Help with kitchen light switch

That switch looks like 2 gang ,2 way to me. And it also looks like some of the earth conductors are not actually in the earth terminal .one if the red insulated conductors appears to have a slit in the insulation ??
 
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From what I have tested I have 1 live red wire the rest don’t seem to be I have connected the small brown wires into the same places as on the old switch I took out

I have one connected up fine switching on and off the other 2 are not working or I connect then up but there not turning off

These are all kitchen lights
1 small ceiling lights
4 small ceiling lights
2 tube lights

All 3 lights run off the 1 switch nothing else

I thank you for your help and advise being a female I’m not that fab with things like this I should have taken a photo but I didn’t

Problem is now I have no idea what wire os what do any help would be fab
 
Were there any links on the old switch directly from one gang to the next?
Possibly from one"common" terminal to the next and the I've after?
If so that should be moved to the new one. Are they the small wires you're taking about?
Not sure why some lights wouldn't turn off unless you wired the supply and feed to the lights in the same terminal. Make sure the short wires are all in the common and the other wires that went to the old switch are all in the L1 or L terminal.

Could always be a faulty switch.
 
Yes I have 2 small brown wires that were coming off the gangs one into the other - I have placed these into the into the correct places as per the old switch
I have tried my problem is now I am so confused I have these 5 red wires and I now have no idea what all these red wires are for... do you have any ideas how I can figure out what all the red wires are?

I wondered if the switch was faulty but I want to ensure I have tried everything 1st.
 
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I can't see the 5 red wires in your photo. Are you sure there was never a second switch position to operate the lights?
 
Also on a more safety related note, your earth wire includes all the conductors for the cables not not all are terminated correctly.
They are supposed to be individually sleeved, partly to prevent this issue.
You need to check and double check that all conductors are securely terminated into the switch. You'll need some green and yellow sleeving which they still in any DIY shop.
 
Sorry when I took the photo some of the red wires I have moved back so you cannot see them that well. Do you think that I should get an electrician to come and do it for me? I think I am so muddled up?
if so any idea how much one would charge...
 
To be honest I'd recommend an electrician on site. Should only be a call out charge as they will be very experienced at this type of wiring. And they would be able to rectify any other issues like the earth sleeving at the same time.
 
I did ask for this information
A photo before you removed anything might have been better but…Let us see a copy of those notes
And a picture of the new and the old switches.
This is important to try and help you. Also, please be aware that the old and new switches may not be laid out in the same way. So (for example) the third terminal from the right on the old switch is not necessarily the same as the third terminal from the right on the new switch. That is why I need pix of the back of old and new switches.
Otherwise, if you do not have a test meter,and know how to use it, then an electrician is your ONLY solution.
 
You have a 3 gang light switch, and each switch has 3 connections. One called common, and the other 2 marked as L1 and L2. The power goes into the common connector, and comes out of the L1 connector. So the first thing you need to do, is find the live red wire, and put that in the first common connector. Now none of the other red wires should be live(but make sure they don't), so take one and put it in the L1 connector and see which light comes on, and then mark that wire and take a note of it. Then do the same with each of the others, and put them in the L1 connectors of the other switches. Then you take the small brown wires, and connect them between the 1st switches common, and the second switches common, and then from the second to the third. And one of the switches will have had 2 wires in it so that 2 lights come on at the same time, so there'll be 2 wires in one of the L1 connectors.
 
this is what I needed thank you. I will give this a go and see how I get on many thanks for your help
 
Doggit. Don't assume thats how it is marked. That is why I asked for exact detail. Most switches do have COM L1 and L2. Confusingly, some are marked L1 L2 and L3. Some have even more esoteric markings.

And how do you suggest the OP goes about doing this bit, with her finger??:rolleyes:
So the first thing you need to do, is find the live red wire,

I'm not going to suggest anything until i have more detail. Otherwise it will get already more confused. Watsonxx has already thrown in a couple of curved balls.
 
I have done it and its worked! thank you everyone the brown wires needed to be placed into the coms and the red live L1 and the others connecting up just like Doggit suggest

thank you all so much
 

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