Probably asking for abuse, but advice on light switch wiring

ultimatenonhandyman · Post by **ultimatenonhandyman** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 6:13 pm

Is it okay to simply take the red wire and black and just loosely put them in to the relevant sockets (red in to the top one, black in to the bottom left) or is this thread then likely to be used as evidence when I get sued for burning down my rental house?

arco_iris · Post by **arco_iris** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:19 pm

Why, haven't you got a screwdriver? Takes seconds to nip the screws up.

Anyway, leaving the wires loose will cause arcing, then your house might burn down..........

ultimatenonhandyman · Post by **ultimatenonhandyman** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:23 pm

Thanks.What I meant is loosely put the wires in the holes and then screw the plate thing back in. The switch snapped off on the old one so I bought a replacement from Wilko but I took the broken one apart and no idea where everything went. The two wires were secured by a small metal bit that screwed in in the broken switch.

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:46 pm

As arco_iris said, you must do the screws up. (After you put the wires into the terminals) If you don't have a terminal screwdriver, ask a neighbour or get one tomorrow.
If you don't tighten the wires up they will arc which will burn out the switch and may cause a fire.
You don't need the old switch, so you don't have to worry about it.

fin · Post by **fin** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:55 pm

wow... go to toolstation and get an insulated terminal driver for a couplea quid that is the appropriate size for the terminals..... one size fits the smaller terminals on light switches and one size fits socket terminals.... i forget what the sizes are though... toolstation will help.

also if you just loosely put them in they might simply pop out before youve got the switch screwed back

Scotty001 · Post by **Scotty001** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:43 pm

Just to re iterate what everyone else has said NO it is not alright to just put the wires lossley into the terminal port the fix the plate to the wall again.

You need to tighten the terminal screws down. You can pick up the correct screwdriver from screwfix or tool station for £4 and under. Worst case scenario Aldi, lidl, poundshop will often have screwdriver sets with the right size in them (but not Lilley to be insulated)

Would you loosely fit wheels to your car and not do the wheel nuts up?

kellys_eye · Post by **kellys_eye** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:58 pm

You want a 4mm flat blade terminal screwdriver. The screws are located at 1 and 2 (see pic below). Loosen the screw until the wire can fit right into the hole and then tighten until the wire is secure (pull on it to make sure it doesn't come out).

Red wire (or black - doesn't matter) in hole 1, the other wire (red or black) in hole 2. The green (earth) should connect to a separate terminal inside the backbox but since yours is plastic and I see it terminated in a chocbloc just leave it as-is.

Try the light switch. If the switch operates 'upside down' just flip it over (you'd normally move the wire to the adjacent hole but that is probably too much extra work for you).

: Image1.jpg (54.56 KiB) Viewed 1480 times

ultimatenonhandyman · Post by **ultimatenonhandyman** » Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:37 am

Thanks everyone. I have a million different screwdrivers already.

ultimatenonhandyman · Post by **ultimatenonhandyman** » Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:38 am

kellys_eye wrote: ↑Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:58 pm You want a 4mm flat blade terminal screwdriver. The screws are located at 1 and 2 (see pic below). Loosen the screw until the wire can fit right into the hole and then tighten until the wire is secure (pull on it to make sure it doesn't come out).

Red wire (or black - doesn't matter) in hole 1, the other wire (red or black) in hole 2. The green (earth) should connect to a separate terminal inside the backbox but since yours is plastic and I see it terminated in a chocbloc just leave it as-is.

Try the light switch. If the switch operates 'upside down' just flip it over (you'd normally move the wire to the adjacent hole but that is probably too much extra work for you).

Image1.jpg

Thanks, mate, super helpful.

ultimatenonhandyman · Post by **ultimatenonhandyman** » Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:53 am

Success! I feel like Frasier after fixing his toilet

Thanks again, all, but especially Kellys_eye