another light switch question

[nobackwheel]

I have 2 lights in the lounge, I have two light switches. Is it possible (with current cables) to make them completely 2-way on/off able?

each switch has 2 cables - black and red +earths - and they are linked somehow.

I've tried looking for diagrams, there are plenty of 1 switch 2 lights, 2 switches 1 light, but I can't find anything suitable, I can't even compare my lighting for the hall/landing because that has the proper 3 core cable.

The lights themselves are the usual looped type with 3 cables, and are working - just not how I'd wish.

any ideas??

 

[Steve]

how do you want the lights to operate? and how do they operate right now? what is the arrangement of the switches? are they on the same plate?

all i can deduce from your explanation is that you have 2 switches.

do the lights operate seperately? and you want them to operate together?

 

[nobackwheel]

sorry, not a very good explaination

at the moment - there are wires....no seriously. The old way I can't remember how they worked, in fact I don't think they did. I think there was 1 switch which turned only 1 light on, and a 2 switch dimmer which didn't work.

I want; 2 lights independantly switched on/off from any of the 2 plates - which have 2 switches on each. (is 2 gang what I want to say)

e.g i'm in the lounge and I want to turn on the lounge light and the dining room light - but not necessarily at the same time, and vice versa

any clearer? probably not - i wish i could draw a diagram

 

[breezer]

no you can not do as you wish with the cables you have.
look in sticky for refence for 2 way switching.

you will see you need to run a new 3 core and earth from one switch to the other for each switch (2 cables in total)

 

[nobackwheel]

ok, I thought as much - next question then....

what exactly can I do?

How about 1 main switch in the lounge which turns both lights on/off. Then a double switch in the dining room that can then turn off the lounge light independantly? If so, can someone explain the wiring required - more in the back of the 2 gang 2 way double switch.

thanks

 

[nobackwheel]

right...have had a look around this place for the right terminology, and been to a shed today to get some flooring and had a look at the switches.

I have a 2 gang 2 way (I believe) switch - it has L1 L2 com / com L1 L2 - where the / indicates how it looks on the back

I have a 1 gang 2 way switch - do I need a 2 way switch, or should I just get a 1 way?

I want to operate 2 lights from the 2 gang switch, and 1 light from the 1 gang switch.

Any ideas on how to connect my wires up? 2 black and red cables into each switch.

thanks

 

[nobackwheel]

I think i'm getting somewhere

the 2 gang switch now turns both lights on independantly - the problem is, the 1 gang switch doesn't work properly, i.e. when i use it to turn the light off, this disables the 2 gang switch.

on another note, can someone actually explain what L1, L2 means, and how the circuit is supposed to work? As this might actually enable me to work out the b****y thing!

 

[securespark]

The trouble is, there are so many different methods used for 2-way switching, depends what you have.

 

[nobackwheel]

I don't really know what I have

I know for a fact that both roses have 3 cables - all 2 core.

I know for a fact that the 2 swithces have 2 cables - both 2 core

I don't know how the switch wires are connected to the lights and each other.

I'm assuming each switch has 1 switch cable going to each light - I could in theory just have 2 1 gang switches correct?

Therefore the other cable must go from one switch to the other - correct?

I've got any number of switches/dimmers etc. I need to know how to wire the back of a 2 gang switch, and a 1 gang switch so I can operate them independantly as described.

many thanks

 

[securespark]

So you have two switches on each plate?

Could they be for disused wall lights?

 

[nobackwheel]

I have 2 switches on one plate - 2 rockers, or whatever the correct term is

and 1 switch on the other

exactly like a hall/landing set up - but I don't have the extra wire you usually have on these circuits (including the one in my hall/landing!)

I will attempt to try and wire like plugwashes diagram from the other thread - with the linked com wire.

although I'm still not sure what to do with my spare wire in the 1 gang switch.....

L1 -> L1 (red)
L2 -> L2 (black)
swithced live to com

spare red wire??? - shall I stick this in the L1

 

[fireman22]

sounds like one of the cables in your switches goes from one switch to the other (strappers) so you have one switch wire controlling one light, link perm live onto C of other switch then wire strappers to L1 & L2 at other switch wire strappers to L1 & L2 then use only one of the remaining cores to send a switched live up to the second light (this light being two way switched)

 

[nobackwheel]

fireman

I'm pretty sure that's what i'm doing

when you say "use only one of the remaining cores...." can you be more specific?

If the strapper wire is connected to L1 and L2 on the 1 gang 2 way switch, where do the live switch wire and the red wire go?

don't know if I should be posting on 2 threads at the same time by the way - this one I started, the other one I picked up because it's the same problem.

The other one being the twin and earth thread

 

[securespark]

the problem is, the 1 gang switch doesn't work properly, i.e. when i use it to turn the light off, this disables the 2 gang switch.

You say the switches now turn off the lights independently, but if the 1G switch disables the the two gang switch, that is not right.

What is the 1G switch supposed to do?

Edit:

Have printed off this whole thread and got my brain into it properly.

Just to confirm: you have 2 T&E cables at each switch, is that right?

When you say you use the 1G switch to turn it off, what do you mean?


The best thing to do is go right back to basics:

Get a multimeter. Find out which of the cores at each switch position are live. Find out which are switch wires: making sure all conductors are not in contact with each other or anything else, connect them in turn to the known live. Any that turn on a light are switchwires. Finally (with power off) you need to ascertain which cores at one switch position link with the other switch. Do do this, short a conductor to the earth in the same cable, go to the other switch position, and with the meter set to continuity, check the earth & red (or black). If you get a beep or a short (000 reading), that is the same cable.

Once you have established which are lives, switchwires and strappers, you should have it cracked.

 

[nobackwheel]

that's exactly what I did - except I don't have a multimeter

I used a single switch on each cable one at a time to ascertain which was the switch cable to each light, and labeled them. So i'm pretty sure I have correctly identifies the correct cables and wires. In both light fitting the black switch wire is connected to the live cable, so I'm pretty sure that's correct.

just to clarify - the 1 gang switch is supposed to act like a landing light - i.e. it can turn the light on/off on it's own, but also can turn the light off if switched on by the other switch - the 2g2w one. (like a hall light)

e.g I would enter the room, turn on both lights from the same switch in the lounge area. I then have some tea at the dining table and want to turn the light off in the dining area but leave the light on in the lounge.

the best I get is control from the 2g2w switch, and control from the 1g2w switch, but not both together as described above.