2-way light switch

[telewest]

Hi,

Have a double light socket in my downstairs hallway that controls my hallway lighting, and the lights in the landing on the 1st floor. These are working fine (recently re-hooked up by an electrician after the boxes were changed for new ones)

The problem is, I can only get the landing light on the 1st floor to turn on after I physically switch it on at the landing switch (at which point both sockets on the ground and 1st floor correctly control the landing light)

If I try and switch the landing lights on from downstairs, the light will not turn on, yet once I switch on from the 1st floor both switches (ground floor and 1st floor) control the landing light correctly. This is a new problem since I replaced the landing switch myself (e.g. worked fine when the electrician did the ground floor lighting)

The landing socket has 2 x live (red) and 1 x black wires, and I've tried every configuration I can think of. The socket is from B&Q and is an MK2 (2 x live and 2 x neutral inputs)

Any help greatfully received - pics available if necessary.

 

[Chri5]

It's a switch, please don't call them sockets. That is wrong.

Have you checked the wiki? Please have a look, the two way switching part in uk electric / lighting is very easy to follow.

Is the switch on the 1st floor a 2 way, double switch or a intermediary double switch?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

(2 x live and 2 x neutral inputs).

Firstly, light switches don't have neutrals connected to them.

Secondly, thinking that they do shows that you don't understand how lighting circuits work and you don't understand how switches work, i.e. what they do inside.

Fiddling around with electrics when you don't know what you are doing is dangerous - this time all that's gone wrong is that your switches don't work properly, but next time? You got a very simple job wrong, and you don't know why.

Please, for your own safety and that of others in the house, spend some time learning about electrics before doing any more work on them.

• http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=electrical+circuits+101
  
  
• http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=multimeter+101
  
  
• http://kevinboone.net/electricity.html
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/domesticinstallations.html
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:books
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics
  
  

 

[securespark]

Bit harsh Ban...

Generally, light switches don't have neutrals connected to them.

http://www.hager.co.uk/products/wiring-accessories/sollysta/unique-neutral-loop-terminal/12367.htm

I've tried every configuration I can think of.

Not quite!

Two reds and a black?

I would guess one of those reds is on its own and the remaining red and black are in the same cable.

Put the single red in common and the other two - one each in L12 and L2.

The two wires together are strappers that link the two landing switches together. In the hall, you have a live feed to the common while on the landing the red connected to the common goes to the live of the lamp.

Does this make sense now you've looked at the diagrams in the wiki?

However, the switch you have does not seem to be the right one, can you post a pic of it?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

http://www.hager.co.uk/products/wiring-accessories/sollysta/unique-neutral-loop-terminal/12367.htm

If that feature is unique, then I was correct in saying "Generally...."

But is it unique?

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=61543&start=0

Good idea in principle, but sooner or later someone will think that the terminal next to COM is where to put their Black or Blue wire, because, hey, that's where it says to put the Neutral, right? And then they'll be wondering why their lights have stopped working....

 

[securespark]

Not sure what you're saying. I added the word "Generally" as what you should have said.

There are not many of this type of switch around. Yet.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Not sure what you're saying. I added the word "Generally" as what you should have said.

Sorry - must be being a bit slow today....

There are not many of this type of switch around. Yet.

Well - I'm sure I saw one nearly 6 years ago, and it wasn't like that Hager model. Might still have been a Hager though.

Whether it will catch on or not with other makers who knows. It seems that electrical accessory makers can't get enough of changing the cosmetics and styling of their products, but just don't put any thought into new function.

Like this switch - for how many years has the need for a N terminal like that existed? How long have there been products meeting that need, and how many are there?

Look at the number of people posting here asking how they can connect a separate oven and hob, where the hob just needs ignition, or the oven is 13A or less - you'd think they might at least try something like these to see if it sells:

How many people are looking for ways to put a 16A oven onto a cooker circuit? Or would like a grid of switches above a worktop for appliances below but would prefer not to have as many fuses as switches in the plate?

Would it really be too hard to make cosmetically acceptable MCB grid modules?

 

[securespark]

Well, the tooling costs a fortune, so unless they identify a need for it using market research, I doubt they'll see the light of day soon...

I liked the old Nettle plates with an immersion switch, cooker switch and double socket on - all fed by different circuits.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Would it really be too hard to make cosmetically acceptable MCB grid modules?

Apparently not.

http://docdif.fr.grpleg.com/general/legrand-exp/CEXP2012-13/ex212001_528.pdf

 

[JohnW2]

Would it really be too hard to make cosmetically acceptable MCB grid modules?

Apparently not. http://docdif.fr.grpleg.com/general/legrand-exp/CEXP2012-13/ex212001_528.pdf ...

Interesting - but would a 16A MCB or RCBO with only a 3kA breaking capacity be acceptable? I realise that one will rarely, if ever, get PFCs that high in domestic settings, but we're used to seeing at least 6kA rating, and I'm wondering if the regs somewhere require that?

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It would be downstream of a breaker in the CU...

 

[JohnW2]

It would be downstream of a breaker in the CU...

It would, but unless one could guarantee discrimination between the two, couldn't this 3kA one end up trying to break the fault current?

Kind Regards, John