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

[RobH]

I bought a single outdoor switch 2 way 20AX from BnQ for a light in the garage. I want to put a switch by the door for the light and I am not sure how to connect the live and neutral wires.

On the back of the switch it has COM with a small single black wire going to another of the same from a single plastic junction thingy and a wire from 2 way going to the same single plastic junction thingy.

It also has 2 way and a way socket or square hole. Do I connect the live into 1 way and neutral into com.

Thanks

[Tricky Dicky]

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

[RobH]

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.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

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

[Tricky Dicky]

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

[Tricky Dicky]

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;

If not include the web page address of the correct switch in your next post

Richard

[Andy Burns]

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?

[John Rumm]

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:

and in the other:

So if you just want a regular on/off switch you use the COM terminal and either one of the others.

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:

Now each of those show ways in which a whole circuit is wired - i.e. several lamps and switches. In simple cases there may only be one switch and lamp, and hence there is no need for the added complexity of running a power feed onto the next lamp position.

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.

[Brian Gaff]

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