Installed new light and bulb keeps blowing (1 gang to 2 gang

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Hi guys,

just had a go at doing this and have a little problem with the bulb on the 2nd light keeps blowing.

Have connected it as follows

3 Brown cables in connector block
3 Earth in connector block

New light in L1
old light in L2

Switch in Comm with a loop between the 2 comm connections

Have changed the new and old light between L1 and L2 but still blown.

the only thing i can think of is that the old connection was wired wrong and the switch cable went in the L1 point and the light cable went in the comm piont.

Would this make the bulb blow?



**old message**


hi,

looking for a little advice. I have one light at the back of my attic and have 1 switch by the ladders. I would like to add another light at the front of the attic hatch and change the switch into a 2 gang switch.

Would it be best to come off the new 2 gang switch or add a junction box in?



-----Power-----Switch-------Light (atm)


----Power-----2 gang switch---light
|
....................New Light
 
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please can you give us more information, when you say power to the switch , do you mean live and neutral, or just live in live out. Is there a piece of connector block in the back of the switch with 2 black cables in it?

Picture would be helpful, if possible.

Nick
 
You do not need another switch unless you particularly want one, just link from the first light to the second.
 
Hi,

sorry not at the house atm so cannot see the switch.

I do really want a 2 gang switch so can you just either take it direct from the switch or take the light from the light that is there and then add the switch last?
 
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it is dependant upon how the light switch is wired. If the feed goes to the switch (with a neutral) then to the light, adding a second light/switch is easy , if not its abt more tricky, but not impossible. When we know how yours is wired we can advise better.

Nick
 
Have taken a picture for you.

It goes from the power to the switch and then to the light.

 
Hi , that makes things clear now, take your twin and earth cable to your new light position from your switch, at the switch connect the earth to the earth terminal , the blue to the other 2 blues in the connector block. you then take the common from your existing switch and put a loop of brown cable between that and the common on your second switch. The live to the old light goes to either l1 or l2 of your switch and the same on the other side for your new light. Different manafacturers of switches use different sides as the one way side, if the switches seem to be upside down then swap the loads from l1-l2 or vice versa.



Nick
 
Hi guys,

just had a go at doing this and have a little problem with the bulb on the 2nd light keeps blowing.

Have connected it as follows

3 Brown cables in connector block
3 Earth in connector block

New light in L1
old light in L2

Switch in Comm with a loop between the 2 comm connections

Have changed the new and old light between L1 and L2 but still blown.

the only thing i can think of is that the old connection was wired wrong and the switch cable went in the L1 point and the light cable went in the comm piont.

Would this make the bulb blow?
 
Please take another photo of what you have done & post it here.
 
Do you mean 3 blues in the connector block ? if you have the live feed in the wrong terminal and have looped it over then all that will happen is that the light will not turn off as you will be backfeeding the other switch. as long as you have 3 blues in connector block on their own, then the brown in common looped to brown in new witch common and the lights individually in either l1 or l2 of your switches then all should be fine. make sure you have not got some dodgy low voltage bulbs in their.

Nick
 
got it working one of the brown cables was in the wrong point. so switched the one from the comm and l1 around and works great now.

Apart from one slight thing, the switches are not in line when they are both on is this normal for a 2 gang switch as got 2 in the house and both are like it so is this correct?

Thanks for all the help guys very much appricated.
 
All you need to do is swap one of the switched lives from either L1-L2 or vice versa, just make sure both are in the same terminals on the two switches. The others in your house are proabably two way switches so depending upon which switch is turned on or off depends which position the other switch is in.

Nick
 

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