One Way To Two Way Switching

[Scoby_Beasley]

Added a new two way switch for hall by front door (S1). S2/S3 is existing two gang switch in hall by lounge.

Hall 2nd Switch

• Scoby_Beasley
• 16 Nov 2012
• 1

A comment was made by my sparky oppo along the lines of "not sure if you got that right or not".

So I've spent a few days while the builders are in trying to figure out any other way to do it. My head now hurts!!

So I thought I'd do a purdy piccy and throw it out to you lot!!

 

[Taylortwocities]

So,

It looks like you have assumed the conductor in the C is a permanent live.
Is it really?

Also, where is the neutral coming from for both the landing and the hall lights?

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

It looks like you have assumed the conductor in the C is a permanent live.
Is it really?

Yes, on the downstairs lighting ring.

Also, where is the neutral coming from for both the landing and the hall lights?

Naughty peeps borrowed the neutral for the landing from the upstairs ring, although I know that was a common(ish) method a few years back.
So both lighting circuits have been placed under the same rcd.

This is not a full blown re-wire. House approx 50-60yrs old. New c.u., new kitchen & ring (only 1 ring for whole property previously), a few extra sockets when the builders and decorators have finished as she can't make her mind up where just yet!!

 

[plugwash]

Your wiring diagram will work fine and won't make things any more hazardous than they already are.

Just make sure you turn off both lighting circuits before doing any work on either of them until that borrowed neutral is fixed.

 

[Chri5]

New cu and yet you choose to combine two lighting circuits in to one rather than resolve the borrowed neutral.

Lazy boy, and the EIC is flawed design since you have only one lighting circuit over two floors. So all lights fail on fault, that is rubbish design.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

New cu and yet you choose to combine two lighting circuits in to one rather than resolve the borrowed neutral..

OK. A brief history. Was probably rewiring houses long before a load of you were born. About the time of Part P I disappeared on a mini world tour in my day job. I came back, no work, no future. I was not subtlety invited to go on a sparky course. 9 months later I get a 6 month placement. This is one the fella I had the placement with has thrown to me, under supervision.

Lazy boy, and the EIC is flawed design since you have only one lighting circuit over two floors. So all lights fail on fault, that is rubbish design.

What's an EIC? Or you mean an EICR?? If it was up to me the neutrals would be fed to the back boxes to future proof for "remote" switching!

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Your wiring diagram will work fine and won't make things any more hazardous than they already are.

Just make sure you turn off both lighting circuits before doing any work on either of them until that borrowed neutral is fixed.

Thanks pluggie. The sort of answer, or an alternative, I was looking for.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Removed!!! Irrelevant to topic

 

[Chri5]

Electrical installation certificate.

You have changed a cu so full test cert and notification is due.

The 17th ed requires an electrical system to be well designed. Daft things like 2 rcd's to offer some service to remain should one trip. In a 2 floor house you would expect two lighting circuits, one on each rcd so in the event of one ligting circuit failing the property has some light.

I feel that having one lighting circuit (that was two) fails the 17th design and doing it simply because theres an unresolved shared neutral is un professional.

No where have you mentioned resolving this, and if you keep to one circuit for all lights I feel its not the right thing to do.

Maybe a moral issue rather than one for the rules.

As for giving it the sonny boy routine, at 53 thanks for the complement if it was directed at me

 

[AndyPRK]

have you connected it up then ?

can't see it doing what you want.

maybe a diagram of how it is before you started would help.

There would have been a link between the switches, which you have missed

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Lazy boy....

And I like that at the tender age of 54!!

have you connected it up then ?

Yes, works as expected.

can't see it doing what you want.....

.....There would have been a link between the switches, which you have missed

There was a bridge (link) between the C-S2 & C-S3. That has been removed or "extended", if you like, to C-S1.

I'll badger the gaffer to separate the borrowed Rn and when he's not looking hope to sneak some 3c+e from the downstairs up the conduit.

 

[AndyPRK]

Oh yeah. you used that method. Silly me.