Installing a 2 way switch

[mab]

Hi all,
I am trying to add a 2 way switch in my kitchen as the clever architect did not put a light switch in the kitchen for the lights! There are 2 sets of lights in the kitchen the ceiling lights and also lights under the cabinets.
The switch to operate is outside in the hall. However I spoke to electrician on site and he said he had put additional cabling in to add a 2 way switch.

The problem is I cant figure out how to wire it up, the switch that controls the ceiling lights has a brown wire to L2 and C2 there is an additional brown wire linking the 2 com ports.
The cable that is available for has the following wires grey,black,brown and earth.

The location in the kitchen where I am going to put the 2 way switch in has a 1 way switch which controls an outside light, therefore I am going to replace this with a 2 way. The cable that is available to connect to the kitchen ceiling light has the following wires grey,black,brown and earth.

I have tried to figure out what wire should go where but am struggling.

Can any one help please.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Al-Glasgow]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7553

try in here

 

[mab]

Thanks,
I have already looked at this but what I cant figure out is on the existing switch why are the 2 com ports connected with a brown wire

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Thanks,
I have already looked at this but what I cant figure out is on the existing switch why are the 2 com ports connected with a brown wire

Because it's controlling 2 sets of lights, but has only 1 live feed?

I think it will be much easier for people to understand what you've got, and what you want to do, if you repost your question without mixing up the terms "2-gang switches" and "2-way switches".

The location in the kitchen where I am going to put the 2 way switch in has a 1 way switch which controls an outside light, therefore I am going to replace this with a 2 way.

If you really did that you'd then have a 2-way switch working as a 1-way switch controlling the outside light - it would do nothing regarding the kitchen lights....

Switches where you have two in different locations, e.g. hall and landing, working one light, are 2-way.

Two switches on one plate is a 2-gang. It might or might not be a 2-way switch, and if it is a 2-way switch it might only be used as a 1-way.

You can get 1-way and 2-way single gang, 2-gang, 3-gang, and 4-gang switches.

 

[mab]

Ok thanks for the advice.

The switch which controls the main kitchen light is a 2 gang it also switches on the lights under the kitchen cabinets. I want to add a second switch in place of the 1 way switch which only controls the outside light which is located in the kitchen. I have purchased a 2 gang switch one switch to operate the outside light and one to operate the kitchen light. I basically want to be able to switch the kitchen lights on from 2 locations. I assume that the common port on the original 2 gang would need to have 2 ports connected as before.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ok thanks for the advice.

The switch which controls the main kitchen light is a 2 gang it also switches on the lights under the kitchen cabinets. I want to add a second switch in place of the 1 way switch which only controls the outside light which is located in the kitchen. I have purchased a 2 gang switch one switch to operate the outside light and one to operate the kitchen light.

OK - so both switches, the existing 2-gang in the kitchen and the new 2-gang that you are fitting in place of the 1-gang need to be 2-way switches, if not then you won't be able to do this.

I basically want to be able to switch the kitchen lights on from 2 locations.

So on each switch you'll have one gang working in 2-way mode, and the other in 1-way.

For the 1-way sides just use COM and L1.

The two way sides will need to be linked with the 3-core & earth cable that is there, and there's a diagram of that in the For Reference section. It shows the old colours, but the principle is the same. Red has become brown, yellow black and blue grey.

I assume that the common port on the original 2 gang would need to have 2 ports connected as before.

No - you'll be moving the permanent live to either L1 or L2, so the link cable will have to run from there to the COM of the gang being used as 1-way.

Don't forget to sleeve and connect the earths.

Don't forget to sleeve the ends of black & grey wires with brown.