Removing a double switch from the wall.

[Russell_Crowbar]

Good evening,

I'm looking into the possibility of removing a double switch from the wall. Advice would be great!

The light feeds the 6 downlights seen in attached photo as well as that lonely light attached. It's the lonely light I want to remove entirely, and the switch for the downlights I want to remove, therein making the switch useless.

So, question 1:

Can I remove at least the lonely light? I can't get under floor boards to look at it as it's in a porch extension with a flat felt roof above. Completing this step would then make it a single switch just powering the downlights.

There is only 1 wire I can see from the light fitting, but as I said I can't see from above and don't want to smash through the ceiling if necessary.

If it's easy as presto, am I just disconnecting the switch wire and that will remove all power from the light? Then remove it from the wall.

Question 2:

Can I remove the switch for the downlights (also powered from elsewhere)? I suppose removing the switch isn't the issue, it's the live wire sitting in the wall after the the switches have gone.

Looking at the photo, there are 3 wires coming off 2 of the downlights. That's going to be switches from the 2 wall switches, correct? So removing (the right) one stops the power from that switch.

So, summary:

Ideally take the entire switch box out, having removed the feeds to the 2 lights and leaving the feed / loop in the wall. If not, just take out the lonely light entirely leaving a single switch.

If this sounds up Cowboy avenue, take solace in me asking here rather than just doing - I'm trying to not be a Cowboy!

Cheers.

[Someone-Else]

From your pictures it is not possible to tell how it was wired, normally your down lights would only have two cables, not three. It may be that that was the case and the lights on the right were added later? who knows, but if that was the case they should have been looped from one to the other. (Unless joists in the way? but looping would still be easier)

Your switch also seems to have the wrong number of cables, (One is a 3 core and earth, one is a twin and earth, but here are two blacks, so where did the 2nd black come from?)

I am sorry to say but I would suggest you get a competent person to look at the job, or an electrician to re wire the lighting for you.

Then again, I may have overlooked something, so wait and see what other views are.

[arco_iris]

As S-E says, more or less, the bottom grey cable to the (lower) switch in the last picture has red, yellow & blue - this is an indication of pre-2004 two way switching for whichever light(s) that switch operates. Where's the other switch, for which light(s)?

The (upper, as pictured) switch has two reds, and two blacks connected in a separate block. This indicates that it's switched on the supply side, not a loop - and that the two switches do not share a feed.

A bit odd that, needs more info.

[OnlyMe]

As already mentioned it needs more info. Which light switch switches which lights and which one of them is 2 wayed with another switch? Photo of the back of other switch that operates the downlighters?