2 way swittching for multiple lamps

[cvhmanchester]

some very useful advice. However, I have a house with 3 landings with a 1 or 2 lamps on each level. I want to switch them all on/off at the same time for any landing. I assume that the switching can be done as recommended using 2-way and intermediate switches. But- is there a way to take a live/neutral supply to the lamp(s) from the switch at each level? Or do I have take a daisy chain supply to the lamps from the final switch on the stairwell?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I cant see a way to tap the right final arrangement at intermediate switches.

[John Rumm]

You can take the switched live feed from any switch position. So for example in this picture:

grey wire can be used from any switch position. However there is no neutral... So you would need to either run a switched feed and neutral from one location to all the lights on all the floors. Or split them into multiple two way switched zones. So the ground floor has switches for ground floor and first. The first has switches for ground first and second, and the second has switches for second and first.

[Jane]

Not ideal but you could use 3 core and tap in to the core used to the distant common/ switch wire or use a twin for the strappers with an additional twin for the common and the neutral, still not ideal.but this would give the capability to tap in.

[Jane]

Grey wire would not be continuous with intermediates in circuit on that set up

[John Rumm]

Indeed, which is why you would need to do the two pairs of two way switches... (if you use either strap wire when intermediate switches are present then you need to take all connections from the same point in the circuit or else you will likely end up with some lamps lighting mutually exclusively with others).

To do what the OP wants, I suspect he would need to go for something like:

all the lamps fed from a common point on a single circuit.

[cvhmanchester]

Thank you for the ideas. Most of the house lighting is wired with twin (no earth) so I am gradually rewiring anyway, and want to make it neat. John Rumm is partly right, but his schematic leads to a messy installation.

What seems appropriate will be to run 2 T&E cables in parallel from top to bottom. One T&E will carry the switched pair. The other T&E will carry the common and neutral, and I shall tap off from this at each ceiling level to the lights.

Does anyone know of a T&E made up of 2 brown sleaved conductors (instead of brown and blue)?

First frost of the year and I see from the roof that the aerial installer kicked the 300 mm insulation away in loft over the summer!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Swings and roundabouts. The beauty of using triple and earth as the switch circuit is easy identification over straps, and keeping everything neat with no extra joints needed. And no unused wires at either end of the switch circuit. It's how I'd do it.

Any decent wholesaler. Like TLC. That you don't know this exists suggests you haven't done much in the way of wiring - so I'd recommend you follow John's way of doing it.

[Tim Watts]

It exists - but is rare. I would suggest you ar ebetter off going for brown+blue as at least you can identify the conductors. Sleeve the blue with brown sleeve or tape (required) - this is full regs compliant.

They do that (not give a bollox about anything outside of their "zone" ... See thread re Adam's customer's plasters.

[John Rumm]

Its a schematic - you get to chose how to install it!

However there is no getting away from the the fact you will need a cable to every switch and one to every light, whatever schematic you use.

Which is in reality little different from what I drew - You would run a

3&E to each switch position, and a T&E from one convenient point on the circuit to all the lamps. You then have "standard" two way wiring for all the switch positions.

Its available but hardly ever used. Its also not ideal for this particular application where it helps to be able to identify which wire is which. Using normal T&E and over sleeving is probably better in this case.

[Jane]

Seems a good way to go. Twin red use to be widely available so I would expect twin brown to be likewise or use sleeving.

[John Rumm]