Landing light switch

[Apey1980]

So one switch switched the landing light, what did the other one do?

And was there a small jumper wire anywhere on the old switch? Maybe it's still there if you have the old switch?

Sorry for all the questions lol

The downstairs light :/ no white wire and it's fine. We appreciate your help

 

[pete01]

Could you show us the connections in the other switch?

Don't disconnect it.

 

[pete01]

My best guess would be...

From the 3 core..red to common, yellow to L1, blue to L2.

The twin red...one red in L1 with yellow the other red in L2 with blue.

A link from L1 to the opposition com and the grey sheathed red into L1 on the other switch.

Failing that it's a half hour job for a sparky

 

[SUNRAY]

My best guess would be...

From the 3 core..red to common, yellow to L1, blue to L2.

The twin red...one red in L1 with yellow the other red in L2 with blue.

A link from L1 to the opposition com and the grey sheathed red into L1 on the other switch.

Failing that it's a half hour job for a sparky

Although a very feasible solution, that is an awful lot of guessing.

 

[pete01]

Although a very feasible solution, that is an awful lot of guessing.

I know I obviously wasn't asking the right questions.

Maybe an electrician needed, what do you think?

 

[Apey1980]

I know I obviously wasn't asking the right questions.

Maybe an electrician needed, what do you think?

We've accepted defeat

 

[pete01]

We've accepted defeat

Haha fair enough, easy job for an electrician

 

[SUNRAY]

We've accepted defeat

But you haven't sent a pic of the other 2way switch wiring yet.

 

[ericmark]

This shows what is likely, what you need to confirm is if the guess is correct. So what have you got to test with?

 

[FrodoOne]

View attachment 377311 This shows what is likely, what you need to confirm is if the guess is correct. So what have you got to test with?

From the two Red wires circled - coming from a cable which also contains an Earth conductor -
is it that, in the UK, Twin and Earth cables - with two Red insulated conductors and a Ground conductor - are/were available
for "Switch Loops" used for Lighting - to avoid re-designating Black (or Blue) insulated conductors?

I ask because here a similar cable for that purpose would have one Red and one White insulated conductor,
to differentiate between Line and Switched Line.

 

[ericmark]

In the UK, we did have twin reds and earth, but when we went to new colours this seemed to stop.

 

[pete01]

In the UK, we did have twin reds and earth, but when we went to new colours this seemed to stop.

No I've used twin brown a few times.

 

[ericmark]

OK, just not seen twin brown, but does seem likely the twin red goes to light and is the switch wires, and the red, yellow, blue goes to other two-way switch, but no idea about the single red, if that is what I am looking at?

 

[pete01]

OK, just not seen twin brown, but does seem likely the twin red goes to light and is the switch wires, and the red, yellow, blue goes to other two-way switch, but no idea about the single red, if that is what I am looking at?

Yes I assumed it fed another light, loft light maybe, I'm.just guessing obviously.

 

[ericmark]

I like most retired electricians have meters to test and without them, I would be lost. Be it a volt pen, neon screwdriver, or full test kit, so test gear is required.

If it were me, I would take a chance, with a switch labelled com, L1, L2, I would put the pair of reds in L1, and L2, I would look at the other switch of the pair, and see which wire goes to com, be it red, yellow, or blue, and same colour into new two-way switch, and the remaining two into L1 and L2. I would put odd wire into a connector block, and power up and see what works.

I will suspect we will find something not working with the single not connected, and likely will need to test which of the two reds in L1 and L2 is always line, and link to second switch com, and the single red into L1, but that is stage 2.

However, what would help is how wired before the switch was removed.