Hall/landing light problem

[gazgem]

Hi all

I have just bought a house which has a problem with the landing light. The downstairs double switch has been changed but not wired up on one side. I will explain the best I can so bear with me. The wiring is the old system. The issue is with the upstairs light as the hall works perfectly

The switch upstairs is a single switch and is wired as follows

C - switched live which goes to switch downstairs
L1 - 2 x Black (Neutrals) which appear to goto light neutrals
L2 - Red live 240v

The downstairs switch is not wired but I have

Switched live from upstairs light
Black wire with a red sleeve which appears to go to the light live side
Red 240 volt live

The earths are attached to the pattresses.

If anybody could offer any help it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Gaz

 

[MalcofArabia]

Pictures would help

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting

This may help you

Those black in the L2 of the switch will not be neutrals so it may help you to read above and get an handle of how the thing should be wired.

You will need some sort of multi meter to trace out the wiring also

 

[skenk]

The 'switched live' to C, try the other two in each of L1 and L2. If that doesn't work you will need to check the wiring at the light fitting and figure out which wire goes where with a multimeter, you may just need a link in the downstairs switch. All the wires at the switches will be lives (no neutrals) - see the wiki link posted by Malco (2- way lighting)

Turn off at the main switch before touching any wires

 

[1john]

pictures and a multi meter required

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And please - spend some time learning about electrics before trying to fiddle with them, not after you've started and messed up due to ignorance.

The fact that you think there are neutrals connected at the switches shows that you don't know what goes on inside a switch, or how circuits work.

• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:books
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/electricity.html
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/domesticinstallations.html
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7553
  

 

[ajrobb]

I think it is common to have 3 insulated wires running from upstairs switch to downstairs switch plus earth. Each of these wires goes into the same connection in both switches. However, your switches don't sound like that!

I am interested in the answer as I have an upstairs light on 2 switches but it only works if both switches are 'on'. Downstairs is a double-gang switch. I was wondering if I could 'borrow' the live from the other side of this switch (as long as they are on the same MCB). However, the house was extended 17 years ago and maybe they are now on separate circuits and that is why they ended up this way.