Difficulties adding intermediate switch

[ban-all-sheds]

you can use an intermediate for a 2 way

And for a 1-way or a 0-way.

 

[phatboy]

you can use an intermediate for a 2 way

And for a 1-way or a 0-way.

Whats a 0-way? Switch on the floor not connected to anything?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No.

It's a switch wired with both conductors in the same terminal, or in terminals which are never connected together.

 

[Whitling2k]

Never heard of a 0-way switch before - but have got a 2 gang intermediate switch, one of which will be wired as intermediate, and one as a 2-way.

The Wiki on here, and good ol' google serves us well for such things!

I've not had time to try the suggestions yet - but will report back when I have!

Whitling2k

 

[JohnW2]

Never heard of a 0-way switch before - but have got a 2 gang intermediate switch, one of which will be wired as intermediate, and one as a 2-way.

Don't worry - he was just trying to be 'clever' (silly?). He was suggesting that a "0-way switch" would (by extrapolation from 1-way and 2-way ones) have no useful function - since, as he said, it would mean that the two conductors were always joined, or never joined, regardless of the position of the switch!

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I meant that as well as being able to wire an intermediate as a 2-way, you could also wire it as a 1-way or a 0-way.

You can also wire a 2-way or 1-way switch as the latter.


It's a perfectly valid extension of the naming system -

A 2-way switch has 2 working positions
A 1-way switch has 1 working position
A 0-way switch has no working positions.

I'm sure there will be posts in this form from people who have wired their n-way switch as a 0-way.

 

[JohnW2]

It's a perfectly valid extension of the naming system - ...

It is, but I don't think that makes it any less 'silly' - and, as you will have seen, you succeeded in confusing the OP, if not also others! I suppose you could use similar (technically correct!) 'extrapolatory' logic to define what you meant by, for example, a 0-phase electricity supply or a 0-gang accessory

I'm sure there will be posts in this form from people who have wired their n-way switch as a 0-way.

This is true, but I still don't think the "0-way" terminology is helpful!!

Kind Regards, John

 

[AndyPRK]

This 0 gang accessory? Is it a single or double you require?

 

[JohnW2]

This 0 gang accessory? Is it a single or double you require?

... or maybe even a 'dual' or a 'twin'

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I suppose you could use similar (technically correct!) 'extrapolatory' logic to define what you meant by, for example, a 0-phase electricity supply or a 0-gang accessory

I can do better than that for the latter item - here's a photo of one:

 

[Whitling2k]

I can only assume the cables don't actually go where you think they do.

Correct answer!

I tried the set-up shown in the +/-/= diagrams and it was just weird - switches only worked when the others were in certain positions?!

so I thought this is odd... and pulled all the cables out ... and found another junction box hidden in the wall! tut tut.

So what I thought was the circuit cable was in fact the power from the CU. Which is why the 1-way switch popped the MCB.

I ended up replacing the entire lighting circuit for that part of the house using a (labelled and accessible) junction box - and am pleased to say I have made one more step to removing the rats nest of junction boxes.

There will be no more hidden/difficult to access junction boxes, and all the ones I'm installing are being labelled too - so future amendments will slowly get easier!

Thanks for all the help

lights out!

whitling2k

 

[flyingsparks]

Thanks for letting us know the outcome , and well done on sorting it!