Light switch wiring

dwhl

Hello,

Grateful for any help with the following…

My light switch rocker is loose and I’m wanting to replace it. It’s a 2 gang switch (1 way I think) but have never understood what one switch does. It doesn’t seem to control anything. 

I’ve just bought a 2 gang 1 way switch but can’t work out how the wiring would go. Any advice appreciated….I’ve attached photos of the current wiring and the new switch

Many thanks 
David

TadleyBaggie

It's simple, the existing red wire goes into one of the "L" terminals with the short red wire from that "L" terminal to the other "L". Then blue into one of the terminals marked "1" and the yellow wire into the other "1".

dwhl

Many thanks.  Much appreciated 

ThisIsWeird

dwhl said:

Hello,

Grateful for any help with the following…

My light switch rocker is loose and I’m wanting to replace it. It’s a 2 gang switch (1 way I think) but have never understood what one switch does. It doesn’t seem to control anything. 

I’ve just bought a 2 gang 1 way switch but can’t work out how the wiring would go. Any advice appreciated….I’ve attached photos of the current wiring and the new switch

Many thanks 
David

Hi dwhl.

Just for info, both of these switches are 2-gang (there are two separate switches) and 2-way (they can work on two-way lighting if needed). They are, tho', (as you say) wired as 1-way - ie just as a normal on/off light switch.

If you look, your original light has a 'com'. That is the 'L' on your new switch, so move these two red wires over. (The red goes to one of the 'com's, and the red link jumps to the other 'com'.

Then you use the '1's on each switch. Ie, the yellow goes to one of the '1's, and the blue goes to the other '1'. Fit the switch back in place with the 'L' and '1' at the top - that way the switch should look and work the right way around.

Worth scratching your head what that other switch actually switches! Where is this switch plate fitted? Could it be an outside light? Garage? Shed? Loft? Cupboard? When it's 'on', that wire becomes 'live'...

And make sure that earth wire remains nicely parked there - isn't loose.

dwhl

Thanks,  all sorted now.  

Re the second switch I wonder whether it was a ceiling light with a fan on it with one rocker for each action?  This current light only has one function(no fan)

The switch doesn’t work for anything else in the house. 

ThisIsWeird

dwhl said:

Thanks,  all sorted now.  

Re the second switch I wonder whether it was a ceiling light with a fan on it with one rocker for each action?  This current light only has one function(no fan)

The switch doesn’t work for anything else in the house. 

That's very possible.

A look - if you could be bothered - inside the ceiling rose should show whether there's a second switched-live wire there, presumably the same colour as the wire in the switch - yellow or blue. (Blue is a poor colour choice as it usually indicates a 'neutral'!)

Until you do investigate this strange extra switched wire - which will be 'live' when the switch is on - it would, I think, make sense to remove the '1' wire from the unused switch, and terminate it safely - in something like this: https://www.screwfix.com/p/ideal-32a-2-way-push-wire-connector-10-pack/42201 Or, I guess, simply remove the red wire link from the unused switch. Fully remove - don't leave it sitting there all live an' a'.

Your call, but if you have brown insulating tape, you could also add a brown band around the ends of each wire's insulation just before they go into the switch's terminals. That'll indicate that they are 'live', or become so at times. Tbh - it should be obvious to any person who next looks at that switch...

Section62

ThisIsWeird said:

Just for info, both of these switches are 2-gang (there are two separate switches) and 2-way (they can work on two-way lighting if needed).

Confusingly the grey moulding has a '2' on it, but by the looks of it no '2' terminal.  The wiring diagram also indicates it is a 1-way switch.

ThisIsWeird

Section62 said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Just for info, both of these switches are 2-gang (there are two separate switches) and 2-way (they can work on two-way lighting if needed).

Confusingly the grey moulding has a '2' on it, but by the looks of it no '2' terminal.  The wiring diagram also indicates it is a 1-way switch.

Good lawd! Completely missed that! I was literally seeing things.
Soz, dwhl - the new ones are 2-gang 1-way, but share some of the mouldings to be made into 2-way.
D'oh.

dwhl

Thanks all once again.  Yes, it’s a 2 gang 1 way.  

All working now.