2 way light switch problem

[wriste05]

Hi there

I've moved into a flat, and I've decided to replace the original electric switches and sockets with white ones. I've done them all however

I'm having problems getting the following switches to work correctly:


There is a double light switch in the entrance hallway of my flat, the left switch should turn on the hallway light, the right switch should turn on the stairs & landing light.

There is a double light switch at the top of the stairs which also should do the same as the downstairs switch (2 way I believe).

I took a photo of the original switch wiring before removing and thought I had wired it the same but I haven't and have balls'd it up somewhat.

What now happens is the left switch on both the upstairs & downstairs light switch turns all 3 lights on & off, the right switch on both does nothing.

Each socket has 2 x 3 core cables & 1 x 2 core cable running to it (3 in total)

I have included pictures of the wiring.

Any help given would be greatly appreciated, and apologies for my stupidity!

Cheers

Stewart

 

[sparkwright]

Obviously there's a lot of red wires there, but we can't see which WIRE emerges from which CABLE.

If you can confirm every individual wire, it should make it easier to diagnose.

 

[wriste05]

Ok, hopefully this will help, the left 3 core cable has red, blue & yellow (red going into comm on left switch as you look at the picture), also there is a re

 

[wriste05]

Hi Sparkwright

Thankyou for your quick reply

Hopefully this explanation will help...


The left switch has the following cables wired into it (from left & middle cables coming into the socket):


1 x 3 core cable (red = comm, blue = 1 way, yellow = 2 way)

&

1 x 2 core cable (plain red wire = 1 way with blue wire, the red/black wire going into 2 way with the yellow wire)


The right switch has the following CABLE wired into it (from right hand cable coming into the socket):

1 x 3 core cable (red = comm, yellow = 1 way, blue = 2 way)


Both the upstairs & downstairs sockets are wired in the same way

 

[sparkwright]

Hi Sparkwright

Thankyou for your quick reply

Hopefully this explanation will help...


The left switch has the following cables wired into it (from left & middle cables coming into the socket):


1 x 3 core cable (red = comm, blue = 1 way, yellow = 2 way)

&

1 x 2 core cable (plain red wire = 1 way with blue wire, the red/black wire going into 2 way with the yellow wire)


The right switch has the following CABLE wired into it (from right hand cable coming into the socket):

1 x 3 core cable (red = comm, yellow = 1 way, blue = 2 way)


Both the upstairs & downstairs sockets are wired in the same way

Ok, that seems like a logical way to wire it.

Wonder why it doesn't work.

Hang on...

 

[sparkwright]

Could you have got the two 3 core+E cables (RYB) completely the wrong way around?

 

[wriste05]

Do you mean to swap the two 3 core+E cables (RYB) over BUT just on one of the sockets? e.g. just the downstairs switch?? Leaving the top switch as it is currently wired?

 

[sparkwright]

Before you disconnect anything, can you send pics of the other two switches?

 

[wriste05]

Both 2 gang/2 way switches are definitely wired identical, as per that picture I took which is from the upstairs light switch, as a side note I have also found earlier that switching the individual fuses off at the consumer unit does not turn off the corresponding upstair/downstairs light, you have to turn both the upstair/downstairs light fuses off to turn all 3 lights off??

 

[sparkwright]

Well, the 3 cores+E SHOULD be on separate circuits - so getting them the wrong way round could explain why all that is happening.

Is it possible you have got those two cables the wrong way round?

 

[wriste05]

Yes, it's very possible, do you mean that on say the downstairs switch, that although the wires are in terms of colour going into the same terminals, I may need to swap the left 3 core cable with the right? So the left 3 core cable will go to the right and vice-versa, also would this swapping of cables only happen on one of the switches?

 

[sparkwright]

Yes.

Yes, you would only do this at ONE of the switch positions. (If you do it at both, it wouldn't make any difference.)

Any idea which switch is more likely to have been wired incorrectly?

One possible way to tell is if some of the copper ends of the wires have 'folded over'. (It's common practice to 'double over' the ends of wires where there will only be one wire in a terminal. Two or more wires to go in a terminal are not usually doubled over.) Might give a clue.

 

[wriste05]

Thank you very much for your help so far, I think I've rewired the upstairs switch wrong because the wires at the moment are coming out of the metal back box far more than at first, which makes me think, with your help, that they are not swapped over like they originally were, I will try swapping the 3 core cables over in this socket tomorrow after turning all electric off at the flat! Thank you for the advice, I feel it's pointing me in the right direction!

Cheers

Stewart

 

[wriste05]

Hi sparkwright, I have changed the cables over and all is working correctly!

Very happy, thank you for the quick help! much appreciated

 

[SUNRAY]

Thank you for the feedback, much appreciated.