Urgent Help Required With Wiring Light Switch!
Discussion
Hey guys,
I'm in need of some help - I've cocked up! On my landing there are two light switches, one at either end. One is a two gang switch (one switch for the landing light and one for the bathroom) and the other is a single switch just for the landing light. I wanted to replace the two gang switch with a single switch to control just the bathroom light, and leave the other switch on the landing to control the landing light. So...I took off the two gang switch and basically wired the bathroom side of the wiring into the new switch, and connector blocked the other wires in the groups they'd been in in the old switch (still with me?). This has resulted in everything working as I want - the double switch replaced with a single (controlling just the bathroom lights) and the other switch on the landing controlling the landing light.
HOWEVER! My ensuite bathrooms lights now don't work! The ensuite is a couple of rooms away from the switch that I messed with which confuses me, but I can't see anything else that could have stopped the ensuite lights working and I doubt it's a coincidence! I took a picture before I messed with the double switch, so I was wondering if anyone could look at the before and after pictures below and give me an idea of why my ensuite lights now aren't working?! Any help would be brilliant!!
Dom
Before
After
I'm in need of some help - I've cocked up! On my landing there are two light switches, one at either end. One is a two gang switch (one switch for the landing light and one for the bathroom) and the other is a single switch just for the landing light. I wanted to replace the two gang switch with a single switch to control just the bathroom light, and leave the other switch on the landing to control the landing light. So...I took off the two gang switch and basically wired the bathroom side of the wiring into the new switch, and connector blocked the other wires in the groups they'd been in in the old switch (still with me?). This has resulted in everything working as I want - the double switch replaced with a single (controlling just the bathroom lights) and the other switch on the landing controlling the landing light.
HOWEVER! My ensuite bathrooms lights now don't work! The ensuite is a couple of rooms away from the switch that I messed with which confuses me, but I can't see anything else that could have stopped the ensuite lights working and I doubt it's a coincidence! I took a picture before I messed with the double switch, so I was wondering if anyone could look at the before and after pictures below and give me an idea of why my ensuite lights now aren't working?! Any help would be brilliant!!
Dom
Before
After
On the old switch , where there are 3 cables in one terminal ...these cables are all feeds ( permanent lives ) , one of the cable links over to the other side of the switch ( 2 cables in that terminal ) , .these cables should all be constant feeds , If you have any of these mixed up it would cause you to lose a feed elsewhere on the circuit .
Try toggling the switches to different configurations and see if the ensuite light works , if it does then something's mixed up.
If you do mix things up your prob gonna need some test lamps to solve this one .
Try toggling the switches to different configurations and see if the ensuite light works , if it does then something's mixed up.
If you do mix things up your prob gonna need some test lamps to solve this one .
Also don't think what your trying to do will work as the switch wire and neutral for the landing light are at the end you are connector blocking .
What you need to do is , find a constant feed and find the switch wire which goes to the light ( at the blocked side)
Making these 2 wires should bring on the hall light , so all your really wanting to do is basically extend these cables to the other switch using 2 of the 3 cables which should go over there.
Find your feed , find your switch wire , connect both separately onto old passwires , bang one into Com and one into L1.
Sorted.
Edit - if ensuite still doesn't work make sure you have not budged a neutral out of any block at the back of the box.
What you need to do is , find a constant feed and find the switch wire which goes to the light ( at the blocked side)
Making these 2 wires should bring on the hall light , so all your really wanting to do is basically extend these cables to the other switch using 2 of the 3 cables which should go over there.
Find your feed , find your switch wire , connect both separately onto old passwires , bang one into Com and one into L1.
Sorted.
Edit - if ensuite still doesn't work make sure you have not budged a neutral out of any block at the back of the box.
Jamster123 said:
Also don't think what your trying to do will work as the switch wire and neutral for the landing light are at the end you are connector blocking .
I was thinking that, yet the OP says the landing light works - I can't get my head around how!The number of wires in that box is insane!
Deva Link said:
I was thinking that, yet the OP says the landing light works - I can't get my head around how!
The number of wires in that box is insane!
Thanks guys - gives me more of an idea of what to look for. But yeah that's what's confusing me - everything is now working as I wanted it to (landing light and bathroom light), aside from the ensuite lights! The only other possible bit of info is that the remaining landing light switch seems to be upside down (up is on and down is off) though I can't remember if it was like this before, may well have been!The number of wires in that box is insane!
Dom
It’s a nightmare assuming anything viewing these pics, but the red that goes out of the box from the red/red/blue that are together in the first picture would appear to be the live feed for your en-suite lights. As Jamster suggests you may have mixed that red with another when you moved it to the connector block.
If not then have you rechecked the connections – that red I mentioned, you haven’t done something daft like screwed into the insulation have you?
If not then have you rechecked the connections – that red I mentioned, you haven’t done something daft like screwed into the insulation have you?
K77 CTR said:
Stating the obvious, the bulb hasn't blown in the bathroom 
There's a number of ceiling lights and an extractor fan - I redid all the wiring to see if that helped, and also checked the bulbs but no luck!Deva Link said:
It’s a nightmare assuming anything viewing these pics, but the red that goes out of the box from the red/red/blue that are together in the first picture would appear to be the live feed for your en-suite lights. As Jamster suggests you may have mixed that red with another when you moved it to the connector block.
If not then have you rechecked the connections – that red I mentioned, you haven’t done something daft like screwed into the insulation have you?
That's really helpful, thanks a lot! I did check the connections but I'll double check them - will report back in the morning!If not then have you rechecked the connections – that red I mentioned, you haven’t done something daft like screwed into the insulation have you?
Thanks all!
Dom
Did you make any changes to the wiring of the remaining switch which controls the landing light?
If not, then I think you must have made a wiring error as simply removing one 2-way switch from the circuit and not modifying the wiring would mean it couldn't work - both 2-way switches are needed to complete the circuit.
See: http://www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:two_...
If not, then I think you must have made a wiring error as simply removing one 2-way switch from the circuit and not modifying the wiring would mean it couldn't work - both 2-way switches are needed to complete the circuit.
See: http://www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:two_...
Deva Link said:
Did you make any changes to the wiring of the remaining switch which controls the landing light?
If not, then I think you must have made a wiring error as simply removing one 2-way switch from the circuit and not modifying the wiring would mean it couldn't work - both 2-way switches are needed to complete the circuit.
See: http://www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:two_...
Nope, I didn't touch the other switch! Before I touched anything though, the single switch would only control the landing light if the double switch (in the pictures) was in a certain position (on or off, I can't remember which). So basically one of the landing switches (the one I'm using now) previously only worked if the other one was off (or on, can't remember) but now works as it should!If not, then I think you must have made a wiring error as simply removing one 2-way switch from the circuit and not modifying the wiring would mean it couldn't work - both 2-way switches are needed to complete the circuit.
See: http://www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:two_...
Dom
Deva Link said:
My head just exploded. So the wiring was wrong before you even started!
It does sound like there was something fishy with the wiring prior to the change. I'll take a guess that the bathroom is taken off a switched live on the landing light that is no longer being switched and is now no longer live at all.Holy jesus christ on bicycle ffs that box and wiring is mental.
Im normally pretty good with electrics and can solve most problems,but that ? Not a chance.
It's highly likely the feeds for your ensuite are in those blocks you added,you will have to find them.
Work backwards with the old switch to identify the ensuite wires.
Stuffs gonna blow up lol
eta: At some point doing this add an extra earth from switch to back of the box.I can see an earth at the back box,play it safe(er) with metal switches.
Im normally pretty good with electrics and can solve most problems,but that ? Not a chance.
It's highly likely the feeds for your ensuite are in those blocks you added,you will have to find them.
Work backwards with the old switch to identify the ensuite wires.
Stuffs gonna blow up lol
eta: At some point doing this add an extra earth from switch to back of the box.I can see an earth at the back box,play it safe(er) with metal switches.
Edited by Panda76 on Thursday 13th September 14:29
Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated - I hasten to add that I didnt do the original wiring! Well Ive put the old swith back on and wire exactly as it was, but the ensuite lights still aren't working! Starting to wonder of them stopping working was a coincidence after all!
Zeemax_Mini said:
Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated - I hasten to add that I didnt do the original wiring! Well Ive put the old swith back on and wire exactly as it was, but the ensuite lights still aren't working! Starting to wonder of them stopping working was a coincidence after all!
It's possible that you've pulled a wire on the end you've been working on and it's pulled out of the terminal at the other end.
Quick update, I've been testing with the metre. Ive wasted 2 days. It was the ensuite switch that I'd wired wrong. I'm a bell end.
Thank you so much to everyone - though wasted this time, the help available on PH never fails to amaze me and has saved me so much time and money over the years! Now to relay the loft insulation, refit the attic floors, sort out some grommets and earths on that box and then get back to what I was trying to do in the first place - replace one light fitting.
Dom
Thank you so much to everyone - though wasted this time, the help available on PH never fails to amaze me and has saved me so much time and money over the years! Now to relay the loft insulation, refit the attic floors, sort out some grommets and earths on that box and then get back to what I was trying to do in the first place - replace one light fitting.
Dom
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