I hate domestics yet again.

[securespark]

Looking at your floor plan, I reckon the most likely place for a switch is around that door opposite the 2 way switch. That way, each door into the (once bigger) room has a switch adjacent to it.

 

[SUNRAY]

Looking at your floor plan, I reckon the most likely place for a switch is around that door opposite the 2 way switch. That way, each door into the (once bigger) room has a switch adjacent to it.

AFAIC I expect there to be a switch on the wall shown orange. Apart from a DSSO low down each side of the door there is no sign of anything else electrical.

In fact it's a completely plain wall with a door and 2 sockets. Equally there is nothing in the pink area.

 

[AndyPRK]

Is this where you want a tone ohm.
Put some frequency into the switch cables and see where you can find any hidden cables

 

[SUNRAY]

Is this where you want a tone ohm.
Put some frequency into the switch cables and see where you can find any hidden cables

Yep, no problem at all with that, I can simply listen for the 50Hz if I ever get back there.

 

[SUNRAY]

I've been back today with a colleague, first thing we tried was looking for a switch/wiring on the end wall. We identified cable routes to both DSSO's and the passage switch but no sign of the switch I has expecting.

We tried tracking the cables in the ceiling but too much pick up from bedroom and heating circuits.

We got to the situation where we physically disconnected every wire at the switches and 'ceiling rose' and proved it to be this:

Pink dots representing unidentified joints.


I concluded it could be reconfigured to work like this:

Just as we were connecting up, the other daughter turned up with Dad from hospital with his brand newly replaced hip and major dressings on his arm and face, seeing the wires hanging out he asked if it would be possible to get the other switch working...

The third switch was found about 3ft from the end wall, hiding behind a dresser shown in green:

The very dresser he fell against in the dark, the very dresser that smashed the switch, probably when he fell against it, the switch they didn't use as the 'builder' who removed the wall and combined the lights onto one circuit in 1976 couldn't get it working properly. He even described that same functionality as found with the switch in the 'wrong position'.
It has a T&E and a 3C&E in classic 'conversion method' configuration (in grey circle), it was effectively switched such that both reds were connected and wiring proved as:

Final circuit when we finished:

 

[sparkwright]

Great stuff.

 

[SUNRAY]

Yep we all knew the extra switch was, or had been, there somewhere. But fancy putting up with it for 40 years.

 

[securespark]

It is fantastic news that the gent is home!
And the cherry on the cake: you've fixed it.

Nice one, matey!

 

[SUNRAY]

It is fantastic news that the gent is home!
And the cherry on the cake: you've fixed it.

Nice one, matey!

He is obviously shaken up and is walking with a Zimmer at the moment but Over the COT (in which he was trying to persuade us to have whisky) he was joking about being chased around the hospital by the young nurses. He explained that initially in some combinations of switches it would blow the fuse and the 'builder' spent a lot of time on the lights and eventually had to run another cable to get it working the way I found it. They had put the dresser across the switch to stop it being used and got into the habit of not using that door in the dark. The daughters thought the dresser was fixed as it is exactly the same as the elderly pine kitchen units and it had been painted round just like the rest.

The really annoying thing is the fix was so simple to get it functioning correctly, albeit a little unconventionally wired, but that is often the case when making alterations.

Anyway a happy customer and with his son in law we even moved their freestanding units around to leave the switch clear.

 

[securespark]

Fantastic stuff.

 

[sxturbo]

That's genuinely interesting, I like your posts like this they are both interesting and informative

Glad the old boy is ok.

 

[SUNRAY]

Phone call yesterday from the company I subbed to on this job:
"Customer has asked for you to sort out a problem... take a double socket just in case."

I arrived at 9am today to be greeted by a lightly limping 93 year old but otherwise seemingly in good health who spent more time explaining his insistance on seeing me, than the fault and then spent more time drinking their tea and eating their home made coffee and walnut cake (also offered a bacon buttie) than it took to replace the failed DSSO.

I love a satisfied customer...

 

[sxturbo]

Phone call yesterday from the company I subbed to on this job:
"Customer has asked for you to sort out a problem... take a double socket just in case."

I arrived at 9am today to be greeted by a lightly limping 93 year old but otherwise seemingly in good health who spent more time explaining his insistance on seeing me, than the fault and then spent more time drinking their tea and eating their home made coffee and walnut cake (also offered a bacon buttie) than it took to replace the failed DSSO.

I love a satisfied customer...

It's rare to find a good honest tradesman

 

[bernardgreen]

It's rare to find a good honest tradesman

They are mostly often found in customer's homes drinking tea and munching biscuits.

For some people a visit from an honest caring tradesman can be a welcomed break in the monotony of their life.

 

[SUNRAY]

They are mostly often found in customer's homes drinking tea and munching biscuits.

For some people a visit from an honest caring tradesman can be a welcomed break in the monotony of their life.

That may sum it up nicely. I always try to be clear and describe issues in terms they understand, such as using the same terms they do such as fusebox etc. The Elderly and their mature offspring like to deal with mature contractors and offer such refreshments and chat, especially in rural situations and I've sometimes felt I've offended by refusing the hospitality.
A chat with another sparks once asked me how come I always seem to be offered tea and munchies... he is a gobby youngster, thinks he's gods gift and insists on using correct terms and corrects customer...

I think we all know people like that.