Need help,wiring a hallway. All wires red. Have multimeter

[wimbledon55]

Hi,

RE: all wires are red

I have replaces all light switches, one by one, and all worked, untill last one! Currently some lights work and some doesnt. I copied the excisting wiring and replaced the switched. but now i am lost. I need to rewire.

How can i work out what goes where?
Please give me some advice.

 

[davy_owen_88]

Start by explaining what cables you have available, what lights have stopped working, what lights still work, what you actually did etc.

We need as much info as you can give before we can give you any advice.

 

[wimbledon55]

Kitchen: replaced socket. 3 red wires. light switch has L, L1 and L2. Kitchen works. When switced on, living room and bedroom goes off and doesnt switch on at all. When off, bedroom and living room can be swithced on and off.

Living room: 4 redwires. 2swithces in 1 socket. 2 L and 2 L1 and L2
(old system wich I copied, a small red wire is connecting L1 and L1)

Bedroom: 3 red wires. L L1 L2

Hallway. Socket 1 - 4 red wires. L1 L2 not conneted at the moment

Hallway Socket 2 - 3 red wires L1 L2 not connect at the moment.

Thanks for coming back to me

 

[bernardgreen]

I think I have the solution

Can you first confirm there is only one switch that normally controls the kitchen light ?

 

[davy_owen_88]

Hallway. Socket 1 - 4 red wires. L1 L2 not conneted at the moment

Hallway Socket 2 - 3 red wires L1 L2 not connect at the moment.

Connect up these the way they were wired before. You have probably broken the loop somewhere and that is the reason some lights don't work.

Do you have a multimeter?

Kitchen: replaced socket. 3 red wires. light switch has L, L1 and L2. Kitchen works. When switced on, living room and bedroom goes off and doesnt switch on at all. When off, bedroom and living room can be swithced on and off.

Can you explain how you want them switched and also the number and type of switches you are using. Are the wires at each switch single cores or do they have a grey sheath and a bare earth core?

Living room: 4 redwires. 2swithces in 1 socket. 2 L and 2 L1 and L2
(old system wich I copied, a small red wire is connecting L1 and L1)

When you say '2 switches in 1 socket' do you mean like this:

The number of actual switches is the number of gangs. So that picture is a 2 gang switch. If you could use the correct terms it makes it much easier to understand.

Do the 2 switches control just the living room lights? Did they used to switch sets of lights on individually or did each switch control everything?

 

[wimbledon55]

hi, only 1 switch in the kitchen

 

[wimbledon55]

dont have a multimeter

only the pen with light. (sorry im a novice)

living room has a 2way, yes. only control livingroom lights, 2 individual.

hallway, 2 different switches at both ends, usally controls each other. one light in hallway.

 

[bernardgreen]

hi, only 1 switch in the kitchen

In which case TWO of the reds go into L1 and the third goes into L2

The three reds are

[1] is a feed of LIVE from the previous switch and lamp.

[2] a feed of LIVE to the next switch and lamp ( bedroom or living room )

[3] switched LIVE to the kitchen lamp

therefor [1] and [2] have to joined to take LIVE to the bedroom and need to be in L1 to provide LIVE to the switch

[3] goes into L2 so the switch can control it.

 

[wimbledon55]

all swithched are marked: L and L1 plus L2

all the wires are red, with no marking.

 

[wimbledon55]

ill go and do this now. can i join any 2 reds together? or do i need to know which two?

 

[davy_owen_88]

How have you wired it currently? It needs to be the live feeds going to L and the switched live going to L1.

 

[wimbledon55]

i have one in L, one in L1 and one in L2.

 

[bernardgreen]

all swithched are marked: L and L1 plus L2

all the wires are red, with no marking.

Forget the previous L1 L2 L3, your switch has different marking to what I expected

Mark the three wires with a mark so you can tell them apart from each other. There are only three ways to connect them, one of them goes in L1 and the other two in L

OK take any two of the reds and put them in L and the third into L1

Test the lights. If they work luck got it right first time.

If they don't then exchange the red in L1 with one of them in L

Test the lights If they work you got it right second time

If they don't try the third wire in L1

If not exchange the red in L1 again this

 

[bernardgreen]

ill go and do this now. can i join any 2 reds together? or do i need to know which two?[/quote

No because you can find out by trial and error.

 

[wimbledon55]

you are a top man! all is working now

Thank you very very much. Save me from getting a london cowboy to come and fix this and costing a fortune!!