Two red wires in one way switch L1 terminal

[jamesmacwhite]

I've just recently replaced the face plate on a one way switch for an outdoor light which was inverted as the front plate was the wrong way around i.e. off position = on and on position = off. I ended up accidentally breaking the switch mechanism so it not longer clicked so I ended up just getting a new plate entirely.

It's just a simple one way switch, COM and L1, with L2 terminal empty, however in this case, from the original switch there were two red wires going in L1 and one in COM.

Is it OK for L1 to have two red wires going into the terminal? It works fine after being rewired as it was into the new switch plate, but as I'm not an electrician and looking at various examples suggests it's usually just one in L1, I'm wondering why there are two wires going into the L1 terminal in this case?

 

[EFLImpudence]

It's just a simple one way switch, COM and L1, with L2 terminal empty,

That is a two-way switch - being used as a one-way.

however in this case, from the original switch there were two red wires going in L1 and one in COM.

Ok.

Is it OK for L1 to have two red wires going into the terminal?

Yes.

It works fine after being rewired as it was into the new switch plate, but as I'm not an electrician and looking at various examples suggests it's usually just one in L1, I'm wondering why there are two wires going into the L1 terminal in this case?

It could be that there were two lights operated, or

that one of the red wires is the Live and the other takes the power somewhere else.

 

[jamesmacwhite]

That is a two-way switch - being used as a one-way.


Ok.


Yes.


It could be that there were two lights operated, or

that one of the red wires is the Live and the other takes the power somewhere else.

Thanks for you reply! Sorry yes, it's a two way switch being used as a one way, with nothing in L2 basically. So was the original that was replaced.

The house it was installed was built in the 1960's so it's quite possible it was used for something else but good to know it's OK!

Thank you.

 

[bernardgreen]

One of the two red wires is bringing Permanent Live to the switch, the other red wire is taking Permanent Live onto another switch (or switches ) for other lights.