Two Way, Two Gang Light Switch

[TheJay]

Hello there, I want to replace the original switch with a dimmer/switch instead. The set up is ceiling light, which can be operated from a pull switch as well as the wall switch and a wall light that also has its own pull switch as well as the wall switch.

I've taken photos as I went along but I know I haven't quite got it right yet because both switches turn on/off the main light and the wall lights cannot be operated.

Can someone please provide a diagram of the correct wiring?

The earth cable is used as a bridge because I lost the original white cable when I hoovered up the mess from making the wall recess deeper (the original backbox was 15mm deep). I know it's not the right colour. Should it really be red?

Thank you for your help.

 

[ericmark]

Your original pictures show single red as common for both switches, and the red and black as L1 and L2 for two way and single black as L1 for on/off switch, so the new switches need wiring the same way. The link needs to go com to com, I would think the on/off switch works but the dimmer only works when on/off switch is off as wired.

 

[sparkwright]

Single red in switch common.
Single black in switch L1.

Twin red in dimmer common.
Twin black in dimmer L1.

Link wire between both commons.

Nice neat work on the box replacement and well done for fitting a grommet.

 

[Taylortwocities]

..and the link wire must be sheathed in red or brown sleeving NOT earth sleeving.

 

[TheJay]

Argh... I just wrote a really long message and switched tabs to add photos. When I came back to this tab, it refreshed and I lost everything.

The members of this forum are the best. Thank you all so much, first reply was correct.

I'll change the bridge wire to red/brown when I remove the switch in a month or two for the room to be plastered.

Is it common for dimmer switches to work like this now?

https://i.imgur.com/XWYgHmZ.gifv

 

[Taylortwocities]

Is it common for dimmer switches to work like this now?

It usually smells of incompatability betweeen the dimmer and the lamp.
What sort of lamp is it?
Is it dimmerable?
Is the dimmer designed to dim that type of lamp?
Some dimmers have set up controls to set minimum brightness, V-Pro is electronic and others (Telford eg) have a trimming adjustment using a screwdriver.

 

[TheJay]

This is it:

 

[TheJay]

This is what it says:
All of our dimmers have soft-start technology to help improve the longevity of your LED bulbs.

Guess I should be using an LED bulb

 

[securespark]

That's a CFL. Not dimmable with that dimmer.

 

[TheJay]

Going to The Range to get a suitable bulb

 

[ericmark]

The way your dimmer is wired is not normal, although today it is hard to say what is normal. The old method was but at school taught and it seems yours is wired as shown at school, but today the com in first diagram is replaced by an S terminal with master and slave switches. The problem is all AC circuits radiate a little power, the spacing of the line and neutral and having an earth wire between the two does reduce the inductance or capacitive linking, but when most of our houses were wired it was not seen as a problem, the idea of induction loop hearing aids what not even though possible, so when we swap lamps from tungsten to LED we often get problems, which are not helped as the LED's have so little info about how they work.

It really is a suck it and see, some have leak resistors and smoothing capacitors and work A1, others with either not switch off, or will shimmer when turned on, and some with work with electronic switches without neutral and some need load capacitors adding.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Going to The Range to get a suitable bulb

Most of the budget lamps are not dimmerable. Be careful what you buy.

 

[TheJay]

Just for information, The Range do a selection of LED dimmable bayonet bulbs but they were all sold out

Ordered from Amazon. Will let you know the outcome.

 

[TheJay]

Okay, I got a bulb in the post and there isn't any flickering but it does still take seconds to turn in properly.

https://i.imgur.com/sigTR4H.gifv

 

[Taylortwocities]

Many dimmers have a soft start feature. It’s a good thing. Varilight dimmers are the same. It confuses the hell out of my cleaners.