Wiring a bathroom pull-cord light switch

[Al Deveron]

Advice needed...

I have this bathroom light switch which has three connections: S1, S2 and COM.

My ohm meter shows that when the light switch cord is pulled, a connection is made between COM and S1. When you pull the cord again, it changes to a connection between COM and S2. Pull it again and it goes back to a connection between COM and S1.

The cable from the mains has a red a black and a bare copper earth. The cable to the light is the same type.

What is the correct way to wire up the switch?

Thank you.

Al Deveron

[Andy Wade]

You're saying that the mains feed comes into the switch first? In that case you want

- Red (L) feed to COM

- Red (L) light to either S1 or S2

It doesn't actually matter which way round the reds go, so long as one goes to COM and the other to S1 or S2. Then

- 2 x Black (N) connected together in a small terminal block or an in-line insulated crimp connector; ensure that this cannot short to L or E; insulate with heatshrink sleeving if necessary

- 2 x Earth sleeved in green/yellow and connected together in the earth terminal provided in the mounting pattress (or with a terminal block or in-line crimp if no earth terminal is present).

I assume the wiring is existing; if new you should be using the new colours where L is brown and N is blue.

[Guy King]

The message from Al Deveron contains these words:

Red and black to Com and S1 respectively, bare wire sleeved with green/yellow sleeving and taken to the earth terminal in the backbox, if there is one - which there should be.

[Al Deveron]

Yes; that's the way I'm planning to do it.

That's it! Thank you kindly for the help.

Al D

[John Rumm]

There is some possibility for confusion here...!

If you really do mean that the mains feed comes to the switch position - i.e. there is a cable in and another out to the light, then Andy gave you the correct wiring.

If however you only have one cable into the switch position, then there is also the possibility that you are in fact looking at a switch wire from a "loop in" wiring arangement. Here the mains in will go the ceiling rose (or light fitting), another mains out may run to the next light in another room, and there will be a switch wire that runs to the switch. If that is the case, then you need Guy's wiring.

That depends! ;-)

[David Hansen]

On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:27:20 +0100 someone who may be Guy King wrote this:-

That is assuming there is only one cable coming into the switch, from a ceiling rose or junction box. What the OP has outlined is a supply cable coming into the switch and another cable then being run to the lamp.

[Guy King]

The message from David Hansen contains these words:

That wasn't how I read it, I missed the bit about the second cable.

[David Hansen]

On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 22:25:26 +0100 someone who may be Guy King wrote this:-

Looking at the times of the postings on the server I don't think the clarification had been made when you posted, but it had been when I did. I should perhaps have pointed this out in my posting, but didn't notice it.