3 switches for 1 light issue

[Craig24]

I’ve recently moved in my house and changed 3 switches.

They all control the same landing light, 2 switches on the landing and 1 in the hall.

Since installing the new switches, I have to turn them on by the switch in the hall, and then I can turn the light on and off from the 2 landing switches, but if I turn it off from the hall, I can’t turn it back on from the landing switches.

Any help would be massively appreciated.

Landing “intermediate” switch

Other landing switch

Hall switch

 

[CBW]

Why have you edited the photo so we can’t see pats of it? Might be useful if we could see it all.

 

[Craig24]

Sorry some are doubles, and the other half is for a different light so didn’t want to confuse things? I can post it unedited

 

[CBW]

Sorry some are doubles, and the other half is for a different light so didn’t want to confuse things? I can post it unedited

Sorry, I’m no spark, so thought the whole picture was needed, but thought I’d mention it, in case. I could be wrong, but looks like the common on the hall switch might be wrong. Did you transfer the wiring exactly the same? Did you take photos beforehand?

 

[Craig24]

 

[EFLImpudence]

Do you also have two yellow wires joined at the intermediate switch position?

 

[Craig24]

Do you also have two yellow wires joined at the intermediate switch position?

Yes I do

 

[EFLImpudence]

Then it looks alright - as long as the intermediate is connected with one cable to the top and one cable to the bottom.

Hall switch faulty?

 

[CBW]

Hall switch faulty?

What about the red wires, which I would class as common going to L1, and what appears to be switched lives going to common? Or have I totally got my perception of switches wrong?

 

[EFLImpudence]

What about the red wires, which I would class as common going to L1,

L1 is the correct position for the permanent live (presumably one of the reds) and for one of the strappers (the other red)

and what appears to be switched lives going to common?

Both the two-way commons and the straight through at the intermediate must be the same colour.

Is it not the Yellow in this case?

(Well, I suppose they don't have to be the same colour but the two-way commons must be the intermediate straight through)

Or have I totally got my perception of switches wrong?

Not sure what you are seeing unless I am mistaken.

Both two-way commons and the intermediate straight through are all Yellow.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Harmonised colours:

 

[ebee]

Nice drawing EFLI, just to throw a spanner in the works, should we consider someone might have wired it in "two way hamburger" fashion also?

Note - that expression was new to me just a few short years ago until an excellent fellow on the IET forum explained it to me .

In essence, exchange the lamp for a solid link and then cut the common and use those two ends to connect the lampholder. Not a very satisfactory arrangement but it does work as expected.
Warning - it makes the lampholder terminals become L to N or L to N under differing switch positions and the only thing you can rely on is that if the lamp is off then both of its terminals have the same polarity (N or L) but if the lamp is on then both terminals have opposing polarities but no guarantee of which way round.
Note - this means that the SL connection now becomes an N connection.
Don`t try this at home!

 

[mikeyd]

Check at the intermediate switch that the blue and red at the top of the switch are from the same cable, and the blue and red at the bottom of the switch are from the other cable.

 

[Adam_151]

Check at the intermediate switch that the blue and red at the top of the switch are from the same cable, and the blue and red at the bottom of the switch are from the other cable.

I'm not sure that would produce the issue that the OP is having? I think that would result in the up and down 2 ways working as normal with the intermediate in one position, and being unable to switch the light off in the other position.

@op -: note which position on the downstairs switch means you cant turn it on from anywhere else. Swap the red and blue at that switch, is the non-working position the same? or has changed?

 

[ebee]

I wasn`t suggesting that the problem was caused by the naughty arrangement I mentioned but I am adding the mention of something else we should be aware of as a possibility when trying to trace a fault.
It`s just one of those "nobody in their right mind" kind of situations that some folk do do and it can bite the unwary