Wiring for Light pull switch

ohreally

You need to get test lamps/ meter and establish which conductors are switch wires and work from there.

ormus

this is one way of wiring it up. with a 3 pole isolater switch for the fan.

Myser

If you have the configuration that Ormus posted a diagram of, the neon on the new pull switch you have won't work properly as you require a permanent neutral connection too.

See my previous post:

Sounds like your new switch is for an immersion heater or electric shower hence the double pole (DP) contacts, neon and separate load connections.

All you needed was a standard light pull switch.

Iconic

ormus wrote: »

this is one way of wiring it up. with a 3 pole isolater switch for the fan.

Wow that's fantastic! Thanks very much for going to all that trouble.

Iconic

Myser wrote: »

If you have the configuration that Ormus posted a diagram of, the neon on the new pull switch you have won't work properly as you require a permanent neutral connection too.

See my previous post:

I have just worked that out myself and am just going out to buy a standard light pull switch!

DVardysShadow

Iconic wrote: »

Thank you for your continued help.

The reason I have not answered your question about the fan is because I am not 100% sure. It's my son's house and he has gone away for a few days. I think it stays on for a while but I am not certain.

I have had another look at the connections.There are three cables and the neutral of each cable are connected together.The earths are shielded and the three live red wires are loose as shown in the picture I attached to my previous message. I cannot make out where the other black wire comes from because it just appears from the ceiling with nothing attached to it.

Terminology, terminology. The earths are shrouded not shielded - that is something very different. I am interested to know whether they are connected together securely, hence my question.

And when talking about wires in cables, they are reds and blacks at this stage, not lives and neutrals - until you know for a fact what they are. It is almost certain that one of your black 'neutrals' is a live.

Iconic wrote: »

I have just worked that out myself and am just going out to buy a standard light pull switch!

Do you know how your wiring was connected to the original switch? If you do, it should be straight forward [and the information would have been helpful]. If you don't, I think your problem remains.

Iconic

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Terminology, terminology. The earths are shrouded not shielded - that is something very different. I am interested to know whether they are connected together securely, hence my question.

And when talking about wires in cables, they are reds and blacks at this stage, not lives and neutrals - until you know for a fact what they are. It is almost certain that one of your black 'neutrals' is a live.

Do you know how your wiring was connected to the original switch? If you do, it should be straight forward [and the information would have been helpful]. If you don't, I think your problem remains.

I have just bought an identical replacement two terminal pull cord switch. I know the two reds on the left of my picture go into one terminal and the red and black on the right of my picture go into the other terminal. I will fit it tomorrow morning and let you know how I get on.

Thanks for putting me straight on some of the basics. You will see I am not very competent and normally will only attempt straightforward jobs.
This would have been easy if I had bought the right switch. B&Q''s price for the neon switch was cheaper than the ordinary one.....that's why I bought it! How they can charge £12 for a basic switch when I got the replacement for £3 from Screwfix beats me! I cannot even get my money back from B&Q because I have knocked out the back of the switch!

Myser

£12 for a pull-cord switch. Was it a chrome plated one!?

An MK one will cost around £3 from Screwfix:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-6a-1w-ceiling-sw/17309

Iconic

Myser wrote: »

£12 for a pull-cord switch. Was it a chrome plated one!?

No it was ordinary plastic.....£10 plus an extra £2 for the back plate.

Myser wrote: »

An MK one will cost around £3 from Screwfix:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-6a-1w-ceiling-sw/17309

That's the one I got from Screwfix this afternoon!

Myser

The switch you originally bought is a high current switch. It is designed to handle large currents up to 50A for immersion heaters and electric showers. It has a set of isolated DP (double pole) contacts and a neon:

50A Pull cord switch

B&Q tend to be quite expensive - the same switch would have cost you around £7 elsewhere.

Ironically, I believe Screwfix is owned by the same parent company as B&Q (Kingfisher group).