hi there i have finally got round to changing my outside lights the back one went fine now the front one has give me headake, i have a double switch in my passage one for the outside and on for the passage light it has the basic 1 red (live) 1 black (neutral) 1 yellow (dont have a clue) and a earth, anyway i flick the switch and turn my passage light on and flick it off and my outside light turns on now a mate down the road same house as mine same people who built it and his lights is wired different so we copied his wiring to blow the fuse in the fusebox and one of the switches so we wired it back up to how it was and now if we flick the switch it will blow the fuse in the fusebox i am good with electrics so want to give it a shot before getting in a pro and been charged for something so stupid.
double switch help
- Thread starter pawcaw08
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Phew... Please use some bloody punctuation.
What have you actually changed? Just the switch? Did you make a note of or take pictures of the wiring on the old one? Is it a two-way switching arrangement (is there another switch somewhere that controls one of these lights? If not it sounds like you have one live feed to the switch and two switched lives going to the lights, so you will need a link between the commons.
All this is guesswork though, you need to find exactly what each wire is connected to at the other end. As you are good with electrics this should be easy for you.
What have you actually changed? Just the switch? Did you make a note of or take pictures of the wiring on the old one? Is it a two-way switching arrangement (is there another switch somewhere that controls one of these lights? If not it sounds like you have one live feed to the switch and two switched lives going to the lights, so you will need a link between the commons.
All this is guesswork though, you need to find exactly what each wire is connected to at the other end. As you are good with electrics this should be easy for you.
what i have is the outside light has a blue, red and green/yellow the passage light has 3 red, 3 black, a yellow/green and a blue to red they goto a bouble switch in the passage and turns to 1 yellow 1 red 1 blue and a yellow/green, they only switch on and off with the double switch in the passage.
now all i changed was my outside lights after i done that they both worked on one switch which would turn one of but the other on at the same time.
the double switch i have has 2 com 2 x 1 way and 2 x 2 way, the wires goes to one switch (left one) and are wired like this, red to com, yellow to 1 way and blue to 2 way, i tried to loop over the com and have the blue in 1 way on the left switch and the yellow in the 1 way on the right switch but it keeps blowing the trip switch
now all i changed was my outside lights after i done that they both worked on one switch which would turn one of but the other on at the same time.
the double switch i have has 2 com 2 x 1 way and 2 x 2 way, the wires goes to one switch (left one) and are wired like this, red to com, yellow to 1 way and blue to 2 way, i tried to loop over the com and have the blue in 1 way on the left switch and the yellow in the 1 way on the right switch but it keeps blowing the trip switch
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From what you describe the fault is likely to be at the wiring for the passage light.
Not sure why you have three blacks there unless one is a switch wire ,but you state no black at switch. Is a yellow cut back at the outside light as it looks like you have 3-core & E there .
The outside light is receiving its switched live from the double switch ,passing on its way through the connector at the passage light
[Blue / red]
Not sure why you have three blacks there unless one is a switch wire ,but you state no black at switch. Is a yellow cut back at the outside light as it looks like you have 3-core & E there .
The outside light is receiving its switched live from the double switch ,passing on its way through the connector at the passage light
[Blue / red]
right i forgot to mention the yellow behind the switch goes to the passage light.
so what i have is the outside light has a blue, red and green/yellow the passage light has 3 red, 3 black, a yellow/green, a blue to red in conection block and a yellow they goto a bouble switch in the passage and turns to 1 yellow 1 red 1 blue and a yellow/green, they only switch on and off with the double switch in the passage.
now i have worked out the passage light to have yellow in com and red in 1 way for the left switch (turns on and of ok) so working of that i have blue in com and loop over in 1 way on right switch but when i turn it on it blows the trip.
ahh well i fixed this, it is a bit dodgy the way the wiring goes into the outside light as the wire had split a tiny bit therfor it was touching the outer metal case and shorting out.
so what i have is the outside light has a blue, red and green/yellow the passage light has 3 red, 3 black, a yellow/green, a blue to red in conection block and a yellow they goto a bouble switch in the passage and turns to 1 yellow 1 red 1 blue and a yellow/green, they only switch on and off with the double switch in the passage.
now i have worked out the passage light to have yellow in com and red in 1 way for the left switch (turns on and of ok) so working of that i have blue in com and loop over in 1 way on right switch but when i turn it on it blows the trip.
ahh well i fixed this, it is a bit dodgy the way the wiring goes into the outside light as the wire had split a tiny bit therfor it was touching the outer metal case and shorting out.
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I hope you're better with electrics than you are with English. 
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