3 way switching

regsmyth · 27 Mar 2008

I want to be able to turn on all five outside lights from each door. There are five doors. I think this has to be done with three intermediate switches and two twoway switches all linked up together with 3C+E.
Question is, do all the lights also have to be linked together, or it is possible to take the feed for each light from it's nearest two way or intermediate switch?

securespark · 27 Mar 2008

Do you currently have a twin & earth drop to a switch at each door, linked to the outside light?

333rocky333 · 27 Mar 2008

regsmyth said:
I want to be able to turn on all five outside lights from each door. There are five doors. I think this has to be done with three intermediate switches and two twoway switches all linked up together with 3C+E.
Question is, do all the lights also have to be linked together, or it is possible to take the feed for each light from it's nearest two way or intermediate switch?

Similar to this
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=129224

You would not normally have a neutral already at your existing swich.
If you link the switches with 4c + e you could
There are various ways but you need to work out the best way for you

ban-all-sheds · 27 Mar 2008

They all have to be linked together, or in some way supplied from the same 2-way. Basically your 5 switches make a subassembly with one input (permanent live) and one output (switched live), and the output is controlled by any of the 5 switches by virtue of the internal connections.

How you link the lights is up to you - you can run a cable around the outside of the house

, or you can run 5 cables from the end 2-way, one to each light, or a mixture of the two schemes.

What you can't do is to take an output from any of the intermediate positions, or from one of the 2-ways (which one you won't be able to use will depend on how you wire it all up).

Also, of course, each light will need a neutral - how do you plan to get that to each one?

regsmyth · 27 Mar 2008

At the moment, only two doors have switches - pull cord ones, with additional red indicator lights (don't understand how it works, but am assuming to be replacing all...). One of the doors has a delay switch as well. The cables at this door supply the adjacent light, which then goes to all the other lights in line.
Does that help?

securespark · 27 Mar 2008

I thought you wanted all five lights switching separately....

How has it been physically wired?

What cables have you at each switch position? If you can post piccys, that would help, and it would also make JohnD a very happy chappy.

ban-all-sheds · 27 Mar 2008

So are you saying that from one location there is a cable which takes live & neutral to all of the lights, and you currently have 2-way switching, with pullcord switches in two places?

Are the existing switches linked with 2 conductors, or 3?

333rocky333 · 27 Mar 2008

regsmyth said:
At the moment, only two doors have switches - pull cord ones, with additional red indicator lights (don't understand how it works, but am assuming to be replacing all...). One of the doors has a delay switch as well. The cables at this door supply the adjacent light, which then goes to all the other lights in line.
Does that help?

Do the 5 lights all come on together now when one switch is operated.
If so the the lights already are linked and have a common neutral.
If so you can possibly do it all using just new switch wiring links

regsmyth · 27 Mar 2008

bas, yes I think thats what I'm saying.
There are at least two cables between the switch locations, plus a skinny one (a neutral?). And scrunched up wires wedged into filthy choc blocks, and dead mice and exposed L copper...(you don't really want to see pictures surely?)

But I am going to sort it out, so your advice is useful. I think I know how to do it now, its beginning to sink in...
I'll rig it up as a test before I stick it all in though.

regsmyth · 27 Mar 2008

And in case of any ambiguity, I am intending that all the lights will operate simultaneously, from any of the switches.

333rocky333 · 27 Mar 2008

regsmyth said:
And in case of any ambiguity, I am intending that all the lights will operate simultaneously, from any of the switches.

if that is the case then a 3c +e between the two existing via 3 new inter should provide enough cores
if you use 4c + e you could possibly also have the neons you originally wanted

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3 way switching

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