Adding a light switch

[Tommo1863]

Help....!!!
Not long bought a new house, the switches are all at funny heights and I don’t have much space to put a wardrobe.... I have a light switch in between the en-suite and built in cupboard, it has two switches on it... one controls a light in the cupboard and one controls the en-suite light. I want to put a wardrobe in front of the switch, I decided to add pull cord switches from the ceiling of the cupboard and en-suite so I could forget the switches on the wall and put a wardrobe infront if them.
I’ve just added a pull cord switch in the cupboard. As the wiring was quite complex in the existing switch (looks like power runs through it for the ceiling fan and shaver socket) I didn’t want to mess with it, my plan was to add the pull cord switches and have the wall switches permanently “on” behind the wardrobe and the pull cords would control the lights...
I’ve cut the wire between the existing switch and cupboard light today and added a pull cord switch....
problem is when I turn the electric back on the light only works from the original switch, if I try to use the pull cord switch it trips the fuse....
Where am I going wrong?? Seems like a simple job for a simpleton like me!!! please reply before it gets dark!!!!

 

[Taylortwocities]

I hope you took a photo of the wiring before you messed with it? No??
Put it back as it was, take photos and put them on here.

Connections should be accessible and they wont be with a wardrobe in front of the switch!

PS its getting dark now. Dont do anything else until tomorrow + find your candles and torches, just in case.

 

[Tommo1863]

I havnt done anything with the original switch... that is exactly as it was....
In the loft, I cut the wire that went from the switch to the light I then added a pull cord switch using two junction boxes with the pull cord switch in the middle (if that makes sense)... the pull cord switch was only 1 way as I was intending on keeping the original switch permanently on...

 

[Taylortwocities]

Have you wired the switch in series or in parallel with the existing. you say the wiring to the existing switch is “quite complex” how do? Let’s see a pic of that.
And of the wiring to the pull switch and the junction boxes.

 

[Tommo1863]

I’ll take a pic tomorrow and post it... it looked complex to me as it didn’t look like any switch wiring id seen before... from what I can make out it seems a three core power feed goes to the switch, even though the switch only has two gangs it seems that from that switch 4 three core wires come from it... one goes to the cupboard light, one to the en-suite lights, one goes to the shaver socket and one goes to the fan switch which then goes to the fan.... Im not sure what you mean by series or in parallel.... the wire that came from the switch to the cupboard was three core, I cut it and used added more three core via a junction box, that then went to the light and another run of three core from the light to a junction box joined to the other end of the “cut”.... it kind of seemed simple but obviously something is wrong.... with the power back on, the original switch works but when I pull the cord on the new switch it trips in one of the positions, not sure if it trips when on or off.....
Sorry if I’m not making sense and thanks for the help.... really appreciated

 

[Taylortwocities]

Are those 3 core and earth, or two core + earth?
We look forward to your happy snaps.

 

[Tommo1863]

2 core and earth

 

[winston1]

my plan was to add the pull cord switches and have the wall switches permanently “on” behind the wardrobe and the pull cords would control the lights...

Surely the wall switches should be permanently off, with the pull switches in parallel!

 

[Tommo1863]

Surely the wall switches should be permanently off, with the pull switches in parallel!

My understanding of electrics is basic but I thought the original switch would need to be permanently on to keep the circuit closed? I then use the new pull cord switch to turn the light on and off?

 

[winston1]

My understanding of electrics is basic

In that case perhaps you should not be doing this.

 

[Tommo1863]

Ok, I sorted it.... thanks fir the replies.... if anyone is interested, I had wired the live and common from the switch and the light together in the new switch... so I had two brown cables and two blue cables going into the new switch instead of having a brown in and a brown out and then connecting the two blue together outside of the switch..... if that makes sense..... I’m sure it’s all safe, sleeved and earthed.... thanks again