light switch

richardant · Post by **richardant** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:35 am

Have split my 2 sons room into 2 with a patition wall.
Want to now replace the one switch to a 2 switch so they can switch the light on to each room.
Cant figure out wiring, have replaced the switch but both lights are still coming on???from one switch.
Help.
When the room was as one room, there was one light switch to turn on 2 ceiling lights. what i want to do is to just still have the one light switch with 2 switches to turn the lights on independently.

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:56 am

Can you do a diagram of what you have done with the wiring as it is not immediately clear from the above post, or elaborate a little more?

richardant · Post by **richardant** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:27 pm

When the room was as one room, there was one light switch to turn on 2 ceiling lights. what i want to do is to just still have the one light switch with 2 switches to turn the lights on independently of each other.

Hinton Heating · Post by **Hinton Heating** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:30 pm

How many wires do you have behind the switch?

Where does the lighting circuit feed the lights?

You'll need a permanent live, and two switch lives from back of switch.

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:37 pm

This is not just a case of swapping over the light switch, you are going to have to alter the wiring in a couple of places.

What wires do you have at the light switch?

What wires do you have at each ceiling rose?

richardant · Post by **richardant** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:38 pm

I am no expert but there are 3 wires behind the switch plus the earth and 3 blue wires brought together. [/i]

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:41 pm

The three blue wires will be the neutrals.

The other three wires should be brown, two of these three wires should be together in one terminal, which is the permanent live- is this correct?

Hinton Heating · Post by **Hinton Heating** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:44 pm

Could you tell us exactly what you have.

what colours and how many cores & how many cables are behind the switch, and also at each light.

does each light have its own cable leading to the switch?

richardant · Post by **richardant** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:47 pm

yes 2 browns together at the bottom of switch and 1 at the top.

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 5:05 pm

Here is a quick diagram of what you have-

From this you may be able to work out what to do, if not just ask and I will be back in a while to explain

richardant · Post by **richardant** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 5:12 pm

So there is one wire feeding through to 2 lamps, so i cant put a 2 switch on to replace the original switch. I new it wouldnt be that simple.
Thanks for your help, at least i know why it would not work.

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 5:47 pm

In order for it to work you need to remove the wire that is inbetween the two light pendants, this will mean that now only one lamp will illuminate when switched on.

To make the other lamp light up you need to run a new cable between the second lamp and the switch, then connect the wires as follows-

The blue wire from the new cable goes into the connector strip along with the other 3 blue wires.

The brown wire for the new cable goes to the terminal marked L1

You need a small piece of brown wire to connect the two common terminals together, so that it creates a permanent live!

At the lamp and you simply connect the brown wire to Live and the Blue wire to neutral.

You can then switch both lamps on and off independantly of each other.

Ensure that any earth wires are sleeved with green and yellow sleeving and connect them to the earth terminals.

sparkydude · Post by **sparkydude** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:13 pm

All you need to do inorder to make this work is to replace the brown and blue cable that goes to your first light with a 3 core and earth cable, this will have brown grey and black in it and an earth. To conect it at the switch you will have to do as shown in the diagram chez drew. Link the brown over to the common of your second switch, where the brown for your old light was connect the brown from your 3 core to, this is your switched live to your first light, the grey which you should sleeve/tape with blue will become your neutral to the two lights connect this to the two remaining blues in the connector block. The black which you should sleeve/tape with brown will become the live to your second light. The twin cable that is existing between the first and second light can stay in place that is fine.At the first rose where you will have the three core and earth you have run in and the old twin and earth you would connect it as follows.
Black sleeved with brown and brown to second light would go in the LOOP terminal in the middle. Earths together and sleeved to the earth terminal.Blue and grey sleeved with blue to the neutral terminal. brown from 3 core to switched live of this light.

Hope this makes it easier to understand.

Nick

ban-all-sheds · Post by **ban-all-sheds** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:55 pm

Richard - there's nothing wrong with not knowing things, and being in a position of needing to learn.

You shouldn't assume that you can just make changes to wiring and automatically have all the knowledge you need.

Put this on your Christmas list:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0852028172