...

Presumably because you don't want to read the bit where I point out that:

1) The OP is reporting people using the light switches, so they clearly can reach them.

2) There is an option of switches which have remote controls, so the nonsense of using wi-fi controlled bulbs is totally unnecessary.

I guess you are one of those people who doesn't want to be confused by facts which don't agree with the mind you have already made up.