2 WAY LIGHT SWITCH

[CARRM3]

Hi
i have a double switch in my kitchen that opperates the kitchen light as
well as the outside garden light, on the circuit there is a single switch that
just turns on/off the kitchen light.
The double switch has 2 common, 2 L1 & 2 L2, the wires from wall are
2 red, 2 yellow, 2 blue. When i disconected the wires from old switch 2 of the connections were bridged but i can remember which one.
I have home electrics book it tells me red to common, blue to L1 and yellow to L2, this don`t work at all, when i disconected the old switch the 2 blue wires were both connected in one of the L2 connections. The single switch is wired red to common, blue to L1 and yellow to L2
I`m so confused please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[EFLImpudence]

First of all -

look in the other kitchen light switch and tell us which colours go into which terminals.

 

[CARRM3]

Hi thanks for responce,
the other light switch is wired,
red to common, yellow to L1 and blue to L2.

 

[ericmark]

The norm is both switches wired the same so since you put red to com it should have worked.

The only other thing is if you have got the switches mixed up. Normally the com for each switch will have the vertical L1 and L2 connected with it not horizontal. Could that be your mistake?

 

[CARRM3]

I`ve wired them identical and it did not work as before, the only thing not wired in is the bridge that was there when first disconnected.

 

[ericmark]

With very old lighting it was common to borrow lives which would mean a bridge but normally this would mean two core strapers rather than three core.

There are some odd methods to wire. This

is standard two way selected as it means no junction blocks. However in school this

is taught which would mean a connector block in the switch back box. On the odd time this

method can be used but unusual.
The overall system looks something like this

normally.

As you can see most of the time as long as the com is correct then the other two will not really matter. Just means all switches up may not be off but still work.

So that's why I would think with the two gang switch you have got the coms swapped and com for left hand switch has been put with L1 and L2 for right hand switch.

 

[CARRM3]

thanks i`ll give this a try.

 

[CARRM3]

Hi Eric i tryed what you suggested, it almost worked, one switch did not opperate as it should have.
i wired it the 2 blue wires in L2 bridged to the nearest common with 1 red wire, the remaining red to the other common, then the 2 yellows 1 in L1 and 1 in L2.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Surely if it worked before the obvious thing is to leave it connected as it was, not try and change it to a different arrangement?

 

[CARRM3]

Hi i didn`t try changing the config, while i was changing the switch over for new one coz old one was making funny noises when switching, i did have the monster-in-law gass bagging in my ear as well as the trouble & striff, never mind wont let that happen again, problem solved now.