Another 2 Gang question

[coolerking]

Sorry for bringing another 2 gang switch Q to the forum, but i have searched about and checked out the superb diagrams and nothing seems to answer my problem. I think it will be something very simple for the knowledgeable amongst you.

Fitted an outside light and ran the wiring into kitchen.
I am trying to replace the single light switch in the kitchen for a 2 gang and wire in the outside light.

I have brown and blue from the kitchen light and brown and blue from the outside light, these 4 wires are driving me insane though.

I wired in a common live which is the L1 terminals on the switch I have and then put the blue to L2 on each switch, Kitchen light worked outside nothing.

I then ran another blue wire across both L2 terminals and now the following happens.

The right hand switch as you look at it switches on the kitchen light as requested ..........

When the left hand switch is flicked on tthe right hand switch now turns on the outside light !!

So I essentially have an on/off switch and a changeover switch, not quite what I set out to do.

Again i apologise if this has been answered somewhere but i really couldnt find anything.

Help will be much appreciated ........ Thanks

 

[breezer]

see the sticky or wiki.

if it helps what you have assumed / done is quite common

 

[GaryMo]

You ran a 2 core and earth from the outside light DIRECTLY to the switch?

 

[breezer]

GaryMo, he has

 

[GaryMo]

GaryMo, he has

Ooops

 

[coolerking]

Your worrying me now fellas , what have i done and what bit of the sticky or wiki will help me, honestly really stuck ...........

 

[GaryMo]

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:lighting_circuit_layouts

 

[breezer]

 

[coolerking]

You ran a 2 core and earth from the outside light DIRECTLY to the switch?

Where am i supposed to run it to ?

Am I wrongly assuming that the live from the kitchen light will not give me power to the outside light once connected to the common .....Can a 2 Gang be used as 2 separate switches ?

Is it the neutral that is causing the problem giving no return ?

Sorry to keep asking but like i said the stuff on here already is not helping, probably just a case of me not interpreting things correctly.

I don't really want to play guessing games, just would like some sound advice from people in the know, thanks fellas for any suggestions.

 

[GaryMo]

As you say, the switch for the outside light picks its permanent live up from the common for the kitchen light.
The brown going to the outside light then becomes the switch wire which will give power to your outside light depending on outside light switch position.
Now, where are you going to connect your neutral? Certainly on to any of the switch terminals so don't keep guessing otherwise you'll do yourself or somebody else a serious injury.

What you need to do would be to run a second 2 core and earth from the kitchen light fitting to the outside light fitting. This would be your permanent live and neutral. The cable going from the outside light to the switch would be the live and switch wire. In the outside light fitting the two browns would be terminated together in a separate connector block. The blue which comes from the switch would be the switched wire and would be sleeved brown and terminated to the live cable in the fitting. The blue from the kitchen fitting to the outside light fitting would be your neutral.

Another way would be to run a 2 core and earth to your 2 gang switch.
In the switch the brown from the kitchen fitting would be terminated to common, the brown going to the outside light would be terminated to L1 and the two blues (neutrals) would be terminated into a separate connector block.

All CPC's (earths) should be sleeved and terminated.

 

[breezer]

Where am i supposed to run it to ?

I don't really want to play guessing games, just would like some sound advice from people in the know, thanks fellas for any suggestions.

i told you where to look for the answer, i am even showinging you what it looks like, now please read it

 

[coolerking]

As you say, the switch for the outside light picks its permanent live up from the common for the kitchen light.
The brown going to the outside light then becomes the switch wire which will give power to your outside light depending on outside light switch position.
Now, where are you going to connect your neutral? Certainly on to any of the switch terminals so don't keep guessing otherwise you'll do yourself or somebody else a serious injury.

What you need to do would be to run a second 2 core and earth from the kitchen light fitting to the outside light fitting. This would be your permanent live and neutral. The cable going from the outside light to the switch would be the live and switch wire. In the outside light fitting the two browns would be terminated together in a separate connector block. The blue which comes from the switch would be the switched wire and would be sleeved brown and terminated to the live cable in the fitting. The blue from the kitchen fitting to the outside light fitting would be your neutral.

Another way would be to run a 2 core and earth to your 2 gang switch.
In the switch the brown from the kitchen fitting would be terminated to common, the brown going to the outside light would be terminated to L1 and the two blues (neutrals) would be terminated into a separate connector block.

All CPC's (earths) should be sleeved and terminated.

Thanks very much Gary, I would never have picked that up from the info knocking about on here.

I am virtually there then apart from terminating the neutrals in there own block.

The switch i have marks the L1's as the common when using them as a 1 way, would the outside light live still go into L1 on the other switch ? I don't need to strap the commons and connect elswhere.......

Thanks again its a huge help

 

[333rocky333]

If you have done what gary mo said, linking the light to the light, the two cores back to the switch from the outside light would-

Assuming the neutral is now at the outside light with a new live.

Live back to the new switch onto common in switch

Switchlive back to fitting (blue sleeved brown) onto L1 in switch

Do not link anything between the two switches, neither common or the others

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Thanks very much Gary, I would never have picked that up from the info knocking about on here.

 

[GaryMo]

As Rocky said, don't link anything between the switches. Brown in Common and blue sleeved brown in L1. Nothing at all in L2.