Changing light switch from dimmer to standard.

[xandros234]

Hello. A particular dimmer switch in my abode broke the other day, I decided to just buy a standard switch from wickes as a replacement. The switch only operates the one and only light in the room so I thought a pretty basic switch would do the job, when I was looking on the shelf they only had one plastic single switch, it didn't say anything special, so I bought one, brought it back home, killed the power at the fuse box, unscrewed the old dimmer switch and was presented with a problem.

It appears I've bought, no thanks to wickes for completely failing to put it anywhere on the packaging or the label in the store, an intermediate switch rather than what should probably be a simple one-way switch with the same terminal Layout of L1 and C.

The dimmer switch has three terminals, L1, L2 and C. Inside the wall mounting are three blue neutrals terminated, three earths also terminated, and three brown wires; one was in the C terminal, the other two in L1.

The new switch I have bought has four terminals, L and N out and L and N in as well as a couple of earth points (which I believe I don't need to use as the plate isn't metal). I tested the wires with the power on and found only one of the two that was wired into the L1 terminal on the Dimmer had the AC voltage and the rest didn't have any voltage (actually they did but it was <1v and possibly a result of my multimeter being a bit thick).

For clarity, I've made a crude drawing in MS Paint of how the dimmer was set up and what the new switch terminals look like:

Am I correct in thinking that all I need to do is stick the two brown wires from L1 into L OUT on the new switch and the C wire into L IN? Or would that blow a fuse?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Am I correct in thinking that all I need to do is stick the two brown wires from L1 into L OUT on the new switch and the C wire into L IN? Or would that blow a fuse?

Yes, you are correct.

It doesn't matter which way round (in or out) in your case.

 

[xandros234]

Excellent, thanks for the help.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It appears I've bought, no thanks to wickes for completely failing to put it anywhere on the packaging or the label in the store, an intermediate switch

No, it is a 1-way switch, but it's a double pole one, not single pole.

What did it say on the packaging?

 

[xandros234]

Nothing on the packaging from what I could see, just that it's a 20amp switch, but on closer inspection of the little leaflet that it came with, you're right as it does say it's double pole.

I'm going to have to take it off the wall again now anyway as something's gone wrong... I wired it up after my last post, and it worked fine. So I went off to do another job I had lined up which was to replace the transformer on a downlight in the bathroom as changing the bulb didn't fix it (tried three different new bulbs, even tried scraping the contacts). I went off and did that, and I've successfully fixed that light as it's now working. So then I came back in here where my dimmer switch used to be to sit down with a cuppa and flicked the new switch on and the lights flicked on for about a tenth of a second then went off. Now they won't turn on at all. They were working fine before I went off to do the transformer but this surly can't be because I've changed the transformer on the downlight in the bathroom can it? It's not the RCD either and all the other lights on this circuit work, bulbs don't appear to be blown either.

Edit: Correction, all the other lights on this circuit don't work, only the bathroom lights work and the bedroom. This room where the dimmer switch and now the other room I've found are not responding, even though they were working fine before I changed the transformer in the bathroom.

 

[terryplumb]

Sounds like you have inadvertently caused a disconnection of the circuit line or neutral. Do you know how "loop - in " lighting circuits are wired up ?

 

[xandros234]

I should have done! Not sure what I was thinking when I saw the switch had three sets of wires coming into it, bit a divvy moment there from me I guess. Also the fact it was working then I went and changed the transformer in the bathroom, and came back to find they had stopped working kind of through me off for a moment there. But you are right anyway, I just took the switch off and one of the brown wires was slightly poking out the terminal so I obviously hadn't got it in properly and it slipped out when I put the plate back on the wall and was only touching the terminal rather than actually being screwed into it. I've corrected my mistake and it's all working fine again. Well until I cock something else up. Cheers!

 

[securespark]

Loose connection?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Nothing on the packaging from what I could see, just that it's a 20amp switch

Well - that was telling you it wasn't a light switch, I'm afraid. But anyway - it will do the job.

 

[xandros234]

Yes, I figured it probably wasn't when I noticed the red marker on one side of the switch button. It doesn't say "light switch" on the packaging but I decided a switch is a switch, added to which Wickes only had a grand total of two on the shelf that wasn't chrome or brass and one of them had rounded edges so wouldn't really have been in keeping with the other fittings in the room. Should have gone to B&Q...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

a switch is a switch

Light switches are single-pole, and come in 1-way, 2-way, and intermediate. Some other switches are 1-way but 2-pole.

You only needed a 1-way, so you could have used any of those, but if you'd needed a 2-way, only an intermediate would have been a viable alternative, and if you'd needed an intermediate, nothing else would have done.

Then there are centre off switches, retractive switches....

So no, "a switch is a switch" isn't a good philosophy to have.

 

[jg321]

In a flat I used to live in they'd used 20A double pole switches in the bathrooms, to prevent the fan switched line backfeeding the other bathroom light.

The biggest problem I had with this was the considerable amount of effort required to operate the switch compared to a "normal" light switch. Also the noise compared to a normal light switch was considerably louder, especially noticeable in the en-suite at night. For the sake of a couple of quid, I personally would replace it in your circumstances. Having the 20A switch "in stock" may come in handy one day.

 

[xandros234]

Light switches are single-pole, and come in 1-way, 2-way, and intermediate. Some other switches are 1-way but 2-pole.

You only needed a 1-way, so you could have used any of those, but if you'd needed a 2-way, only an intermediate would have been a viable alternative, and if you'd needed an intermediate, nothing else would have done.

Then there are centre off switches, retractive switches....

So no, "a switch is a switch" isn't a good philosophy to have.

Yes I only needed a 1-way, which I knew, hence why I said "a switch was a switch" as even as you agree it really didn't matter what I used as long as it had a switch on the front for turning the lights on and off with. I'd hardly call it a philosophy either, it was mostly down to me being in the situation where that's all I needed so, that's all I wanted, but standing there looking at a selection in the shop, that was also all I could get unless I wanted the switch to look completely out of place. Still, regardless of any best practices I didn't follow with regard to the type of switch I should have got, in the end, it's my house, I live in it, I'm the one using the switch, so thusly I couldn't give a toss what switch I used as long as it works, which it does, so I don't.

In a flat I used to live in they'd used 20A double pole switches in the bathrooms, to prevent the fan switched line backfeeding the other bathroom light.

The biggest problem I had with this was the considerable amount of effort required to operate the switch compared to a "normal" light switch. Also the noise compared to a normal light switch was considerably louder, especially noticeable in the en-suite at night. For the sake of a couple of quid, I personally would replace it in your circumstances. Having the 20A switch "in stock" may come in handy one day.

Yea, it actually isn't bad for a light switch, I hadn't honestly noticed it being any stiffer or louder to flick on/off until you brought that up. I expect I'll replace it with a standard switch eventually, perhaps the next time I'm in a diy hardware store (I'll remember to go somewhere other than wickes next time where there's more than two choices available), but right now it's doing a job so I'm not really bothered one way or the other at the moment.

 

[jg321]

Sounds like a good plan. Thanks for taking the time to reply, and all the best.

Jon

 

[Les9000]

It does seem unfair and maybe simply wrong to blame Wickes. (I am not un-biased)
They do have a website, where you can identify the required switch before you go, and even check stock in their stores.
Wickes 10A Light Switch 1 Gang 1 Way White Product Code: 710016
Only costs £0.89, a big seller, and is in stock in every store.