Adding outdoor light to old style 2way light switch (strapper). Can’t get new light to function correctly

[Risteard]

Hi all

As the post says I’m trying to add an outdoor light by connecting it to an existing 1 gang 2 way switch, thought it’d be simple enough until I opened the switch and realised it was an old style 2 way called a strapper?

I thought to wire it by live to common and to add the neutral to L1/L2 but nothing seems to happen, in fact when there’s a bulb inside the outdoor fitting the light ceases to work until I unscrew the bulb, tried an LED lamp and that causes the existing light in the hallway (which the light switch is connected to to come on half dim (no dimmers btw) with the light switch off & then fully illuminated when switching the light switch on

Very confused as I’ve never come across this

Could someone please offer some guidance?

Many thanks

You're not competent to safely carry out electrical work. Hire an Electrician.

 

[ericmark]

We all had to start somewhere, and I had not seen wiring for two-way taken to the ceiling rose, and it caused a bit of head scratching before I worked it out. Be it a ceiling rose as shown here, or more likely a junction box as @Taylortwocities has shown, it is not what I expect to see, but is clearly used in some areas.

You're not competent to safely carry out electrical work. Hire an Electrician.

This may be true, but it is up to @Umy786 to realise that himself, or look at different methods.

I have 9 outside lights, 5 of which are controlled by a light switch, corner, shed, and side of house controlled by a smart socket adaptors, the pond light has a smart bulb, and even two of the lower corner lights which are on a light switch, still have smart bulbs fitted, and the switch is never turned off. One of the switches is a smart switch, and the remaining 2 lights hardly ever used.

So before I go outside I say "hey google turn on outside lights" and 7 of the 9 are turned on, same when I return, except say off not on, and in the car I use my phone I can select either one light or all and turn them on/off before I drive off, or when I return. And the Google Home app brings all the types and makes of bulb, adaptors, switches, and relays together in one place. OK I use Nest Mini speakers, so I have voice control, but don't need them to use the Google Home app.

So if you can't get power from the lights, get it from a socket. Even with a socket adaptor you can tell the software it is a light so the command turn on/off outside lights will work with the socket adaptor, the ones I am using Tapo P110 even has dusk and dawn setting built in, so in winter I can turn on lights for the milkman at 6 am and off at dawn.

So there is no need to wire an outside light from the lighting circuits. My house has two drives front and rear, and trees which stop any light from street lights, and those trees will also set off a PIR in the wind, so I needed lights which could be controlled from the phone, necessarily is the mother of invention.

Be it a battery powered, solar-powered, socket powered, there are many methods, what you need is a dyslexic person who can think outside the box and find a solution, this is why many engineers are dyslexic or have one of the other thought processes, which in other fields may be seen as a disability, but in engineering can be an advantage.

 

[ebee]

Eric, I liked you little sketch with the joint in the rose.

I came across someone who asked my advice once.
It became apparent that he had mistaken previous advise from someone of taking a T&E to his first switch then 3 core & E from the first switch to the second switch. He had taken a 3C & E from each switch to the rose.

Although I showed him (a sketch) of the intention I advised him of the simple remedy if he did not want to rewired the cables .
I don’t know which solution he took though)

 

[SUNRAY]

Eric, I liked you little sketch with the joint in the rose.

I came across someone who asked my advice once.
It became apparent that he had mistaken previous advise from someone of taking a T&E to his first switch then 3 core & E from the first switch to the second switch. He had taken a 3C & E from each switch to the rose.

Although I showed him (a sketch) of the intention I advised him of the simple remedy if he did not want to rewired the cables .
I don’t know which solution he took though)

Which was exactly how this was originally wired

Except it was before the days of earths on lighting circuits and the earth terminal was used as the junction... until additional work was done and the earth wires added to the same terminal. https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/help-needed-with-bathroom-light.188661/