2 lights into one

colin_dickson · Post by **colin_dickson** » Wed Feb 19, 2025 1:18 pm

See attached image of lighting layout.

I'd like to combine those two lights into just on light in the middle of the stair case - how do I do that please?

I have access to all the wiring in the loft.

: Lights.png (38.13 KiB) Viewed 1769 times

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Wed Feb 19, 2025 4:06 pm

Maybe its me, but I don't understand your drawing.
To have two lights come on at the same time, you connect one light to the other.

colin_dickson · Post by **colin_dickson** » Wed Feb 19, 2025 4:17 pm

there are currently two lights controlled by 3-way switches at the moment.

what I want to do is remove them both and install a new one in the middle of the landing and thought it may just be as simples as joining them together in the loft and still controlled by the 3-way switch?

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Wed Feb 19, 2025 4:51 pm

Do both lights come on at the same time?

Neelix · Post by **Neelix** » Wed Feb 19, 2025 5:01 pm

The only question I would raise is how accessible will this new light position be ?

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Wed Feb 19, 2025 5:56 pm

colin_dickson wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 4:17 pmthe 3-way switch?

What do you mean by that?

Here in the UK, there is no such thing as a 3 way switch.
The number of "buttons" on a switch is called gang.
So a switch with one button is called a one gang switch
A switch with two buttons is called a two gang switch

Here comes the fun part:

If you have a switch that operates just one light say a bedroom, you would use a one gang one way switch.
If you have one light, on a landing, you would have a switch at the top of the landing and one at the bottom, in the hall. Both switches can operate the same light. These switches can be one gang, but to both operate the same light they would need to be two way.

A one way light switch has two terminals, one at the top, one at the bottom
A two way light switch has threee terminals. One at the top and two at the bottom

There is no such thing as a three way switch.

If you had a long staircase with a landing half way, and a switch too (as well as at the top and bottom) you would need an intermediate switch. an intermediate switch has four terminals.

To save production costs, a three gang switch will be three two way switches, side by side, or the middle one upside down in relation to the others.

But still no such thing as a three way switch.

Welcome to the world of UK switches.

ericmark · Post by **ericmark** » Thu Feb 20, 2025 2:00 am

But my cooker has a 12 way switch, to select how the oven works, so to have a three-way switch so you can select red, amber or green is possible. The two-way switch allows the current to go in one of two ways.

As to a reversing switch, change over switch, or intermediate switch, they are all basic the same thing.

It is likely one lamp is the master and the other a slave, and using lighting junction boxes, it should be easy enough to remove wires from a ceiling rose, and move into a junction box, and take a new wire to a new lamp. Sorry but in new place how will you change the bulbs?

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Thu Feb 20, 2025 10:20 am

I had a CB radio that had a 40 way switch, you are just being pedantic.

ericmark · Post by **ericmark** » Thu Feb 20, 2025 11:47 am

Yes being pedantic, but so were you, I am sure you knew what he mean.

However, I remember putting up a lovely chandelier over the stairs in a house, with a scaffold to reach it, and wondered how they would change the bulbs, as no set up for lowering it down.

My wife wanted this

: lamp-landing_1.jpg (104.46 KiB) Viewed 1707 times

putting up, and I said no, too dangerous hanging over stairs, so she got our son to do it, god knows how I will change bulbs when they fail.

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Thu Feb 20, 2025 11:51 am

I was not being pedantic at all. I just pointed out and explained (In detail) the error of the OP saying he had a 3 way switch.

colin_dickson · Post by **colin_dickson** » Thu Feb 20, 2025 1:49 pm

Ok, let me clarify.

The drawing I attached clearly states 3-way and this is a newbuild electrical drawing built in 2024 - my terminology may be incorrect but the drawing clearly shows what I was talking about.

Yes the two lights come on at the same time on both landing switches.

So essentially I can just junction box one of them and move the other to the centre.

In terms of accessibility I think I could manage but I'll sharp find out when I come to hang the sodding thing - just to add this isn't my idea, it's the bosses!!

stevei · Post by **stevei** » Thu Feb 20, 2025 2:15 pm

I guess from your plan that there is a handrail on both sides of the staircase opening, with spindles at 100mm centres. If so, you should be able to make a working platform to span the gap from either side. That will sort out the access problem for fitting the light and future work on it.
As above, you can't get a three way switch but you can get three way switching, i.e. using three switches to operate the light/lights.

OnlyMe · Post by **OnlyMe** » Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:03 pm

colin_dickson wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 1:49 pm
So essentially I can just junction box one of them and move the other to the centre.

YES. Or more likely one light is fed from the other so split the circuit there and extent the cable from the first light.

BTW your electrical drawing made perfect sense.