pole gangs

[George (dicegeorge)]

whats a pole and whats a gang?

one pole

two poles, but is 18p more expensive, whats the advantage??? whats the difference?

are they good buys??

george

[John Rumm]

has one pole

has two poles,

Poles refers to the switching. Single pole opens just the live leaving the neutral connected. Double pole isolates the appliance by opening both live and neutral.

As for gangs - that refers to the number of "facilities" provided on the accessory. In the case of a socket a "double" is two gang and a single is one gang and fit correspondingly named back boxes. However in the case of a light switch you would find that anything up to three gang (i.e. three individual switches in the same unit) still only occupy the space of a single back box - 4 or more gang usually requires a double back box.

Poles - I always buy double... the pros and cons however are minor if your house wiring is ok. If it has reversed wiring at any sockets then double pole is preferable!

SP gives you functional switching but not true isolation, DP (usually - assuming the contact separation is big enough) does both.

They are cheap certainly - vut may not be particularly nice to wire. I suggest something like TLCs "ultimate" range. These are my sockets of choice now - well made, look smart, and very nice to wire. Not too expensive either (although not 81p either).

[Andy Champ]

has one pole

has two poles,

A Pole gang is a criminal group of Eastern Europ... no... wait...

A single pole switch will only switch the live, a double pole will disconnect the neutral as well. You almost certainly don't need it.

A two gang switch is just two switches in one unit.

Andy

[Roly]

A one pole switch only has a contact at one end. It's either on or off. A two pole switch has a contact at either position, so it can make one circuit with the switch up and a different one with the switch down. This is what's needed for landing light switches where one lamp is controlled by a switch upstairs or a downstairs switch.

A 2 gang switch has two separate switches that are operated by one lever. Typically a 2 gang switch will allow both the live and neutral connections to be simultaneously broken when it's operated. You could have a 2 gang 1 pole switch or a 2 gang 2 pole switch.

[Roly]

Ignore that - I've just realised that I'm giving an answer that will confuse you. I was thinking of switches used in electronics rather than electrical installations.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Most sockets and all FCUs are now double pole. Someone somewhere obviously thinks you do.

[The Medway Handyman]

I think thats called one way or two way.

Why can't electricians speak normal English? Why do they call bulbs 'lamps'?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

No - that's a single pole double throw (or changeover) type. Two-way when applied to lighting. Poles are, err, poles apart. ;-)

[ARWadworth]

You go to a garden centre to buy bulbs.

Adam

[Clot]

Now there's a bright, neigh, brilliant idea.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "ARWadworth" saying something like:

I most certainly dont; I abhor gardening.

[John]

A lamp may not be a bulb - it could be a strip or a tube.

[m1ss_wh1te]

Cos gardeners don't plant lamps! Silly.

[Man at B&Q]

And you were still wrong! A pole is a pole, whether electrical or electronic.

[mark.hannah]

And here was me thinking that this was going to be a discussion about cheap foreign labour!

Mark.

[sm_jamieson]

Rory's description is strictly correct, but I think electricians use the language their own way ! The whole point of a "gang" was that they all moved together ! Simon.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

That's *ganged*. 'Gang' refers to to individual units mounted on the same plate. Dunno why.

[Andy Champ]

Really? Someone hasn't thought through what happens when the live half of the switch sticks, and there is then live all through the system as far as the still-working neutral. (on a single pole switch you realise 'cos the darn thing doesn't turn off!)

Andy