Obscure Light Switch Wiring

[robl82]

When the lights are on does the other switch work...but only when the first switch is on?

Nope, as currently wired the second switch literally does nothing at all. (And I have checked around the house for other functions)

 

[terryplumb]

Seems odd that one switch doesn't supply anything. Do you have any light fittings that don't work, wall lights,external lights, cupboard lighting ,loft ??

 

[robl82]

Seems odd that one switch doesn't supply anything. Do you have any light fittings that don't work, wall lights,external lights, cupboard lighting ,loft ??

This was what confused me. I have checked and there's nothing that functions (or doesn't) when the second switch is operated.

If the lights are linked, then why would you bother wiring in this 2 gang switch, rather than just stick a single gang in there.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

This was what confused me. I have checked and there's nothing that functions (or doesn't) when the second switch is operated.

If the lights are linked, then why would you bother wiring in this 2 gang switch, rather than just stick a single gang in there.

Are there any lights, outdoors, which work, or otherwise?

 

[terryplumb]

Show us pictures of the wiring at both light fittings

 

[333rocky333]

I'm not sure its possible to wire the 3 cables as they are and work as you describe if there was 2 switchlines for your 2 lights.
Yes you could wire it wrong to get 1 switch doing both lights on/off as normal but the second switch would always turn off 1 light whilst the first switch is on, which you say is not happening.
Firstly mark cables so you know what's what.
Then do as opps suggested find the live, then simply connect each of the other reds 1 at a time to see what they do.
Could the second switch be for an external light.

To be honest I'd be tempted to isolate and remove 1 neutral at a time from the wago, to see if it does do each light , hence locating its paired Red that way

 

[robl82]

Show us pictures of the wiring at both light fittings

Will do.

 

[Murdochcat]

Switch the light on and then see if using the 2nd switch does anything

 

[pete01]

Switch the light on and then see if using the 2nd switch does anything

Already asked that he said no.

 

[333rocky333]

There's also a possibility there was wall lights at one time, also look for 2 amp sockets at low level sometimes installed for table lamps

 

[ebee]

If that was right would the other switch not work when the main switch is on?

Yes I am aware of that but trying to keep the steps simple for the OP in order to get some basic switching sorted out by finding the permanent L then finding what the switchwires do without asking for too much confusing info at this stage from an ordinary person.
Sometimes people tell us tgat something does/does not have any effect because they have not switched it/not realised and just tell us the result of what they have envisaged.
A bit like when I told someone to put a "known good lamp into the lampholder" to test the lampholder works in order to avoid my call out fee. They got a "brand new bulb out of the packet" and it did not work because the lamp (bulb) was faulty. That simple step could have avoided my call out.
Sometimes, trying something a little bit at a time reveals an answer .

 

[RandomGrinch]

Yes I am aware of that but trying to keep the steps simple for the OP in order to get some basic switching sorted out by finding the permanent L then finding what the switchwires do without asking for too much confusing info at this stage from an ordinary person.

The OPs answers may have been a little ambiguous - but if one switch turns both lights on, and then, with both lights on, the other switch (when pressed), has no effect; the lights must be linked - every logical combination with three wires has been tried.
You can't get much simpler than that

 

[ebee]

Yesi know but sometimes people miss things, im not suggesting tgat the OP had missed something but I wanted to keep it to simple steps. What seems like simple things to notice to you and I sometimes gets missed by an ordinary person, just in the same way that we could miss someting to do with accountancy, the law, medicine, engineeering, joinery, plumbing and heating , etc etc.

 

[RandomGrinch]

I wanted to keep it to simple steps. What seems like simple things to notice to you and I sometimes gets missed by an ordinary person

Yes, agreed.
But to a non-electrician, is...

Just from looking only.
It might be that the conductor now connected to either L11 or L22 is in fact permanent L and should be goint to one of those com's the other two are L11 and L22 respectively

really simpler than...

Switch the light on and then see if using the 2nd switch does anything

We all need to be clearer with our descriptions sometimes.
Many of the answers on this thread have described our troubleshooting steps, without the logic behind them - including the logic can be helpful, in allowing an OP to see where we're going with our questions.

Perhaps an answer could be -

You have three red wires.
If the lights were separate, one wire would be the permanent live, and the other two would provide power to the individual lights.
If the red wire currently going to COM was the permanent live, then both switches would turn on/off their respective lights correctly.
If, mistakenly, the permanent live was going to L21, then the light connected to right hand switch, would only turn on if the the left hand switch was also on.
Conversely, the opposite would be true if the permanent live was connected to L11.

If both lights turn on via one switch, and one of the lights doesn't turn off by the other, then there can only be two conclusions:
The lights are linked and the second red wire goes elsewhere.
Or, the switch has been wired incorrectly and one of the switches is broken with the contacts permanently fused.

I'm sure others could post a far better description!

 

[ebee]

Yes you are absolutely right in what you have said and the OP may wellhaveunderstood it