Having trouble with 2 lights 1 switch 4 wires ?????????????

[gphilla]

Hope some one can help i have replaced my switch in kitchen which controls back kitchen light and outside light but cant for life of me get it work properly i have on the back of the switch stating top left L1 L2 COMM then on bottom COMM L1 L2 and i have 2 red wires and 2 black HELP ????????

 

[Qedelec]

The golden rule is note what you find before disconnecting.

You probably have two grey sheathed PVC cables, one for each light.
The switches have their connections in a triangle with com, L1 & L2 for each.
Connect the two reds to the com connections and the blacks to L1 of the associated switch

 

[gphilla]

when there is a red in each COMM and a black in each L1 only one side of the switch works . Have tried another switch just in case but to no luck any more ideas ?

 

[Qedelec]

Then you have not told us the full story. Is one of these lights controlled by another switch?

If so the one of the red's is the live feed and serves both switches.
One of the other wires will be the switched live for one light (probably the only one you have got to work)
And the other two are the switched lives for the other light.

You are gonna need a multimeter and some additional knowledge of lighting circuts, call an electrician.

 

[BJS_Spark]

Is one of the lights 2 way switched? ie. is the kitchin light switched from somewhere else also?
EDIT : Beat me to it!!

 

[gphilla]

THANKS GUYS BUT IVE SUSSED IT NEEDED A EXTRA BIT OF WIRE TO CONNECT BOTH REDS IN THE COMMS HOLES AS ONLY ONE WAS ACTUAL LIVE - ALL WORKING THANKS FOR YOUR HELP PHIL

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So you've now made a red live where it possibly wasn't before.

What's at the other end of it?

 

[gphilla]

yeh and it has my rear kitchen light at the other end

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So you've now got

1) Permanent live from the red core of one cable into COM

2) Switched live on the black core of that cable going to one light from L1

3) A link wire to the other COM

4) The red core from the other cable in the other COM

5) Switched live on the black core of the other cable going to the other light from the other L1

?

If so, then the red core of the other cable, i.e. the one I mention in (4) is now permanently live, and it was never live before. Therefore it was playing no part in supplying your lights. Therefore the other end, now live when it used to be unused, is where, exactly?

 

[gphilla]

i have looked in another twin switch that i have upstairs and that is wired the same apart from they are all red - confusing stuff this sparky lark

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Oh well - let's just hope that wherever the other end of that cable is it's not flapping around about to kill someone or start a fire....

 

[gphilla]

HOPE NOT BUT 2 WIRES TO OUTSIDE LIGHT AND 2 WIRES TO KITCHEN LIGHT ?

 

[gphilla]

BY THE WAY THANKS AGAIN