2 way 2 gang diagram help!?

[Brutus76]

Hi there,
I am doing some diy in our house and would very much like to add a hallway light to an existing ceiling lamp circuit.

The existing ceiling lamp is on a 2-way switch system, by the way of using a junction box for incoming power. I believe I could just connect the hallway light next to ceiling lamp and all should be fine, but this seems impossible since I can not find the appropriate junction box without breaking the whole wall/ceiling..

I can, however, see the wire to both the switches, and have easy access to the cable between them (Com-Com, L1-L1 and L2-L2).

My question is therefore: is there any way to wire the new hallway light "in between" the switches in the 2-way wiring, and/or can I do this simply from the nearest-to-lamp switch (with 5 live/neutral wires)??

Thanks for any help!!

 

[riveralt]

If you currently have a ceiling light wired to a two way switch, why can you not just wire the new light to the existing ceiling light?
One assumes that the existing light has some form of ceiling rose or accessible terminal strip.
Trying to wire from switches requires that there are live and 'genuine' neutral and earth wires at the switch.

Look at wiki for diagrams:
//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting

 

[Brutus76]

If you currently have a ceiling light wired to a two way switch, why can you not just wire the new light to the existing ceiling light?
One assumes that the existing light has some form of ceiling rose or accessible terminal strip.
Trying to wire from switches requires that there are live and 'genuine' neutral and earth wires at the switch.

Look at wiki for diagrams:
//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting[/QUOTE]

Thanks for this. Yes, I could take the terminal point in the ceiling lamp, but if I attach a new cable there I would have to destroy the ceiling/wall when laying the cable to get power to the wall light..I'd rather not do this unless absolutely necessary.

again thanks for looking at this!

 

[riveralt]

Thanks for this. Yes, I could take the terminal point in the ceiling lamp, but if I attach a new cable there I would have to destroy the ceiling/wall when laying the cable to get power to the wall light..I'd rather not do this unless absolutely necessary.

I didn't appreciate you want to wire a separate wall light in the hallway.
Unfortunately, as I said earlier, unless you have a live, neutral and earth at the switch you cannot take the power from it.
Do you have live, neutral and earth at the switch?

 

[Brutus76]

Thanks for this. Yes, I could take the terminal point in the ceiling lamp, but if I attach a new cable there I would have to destroy the ceiling/wall when laying the cable to get power to the wall light..I'd rather not do this unless absolutely necessary.

I didn't appreciate you want to wire a separate wall light in the hallway.
Unfortunately, as I said earlier, unless you have a live, neutral and earth at the switch you cannot take the power from it.
Do you have live, neutral and earth at the switch?

Hi, thanks, yes, I have a live, neutral and earth in the nearby switch to the existing lamp (incoming from hidden junction box), but how I could use this on the same circuit is somewhat beyond me I am afraid?!

 

[riveralt]

Hi, thanks, yes, I have a live, neutral and earth in the nearby switch to the existing lamp (incoming from hidden junction box), but how I could use this on the same circuit is somewhat beyond me I am afraid?!

Are you sure - a black/blue cable at a switch does not necessarily mean you have a neutral there.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

He knows that by now.

Or at least he should.

 

[Brutus76]

He knows that by now.

Or at least he should.

Hi guys,
oooops, I thought there was live, neutral etc there, but lo and behold..once the front of the box was opened I noticed there are only 2 cables (relevant for this light) with only live/switched live taped wires going between switches and to the junction box.

My set-up is exactely the same (i presume) as "Switch drops from a junction box" in this link: http://www.lightwiring.co.uk/tag/2-way-switch-wiring-diagram/

Also, I took 2 pictures of my (ugly) switch, but perhaps not too much help to be had from this.

Again, the question is - can I possibly attach a wire to a new lamp before the junction box?

Thanks again guys!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you can access the lighting circuit in the ceiling then you can add new lights and new switch drops to your heart's content. ¹



¹ Subject to not exceeding the maximum load your circuit can support.

 

[Brutus76]

If you can access the lighting circuit in the ceiling then you can add new lights and new switch drops to your heart's content. ¹



¹ Subject to not exceeding the maximum load your circuit can support.

Hi, thanks for that, but the problem is that the junction box is between the switch and the lamp in the roof already inside wall/ceiling. Therefore I can not access the wires after the junction-box, only before the junction box next to the light switch itself. Therefore, is there any way to add new lamps in between switches in a 2-way circuit? thanks!

 

[Spark123]

Can you post up some photo's of what you have?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Therefore, is there any way to add new lamps in between switches in a 2-way circuit? thanks!

No, because there's no neutral available there. But you know that.

Can you access this junction box? Is there a neutral in it?

 

[sparkwright]

Not the best photographs (see op profile) but it looks like there is no neutal at the switch, or within the switch cables.

Therefore you need to find somewhere else to get a permanent live, neutral and earth.

If the ceiling wiring is out of the question, consider feeding the new light from the socket circuit, via a fused spur unit (3 or 5 amp).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

... see op profile ...

No.

 

[riveralt]