Fitting Second Loft Light

[Blue Lou]

This is the current set up, this is what I found in the loft:

This is what I would like to do to add an additional loft light (the current one is a pendant and does not do an adequate job).

Would the proposed set up work? I would like to have two loft lights and them on a 2gang socket. i.e. so I can choose to leave one half of the loft unlit when Im up there.

 

[Spark123]

Yes it would work, I take it you mean 2gang switch? You could if you like use adequately rated chock block in the back of the switch instead of adding a jb. At the moment in the back of the switch there will be (old colour code?) 2 blacks jointed, 1 red-com, other red to L1, earths jointed and connected to earth terminal if the switch is metal. All you need to do is replace the switch with the two gang, make sure the permanent live from the supply cable is in Common, put a short link of wire between the Commons of both switches. Take the switched lives from either L1 or L2 on either switch. Pick up the neutral and earth from the chock blocks in the existing setup.
* it doesn't really matter if you use L1 or L2 in the switch, if you use the wrong one the switch will operate upside down.

 

[Blue Lou]

I don't have a choc block to hand so junction box is the only chance now

I can't seem to find a diagram that shows how to wire it up so that I can split one cable into two. Do you know where I can find one?

 

[Spark123]

Is there not already a choc block in the back of the switch for the neutral? If you did it with the jb it would still be easier to joint the neutrals in the switch with choc block or crimp, I suppose if you wanted to pull the cable through the switch without cutting the neutral, can be a bit awkward though.

 

[Blue Lou]

I have done everything as you said but for some reason it didn't work. I think the cables may have come out of terminal of the fluorescent light.

Power from mains enters switch as before.

Live from mains goes into common of left switch
A live (red) links to the other common on right switch.
A red wire and a brown wire are put into L1 of their switch.

Three Earth wires (one from mains and two from lights) all put into a small terminal bottom right of mount. I have put green and yellow sleeves on them all.

Two black and one blue (neutral)wires linked to eachother in a terminal. (I could'nt get them all in the same side so I have 2 in one end and 1 in the other).

Is there anything wrong with the above?

 

[Spark123]

Sounds correct to me,
Does the original one work? Yup, check the wires haven't come out of the new fitting.
Someone else will be along before long to point out what I'm missing!!

 

[Blue Lou]

Yeah, the original one works.

I think it will be a lose wire somewhere, it'll be in the terminal inside the fluorescent light, they all fell out as I was wiring it up so I put them back, maybe I pushed too far in and a sleeve got in the way or similar.

Either that or the common to common wire isn't doing it's job. The first thing I do tomorrow will be to swap the live wire to the other switch - just incase.

Thanks Spark123, you've been a real help today