Hall & landing light switch puzzle

Jak · 2007-05-17T13:42:17+00:00

In my house, I have ceiling lights in the hall and landing. I haveremoved the 2 switches because they were connected as 1-way switchesand I want to set up 2-way switching.I think the necessary cables are already in place, because there aretwo T&E cables protruding from the wall in both the hall and thelanding. But I'm not sure how to connect the switches such that the2-way switching will occur. I have identified the T&E cable that acts as a normal switch for thelanding light when the red and black are touched together, and I haveidentified the one in the hall that does the same for the hall light.For clarity, let's refer to these below as the "1-way cables".I can't figure out how the other T&E cable should be used. I assume(though I'm not sure) that it goes from the landing light switchlocation down to the hall light switch location. I can't think whyelse there would be an extra cable protruding at each location.My volt meter reads no voltage across the red + black of the extracable protruding from the hall wall. Nor for the extra T&E protrudingfrom the landing wall (possibly the same cable).So I thought I could try using either the red or the black to connectthe 'common' terminals on each 2-way switch, and connect the red andthe black of each "1-way cable" to L1 and L2, on its respectiveswitch. But that didn't work.Can anyone provide a link to a likely wiring diagram I can try using -or simply explain, in words, how I should connect the 2 T&E cables ateach switch?Many thanks,Jak

May 17, 2007 24 Replies

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Jak 19 years ago

IT WORKS!! Thanks a million for that, Stuart! And also for the clear instructions. I could never have figured that one out on my own!

The only way I deviated from the layout was that I ended up putting the dual gang switch on the landing and the single in the hall. It seems to work out perfectly for my purposes that way. That way, I can turn the light on in the hall when I come home at night, go straight upstairs and switch the hall light off from the landing. I found that couldn't be done with the dual gang in the hall and a single upstairs.

Regards,

Jak

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Jak 19 years ago

Yes - Thanks for pointing out the final note on the page. If I notice any interference problems with electronic devices, I will flip the MCB on the lighting circuit and see if it stops.

Jak

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Lurch 19 years ago

On Fri, 18 May 2007 16:26:08 +0100, Jak mused:

Good stuff, glad I've been of some use to someone somewhere this Month.

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Lurch 19 years ago

On Fri, 18 May 2007 16:26:08 +0100, Jak mused:

Novel. If you look at it from the other way around you come in, switch the hall light on then when you're on your way upstairs you stick the landing light on and turn the hall light off. The landing light lights up the stairs and landing. Still works the same, it's a 60W lamp at one end or the other of the stairs at the end of the day.

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John Rumm 19 years ago

You are fairly unlikely to get any interference problems in a domestic environment, so I would not worry about it.

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