Hall stairs and landing

[jonsaxon]

I appologize before hand as a lot of people have already posted with issues with hall, stairs and landing switches.

I have just moved into a house and realised that the light switches in the hall and landing don't work correctly.

I have unscrewed them to look at the wiring, the switches are old plastic switches with 6 terminals marked com, 1way and 2way, currently in the hall the switch on the right of the double switch operates the hall light which seems wrong to me.

The landing light does not work at all however if the switch on the left in the hall is switched on the switch on the right on the landing operates the bathroom light.

Inside the hall switch I have 5 red wires and a link wire, 2 of those wires have a thick sheathing whilst the other 3 have thin sheathing.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Chri5]

Look on the DIY wiki, electric, uk, lighting.

Alternatively post some high res pictures of inside the switches showing the wires and terminations.

 

[jonsaxon]

First two pictures are of hall switch and last one is of landing

Untitled

• jonsaxon
• 9 Aug 2012
• 1

Untitled

• jonsaxon
• 9 Aug 2012
• 1

Untitled

• jonsaxon
• 9 Aug 2012
• 1

Hope these are high enough quality

The terminals with the link wire are both com the switches go from com, 1way and then 2 way

 

[securespark]

You need a bit of focus, I'm afraid.

But the symptoms you describe sound like someone has hastily changed the switches for plastic before moving out and have cocked it up!

Are the first two pictures of the same switch?

The two thicker ones are most likely the strappers. These link the hall and landing switches and connect to L1 and L2 of whichever switch you want to use for the landing out of the two.

Does the hall light work? And the other lights come on in the house?

Looks like (using an educated guess) two of the thin wires are feed in and out to the hall switch.

If all the other lights work, they must be together, so either of those two terminal with two in is that one.

But it might be better to start from scratch. Isolate safely. Start with the hall switch. Make a note of how they are connected now, then disconnect the wires and use a DMM set to continuity to trace where they go.

Basically, you need your feed in and out together on common terminals, with a link across to the other Common. If there are feed in/out conductors, put one in each common terminal along with the link wire.

Then the strappers (bell these out too) on the L1 and L2 of whichever switch of the pair you decide to use for the landing switch. Then the remaining conductor must be the switch wire for the hall. Put this into L1 of the other switch of the pair.

Still being isolated, at the landing switch, connect the strappers identified into L1 and L2 of the switch you want to use for the landing. The common of that switch connects to the wire that connects to the switched live terminal of the landing light. Bell that out with the DMM.

Then that leaves the bathroom light. Again, it looks like you may have a feed into and out of the switch. If this is the case, put these in the common terminal of the other switch. the final conductor ought to be the switchwire for the bathroom light (Bell it out to be sure) and that goes in the empty L1 terminal.

 

[jonsaxon]

I have got them to work slightly better than they where I now have all the lights working however the upstairs lights only work if the landing light is switched on so am thinking I must more or less have them in the correct places now.

As anybody any ideas as to why this might be the case.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You need to stop guessing and trying things at random to see if they work.

Learn how lighting circuits are wired, get yourself the appropriate tools, and identify all of the cables.

Then you'll be able to work out which wire goes where.

 

[securespark]

As anybody any ideas as to why this might be the case.

Yes.

You have not followed the advice.