How do I wire up a 2 way rocker switch for outdoors

Just to clear things, are you simply replacing an indoor switch with an exterior switch? If so then simply connect the wires as before to com and the 1- way terminal. Chances are what you think is neutral is a switched live that should have been sleeved red. A photo of the existing switch and the innards of the junction box would help to give a definitive answer.

Richard

Thanks but no it is not a replacement but a new install, as we have just had electric put in the garage. As I'm not an electrician, I want to be sure where to put the wires in the new switch.

I did wonder if I had bought the wrong type of switch.

L1 L1 0===========0 0===========0============= Line | \ / | C 0================================O C \ / \ / 0===========0 0===========0============= Switch return L2 Optional L2 Intermediate

Have you an existing lighting circuit in the garage? If so a description plus some photos of the wiring in any rosettes or junction boxes would be helpful. If this lighting circuit is a complete new install then I would strongly recommend that you consult the uk.d-I-y wiki first as this could become a very long description.

Richard

OK just had a look on the B&Q website and cannot find one with the code numbers you have given, but if it is the Diall 1 gang 2 way 20A external single outdoor switch with the small neon at the top you can ignore the wires inside as they are only for the neon indicator.

Is it this;

Richard

Perhaps you could describe what you've had put in ...

Just a raw electricity supply? with or without a consumer unit?

A full installation with sockets and lights, but you're looking to add an outdoor switch to the existing light?

Something else?

OK this is rather hard to answer as there are a few two many variables here...

Firstly do you need a two way switch (two way switches are typically wired in pairs to allow a lamp to be switched from more than one position)?

If the answer to that is "no", then don't worry - you can still use the switch on its own to switch a lamp, you will just have a spare terminal on the switch you won't need.

Two way switches are just changeover switches. In one position they connect like:

ok take care here - if you actually have live and neutral, you really don't want to switch them together - at best you will trip a MCB / blow a fuse, and at worst knacker the switch.

I am not really able to make much sense of the description, so lets go from first principles...

First, go and look at this section:

If you just have lamp and a switch with a mains supply, the simplest way is to connect the neutral of the supply through to the lamp, and place the switch in the live wire. You can use a screw terminal (aka chocolate block) connector in the back box of the switch to join the neutrals.

Could you not deduce it by using a continuity tester of some sort? Brian