What outdoor switch

[Tim Watts]

+1

Sometimes I do - but only when I have a dodgy terminal and small cores that seem to slip up the side of the screw.

[charles]

you are definitely right about that.

[Terry Casey]

In your picture, the live is in L1 and the neon is in L2. That isn't conventional because the neon will opnly come on when the light is off.

However, if you put it back that way it could be useful because it will make it very easy to find the switch in the dark!

[Andy Burns]

Surely that's the way it's intended? In the dark the neon shows you where the switch is ...

[John Rumm]

Yup, that's the way its suppose to work...

(and if you think about it, in most cases where there is no neutral available at the switch position, about the only way it could work)

[Terry Casey]

Fair enough, in this case, where it is controlling a light but I've usually come across them where there is no visual indication that the power has been switched on to an immersion heater, for example, to remind you so that, hopefully, you'll remember to turn it off when you don't need it.

[John Rumm]

That kind of switch is usually double pole and you have access to a neutral, so its easy enough to have it light when on. For a light switch which only has a lice and switched live, then best you can do is use the switched live (when the switch is open) as a neutral reference seen through the lamp. Once you close the switch you lose your voltage differential, and the lamp goes out.

[Terry Casey]

Yes, obvious when you think about it! Thanks for putting me straight!

[Jim K..]

Mmmm is this another Xmas panto I wonder?

(And how many posts before NT "starts to suspect"? ;-) )