Replacing pull cord switch for bathroom light/extractor fan

[maccon]

Hi there - I'm replacing the pull cord switch in the bathroom that operates the light and the fan. The current switch has five wires attached -
Red wire with red sleeve to 1 way
Black wire to Com
Red wire to 2 way
Black wire red sleeve to another com - its not marked as com but I guess this what it is.
Green and yellow to earth.
The new switch only has four attachments for the wires. To a wire as above and put both black wires in to Com?
Thanks for your time.

 

[davy_owen_88]

To a wire as above and put both black wires in to Com?

No, wire it exactly as before only put the earths into the terminal in the backbox. If there isn't an earth terminal on the switch or backbox then you need a terminal block to terminate the cables into.

 

[maccon]

Thanks for the info - there is an earth connection on the new bracket which I screw to the roof - so attach the earth there?

 

[davy_owen_88]

By bracket do you mean something like this? If so yes, connect the earth conductors there.

 

[maccon]

Its the standard round one - white two way switch. I think we're on the right track - put the earths (green and yellow) in there and a terminal block to join the two black coms together to put them in the com?

 

[davy_owen_88]

Don't connect the black wires together. Connect the earth conductor to the earth terminal, and leave everything else as it is.

 

[maccon]

I think I'm confused now - earth is the green and yellow wire to the earth terminal on the new switch - check.
Reds to L1 and L2 on new switch - check
How can I leave everything else the same when I've got to blacks left over that I assume need attaching to somewhere?

 

[davy_owen_88]

The current switch has five wires attached....
The new switch only has four attachments for the wires.

So the earths connect to the backbox and you have 4 wires for 4 terminals. Just wire them to the same terminals as before... What is the problem with that?

 

[maccon]

Hmm - so the black wire with red sleeve is another earth and should be connected to the same terminal as the green and yellow wire?

 

[davy_owen_88]

Can you post some pictures of the current switch with wiring intact?

 

[TicklyT]

Are you replacing like for like? Is the old switch a 2- way switch? If it has four terminals (+ earth) it could be an intermediate switch, or a double pole switch. They are all wired differently.

 

[maccon]

Thanks for the advice guys - switch now sorted!

 

[securespark]

How did you "sort" it?

 

[ed601]

Hi guys,

I have a similar problem to the original poster.

My old bathroom pull light controls the extraction fan as well. It broke while turned on, leaving the fan running.

I bought a new pull switch, but it has less connectors, have I bought the wrong one?

The old configuration had black wires going into L1 (also marked as COM) and L4, and red wires going into L2 and L3, with the Green/Yellow earth going into a separate bit.

The new switch has a COM, L1 and L2. So I have 4 live wires with only 3 places to put them.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Your old switch was probably a double pole switch.
You've probably just bought a regular 2-way switch which wont do the job.

You'll get a replacement at a wholesalers - not one of those sheds.
Take the old one.