Double Light Switch Conundrum

[Harry Bloomfield]

"a single switch that switches both on at once" is something of a nonsense. It would be better to have two double switches at either end of the room, each switch of which can independently control one of the lights.

A common arrangement, where a room has two doors, and two lights - is to have a two-way switch for one of the lights, a switch by each door, and just a one-way for the other light.

 

[robinbanks]

So light A can only be operated by the switch next to door A, and if you want to go out of door B, but light A is on, you have to walk over to door A, turn off the light then walk back to door B?

All because someone couldn't be bothered to spend a few more pence on cable and have both lights two way switches next to both doors?

I'm not sold!

Anyway, back to the OP's hopes, as this thread has gone off at a bit of a tangent..

Can you show some pics of what's going on being the ceiling roses of each light, wiring wise? I think additional hardware might be needed to establish independent light control..

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

So light A can only be operated by the switch next to door A, and if you want to go out of door B, but light A is on, you have to walk over to door A, turn off the light then walk back to door B?

All because someone couldn't be bothered to spend a few more pence on cable and have both lights two way switches next to both doors?

I'm not sold!

I have this arrangement, in my kitchen, and it works just fine....

Two lights positions, in quite a large long kitchen, there are two doors, both at the same end of the kitchen, about 10 feet apart. One door (A), leads to the hall, the other out the side, to a sort of second rear hall (B). Inside the kitchen adjacent to door A, is a 2-gand two-way switch, a two-way controls the light nearest the switch, the second gang, used as a 1-way, controls the far light.

Adjacent to B, is a second 2-gang, 2-way. one gang used to control the nearest kitchen light, the second gang used as a 1-way, for the back hall area light.

If you are passing through the kitchen, from the front hall, in the dark, you turn the 2-way light on, then turn it back off, via the 2-way at the rear door.

 

[jj4091]

All because someone couldn't be bothered to spend a few more pence on cable and have both lights two way switches next to both doors?

I'm not sold!

If a room is big enough to need 2 light fittings why would you want to have half of it darker. As far as the op is concerned I don't think achieving what you say and what he/she seeks to do is going to be simple for him/her when he/she doesn't understand 2 way circuits.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

If a room is big enough to need 2 light fittings why would you want to have half of it darker. As far as the op is concerned I don't think achieving what you say and what he/she seeks to do is going to be simple for him/her when he/she doesn't understand 2 way circuits.

On the other hand - Why illuminate an entire room, when one section lit, is all that is needed? That is especially true, when all one is doing is passing through the room.

 

[securespark]

To Cat:

Does it make sense to you to have each ceiling light controlled by different sides of the two gang switch?

What would you want the single switch to do?

Did you find any single sockets in the room that either don't work when you plug a table lamp in or work but go on and off from that second switch?

 

[Cat007077]

No just the light switches …

 

[securespark]

And the other questions?

 

[ericmark]

The single switch is wired as two-way slave, and double switch one as on/off and the other two-way slave, so seems something missing. I will guess the single switch red and black should have gone with the yellow and blue on the other switch for them to work as two-way.

I had a light where I don't want all bulbs lit all the time, I just fitted smart bulbs, so I can tell them to switch off.

 

[SUNRAY]

The single switch is wired as two-way slave, and double switch one as on/off and the other two-way slave, so seems something missing. I will guess the single switch red and black should have gone with the yellow and blue on the other switch for them to work as two-way.

I had a light where I don't want all bulbs lit all the time, I just fitted smart bulbs, so I can tell them to switch off.

Having been told the 2 lights work correctly from the 2 switches I assume the live and switched live are connected to the blue and yellow at some other point: Either at a light fitting, a junction box, an intermediate switch if there is one (something I have encountered twice and the customer didn't know about it)

 

[Cat007077]

No every thing works … so confusing …