Installing a dimmer switch on two-way circuit

[Rybeast]

My bedroom was built in 2003, before the changing of colours of wires. At one end of the room there is a light switch, but there is a pullcord by my bed for the days I am unable to get out of bed and turn on the light by the door.

I've been wanting to replace the light switch at the door with a dimmer switch for a while. I managed to replace it yesterday and it seemed to work. I wasn't able to switch the light off from my bed. I checked the dimmer switch to see if there was a common terminal, and there wasn't.

The terminals I do have are an earth, L2, L1 and a wavy line with an arrow going through it, which I'm thinking is the load?

I've got a variety of wires. 2 red, yellow, black, blue, and a thick grey wire with a red line. I'm going to go back to Homebase, because the dimmer doesn't allow the L1 screw to tighten or loosen, and I may get a testing pen too.

How should it be wired up? Does one of the red wires go in L1 and the other L2? Which goes in the wavy line? All these questions!

 

[EFLImpudence]

Are there not instructions with the dimmer?

 

[Rybeast]

There's about 10 different images, which aren't very helpful

 

[EFLImpudence]

The terminals I do have are an earth, L2, L1 and a wavy line with an arrow going through it, which I'm thinking is the load?

I've got a variety of wires. 2 red, yellow, black, blue, and a thick grey wire with a red line. I'm going to go back to Homebase, because the dimmer doesn't allow the L1 screw to tighten or loosen, and I may get a testing pen too.

The red and black (from the same cable) go into L1 and L2.

The Red, Blue and Yellow from the other cable -
The same colour wire that is in Com of the pull cord must go into wavy line symbol of the dimmer.

The other two wires, one in with the Red and one in with the Black - doesn't matter which, but match the colours if you can.

 

[Rybeast]

Oh excellent, thank you so much

When you say same cable, do you mean they should be separated from one cable in the casing?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Well you have two reds.

One is in a cable with a black, and

one is in a cable with a blue and a yellow.

 

[ericmark]

I looked at the Schneider dimmer switch instructions which are completely different to the normal way of wiring a dimmer switch. The non dimmer switch is a retractive switch it seems, so you hold the switch until the level required then release. Other makes use other methods.

The idea is the amount of dimming can be controlled from any switch. Although you can get retractive pull switches, these are normally used for alarms, and often have red pull cords.

Of course that is Schneider, other makes have other methods.

 

[Rybeast]

This is what’s going on behind the switch. If someone could literally say, black and red here, blue and yellow there etc, like done above I’d be hugely appreciative!

Edit - anyone know why I can’t upload this picture?

 

[Rybeast]

Here!

 

[Rybeast]

I looked at the Schneider dimmer switch instructions which are completely different to the normal way of wiring a dimmer switch. The non dimmer switch is a retractive switch it seems, so you hold the switch until the level required then release. Other makes use other methods.

The idea is the amount of dimming can be controlled from any switch. Although you can get retractive pull switches, these are normally used for alarms, and often have red pull cords.

Of course that is Schneider, other makes have other methods.

The one that I had was a turn as opposed to press and release.

I’ve noticed that on the back of the same switch in a different Homebase store, it says that for two-way switches one of the switches has to be a retractive switch... Is a pull cord a retractive switch of sorts?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Well, I have, albeit you have a strange red single wire.

First of all you have to find which colour wire is in the COMMON terminal of the pull cord switch.

 

[Rybeast]

Well, I have, albeit you have a strange red single wire.

First of all you have to find which colour wire is in the COMMON terminal of the pull cord switch.

Right!? When I’d looked it up it seemed simple enough, but the wire combinations aren’t what I expected!

How would I find the colour wire in the common terminal? If it’s a cord pull, if I screw off the plastic attachment that hangs from the ceiling, would I find it in that?

 

[Rybeast]

Or would I have to do extra things and it isn’t as simple as the wires hiding under the plastic?

 

[EFLImpudence]

How would I find the colour wire in the common terminal?

Have a look.

If it’s a cord pull, if I screw off the plastic attachment that hangs from the ceiling, would I find it in that?

Yes.


https://www.flameport.com/electric/lighting_circuits/lighting_switchwires_twoway.cs4

 

[Rybeast]

Have a look.


Yes.


https://www.flameport.com/electric/lighting_circuits/lighting_switchwires_twoway.cs4

Thank you. I know what the wiring looks like, it was how to get to the wiring that I was uncertain of.