Light switch single to double

[morqthana]

BUT it maybe live in to COM and Live out to somewhere else

To the next switch?

Got to be much more likely than someone running 2 cables to 2 ceiling lights rather than 1 cable and then daisy-chaining them?

 

[morqthana]

I have 2 ceiling lights that work on a single switch. The single switch currently has 3 sets of grey cables coming through the back box. The wiring behind the single switch, am I able to turn this into 2 switches, Ie a switch for each ceiling light.

Would you be able to replace the cable which runs up from the switch to the lights?

 

[pete01]

Without significant rewiring my is the one to go by

 

[pete01]

How do you know the single brown isn't the feed?































































I bet it isn't though.

I just know

 

[securespark]

How do you know the single brown isn't the feed?

It's a valid point!

I have come across this exact situation where a customer wanted to split the lights, except it was old colours.

And would you believe it, it was a single permanent feed into L1 and two individual switched feeds to each ceiling position.

 

[Taylortwocities]

How do you know the single brown isn't the feed?

If the OP replies to my (and - later) @ETAF guidance then we’d know the answer.

 

[ebee]

The thing is with lights is that there are a few different basic ways of wiring them according what the original designer was most used to and what variations they added themselves.
Any decent electrician (or gifted DIYer) could easily check to evaluate what you actually have and whether a change to what you want to achieve is is quite simple.

We can not decide, with any great probability of accuracy, what you have there just from the photos alone.

I advise you to get help investigating what you have existing in the first pace, from someone who knows how to do that safely, not a disrespect to yourself, quite the opposite in fact, respect to yourself for asking the question in the first place and not just blundering in.

It is easy to get electrics to work, it is often not much more than simply twisting two bits of wire together. However, doing that safely is far more complicated at times.
So best to get help, even if that help costs you a shilling or two.

One thing (one possibility of what you might actually have there) is one Twin and Earth cable to provide L, N & E to the switch box and two separate T & E cables, one for each light.
If so then that would be simple to change things to get your required result.
But we can not know that from those pictures alone.

 

[sparkwright]

Easier to look inside each light, and see if both lights have one cable each (we hope).

 

[pete01]

I'll be shocked if the single brown is the feed, I'll even eat my hat

 

[securespark]

Get ready with the salt and pepper.....

 

[ebee]

I'll be shocked if the single brown is the feed, I'll even eat my hat

Would not surprise me if it is!
(would not surprise me if it isn`t either).
Once you get a few years on and a few years experience then nothing much surprises you any more.
You hear folk say "Well I did not expect that anyone would have even thought of doing it that way!" You then think "Well I did" LOL

 

[securespark]

Yeah, anything's possible.

You sometimes use sparkie's logic when working out things, but there's obviously reasons why they break away from the norm.

 

[endecotp]

I'll be shocked if the single brown is the feed, I'll even eat my hat

Riskier than your last such wager, I think!

Do you have a stash of chocolate hats?

 

[sparkwright]

I would always tend to run separate cables from the switch to each light, for the very reason the lights could be separately switched in the future.
Then again, out of habit, logic, personal preference, I always put the feed or feeds in the common, and the light in the remaining terminal - so this is possibly Pete's theory - and I do tend to agree he's going to be right.

I don't know why people daisychain from one light to another if there's no need, it just makes wiring awkward light fittings harder.

 

[Jurassicspark]

I don't know why people daisychain from one light to another if there's no need, it just makes wiring awkward light fittings harder.

But it does make wiring new switches easier.

2 plate method good as it has neutral at the switch good for a smart switch etc.