shower switch, noobie but very interested

[jamiemattison]

hi guys, i wonder if you can help,

first of all i have a switch which is outside my bathroom, when its switched to on, the shower works and a light comes on the switch. Ok so i think this is an immersion switch? correct me if im wrong but anyway. We are having a lot of plastering done in our house, so i wanted to fit a new switch!

before i went out to buy one, i disconnected all the wires from the one we have and rewired it, BINGO it works the same. So off i trot to wickes and get a new switch but - ive spent the last 4 hours messing about with it cos i have the neon light on all the time, even when the switch is in the off position, i just dont know what the problem is. Ive compared the old switch to the new one and the only differences are, it has 2 earth holes, and the old one had some little yellow wires in it that went to the live and earth, the new one doesnt have these.

Im just baffled. please help asap, and also, if i cant sort it - is it safe if i was to leave it?

thanks alot people

 

[Spark123]

Firstly you need check your switch is at least the same current rating of the the old one. Secondly, it sounds like you have got your supply and load wires back to front.

 

[jamiemattison]

i put the wire which is live when the electrics is on, into the load part of the switch - should it be the other way around?

thanks for your help

 

[ban-all-sheds]

first of all i have a switch which is outside my bathroom, when its switched to on, the shower works and a light comes on the switch. Ok so i think this is an immersion switch?

No - that would be a shower switch....

Seriously - what sort of shower is it? Pumped or instant heat? Did you get a replacement switch of the correct rating?

i have the neon light on all the time, even when the switch is in the off position, i just dont know what the problem is.

Sounds like you've got supply and load mixed up - does the switch work OK apart from that?

Ive compared the old switch to the new one and the only differences are, it has 2 earth holes,

That I very much doubt - can you post a picture?

and the old one had some little yellow wires in it that went to the live and earth,

I very much doubt that too.

Im just baffled. please help asap, and also, if i cant sort it - is it safe if i was to leave it?

Not sure - some of what you've said makes me wonder if you know the difference between neutral and earth.

Again - a photo of what you've done would be useful.

 

[jamiemattison]

neuteral is black, earth is green now give me some credit, can post a pic cos the camera isnt working - the switch works fine, if its on, the shower is on, if off, the showers is off - works as it should, just the light

i do assure you thou, the differences,

when i opened the old box, an i mean this is old! the wire that connects to the light was wired into the live and earth, the new switch doesnt have this thou.

and the new box has to earth holes, whereas the old one had just one, where both earth wires from both cables went into 1 place

 

[Spark123]

The supply live (red) which is live when the electric is on needs to go into the L supply or on the new switch. The neutral (black) from the same cable needs to go to the N supply. The red load to the shower needs to go to L load and the black to the N load. Both earths to the earth terminals, (should now be shrouded green & yellow.)

The yellow sheathed wire of the (I assume it is for the) neon indicator on the old switch should have been connected between live and neutral on the load side.

 

[jamiemattison]

thanks spark, it turned out i did have the load and supply the wrong way about, although i cant get mu head round why it worked on the other switch, as i just copied where the old connections were on the old switch and put them into the new one :

i bought one of them special screwdrivers that glows if the wire is live, am i right in presuming you just touch the end of the wire and press the red nib? if it lights up, your dead if you touch it? or would i be dead anyway lol.

anyway thanks very much for your help. next job is to change the wall lights downstairs.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

thanks spark, it turned out i did have the load and supply the wrong way about, although i cant get mu head round why it worked on the other switch, as i just copied where the old connections were on the old switch and put them into the new one :

Did you do it just by position, or did you look at the "Supply" & "Load" legends? It's also possible that if the previous incumbent got them the wrong way round they fixed it by moving the connections for the neon...

i bought one of them special screwdrivers that glows if the wire is live

Throw it away and buy a multimeter.

 

[Spark123]

i bought one of them special screwdrivers that glows if the wire is live

Throw it away and buy a multimeter.

Agree 100%