Pull Chord Bathroom Light - Help!

[toughnut]

The pull chord has broken off inside the fitting in my bathroom. When I opened this up if disintegrated in an array of springs and metal bits ....does anyone know how to put these bits together again? If I buy a new one will it do the same thing when I open it up?

Also, there are 2 sets of wires which were attached to the very old original fitting - 2 reds, 2 blacks and 2 green/yellow. The old fitting had the 2 earths attached to the base, and each of the others were all attached seperately into 4 terminals. Can you still get these fittings or can I double up with the fitting I have from B & Q and put the 2 reds and 2 blacks together?.....Help!

 

[Spark123]

It's got to be asked, why would you buy a new one and open it up? Don't put both reds into one terminal and both blacks into another (it will almost certainly go bang). The old switch sounds like a double pole switch to me. Do you have a fan running off this switch? If not, you can link both blacks together in a piece of terminal block, red into L1, other red into Common, both earths together into the earth terminal. Is the new switch metal?

 

[RF Lighting]

Can you get metal pull switches?

 

[securespark]

Can you get metal pull switches?

Yes, but usually, the base is plastic and only the screw-on cover is metal...

You have indeed got a DP switch. MK still do them.

Replacing like for like is best, then you don't fall foul of Two Fu... I mean two Jags.

 

[toughnut]

Thanks Spark123 I will try that and see. It has no fan running off it, its just a standard bathroom heat/light, and its not a metal switch just plain old plastic.

Many thanks for your advice

p.s yes it was a stupid thing to ask about opening a new switch - i just presumed that would be the case, but then I am a bird!

 

[RF Lighting]

Should the switch be replaced with another DP switch as it is feeding a heat & light unit, rather than just a light?