Help needed to fix light switch

paralucent · 18 Jun 2020

Hi there! This is my first post.

I have been doing some decorating during lockdown, and after stripping the wallpaper from around a particularly awkward double light switch I discovered (a fortnight later) that the attic light is now permanently on. The bathroom light (left switch) still works normally while the attic switch (right switch) does nothing. Guessing that I had knocked out one of the wires, wearing gloves I unscrewed the switch and found a loose wire. I would like to reconnect it but the problem is there are two spare terminals and I don't know whether the wire connects to terminal 3 or terminal 4. Any ideas?

EFLImpudence · 18 Jun 2020

Need to see better where each wire connects to switch.

boringoldcodger · 18 Jun 2020

In the interests of being condescending, I'd suggest you make sure the relevant (if you've got more than 1) lighting circuit has been powered off in your CU before pulling out the switch so as to get the photo as asked for by EFLI. Hopefully on the rear of the switch will be some sort of (raised ?) line which indicates which terminals are for which switch.

Harry Bloomfield · 18 Jun 2020

As above, cut the power first, then suggest the loose wire belongs in a terminal marked L2, at the side of the switch with an empty L1 and L2 terminal. If neither, then look for one marked COM, with nothing in it and install there.

If switch works wrong way for on/off, swap wire over from L2 to L1.

paralucent · 18 Jun 2020

Sorry for the confusion. There are three terminals at the top of the switch, not four as I suggested above. Need to go to the optician!

I cut the power to the circuit as advised. My concern is that if I connect to the wrong terminal I could end up making the entire switch live, like swapping the live and neutral wires on a plug.

paralucent · 18 Jun 2020

boringoldcodger said:
In the interests of being condescending, I'd suggest you make sure the relevant (if you've got more than 1) lighting circuit has been powered off in your CU before pulling out the switch so as to get the photo as asked for by EFLI. Hopefully on the rear of the switch will be some sort of (raised ?) line which indicates which terminals are for which switch.

There is nothing condescending about electrical safety. I have no wish to be shortlisted for a Darwin award!

winston1 · 18 Jun 2020

Puzzled as to why a wire removed will make a light permanently on unless it is touching something else.

DetlefSchmitz · 18 Jun 2020

One assumes that the attic switched live came out and moved horizontally to touch the live on the other switch. Hard to explain otherwise.

paralucent · 18 Jun 2020

Got it working!

First I tried the third terminal. No change. The light remained on. Then I tried the second terminal. It worked! The attic switch is working normally now. I can only guess that accidentally pulling out the wire caused it to remain permanently in the ON position (it couldn't have been touching the other wires when it was connected to the third terminal). At all events I have absolutely no idea how light switches work, and I will try to be more careful in future.

winston1 · 18 Jun 2020

paralucent said:
I can only guess that accidentally pulling out the wire caused it to remain permanently in the ON position (it couldn't have been touching the other wires when it was connected to the third terminal).

Not possible. It remains a mystery.

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Help needed to fix light switch

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