Discuss Adding aditional lighting to switch in the Electrical Wiring, Theories and Regulations area at ElectriciansForums.net

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dixie

Hi, I'm trying to change the double light switch at the top of my stairs to a 3 way switch (for lighting in attic). I thought it would just be a case of adding another cable to lights and swapping the original wires from old switch to new switch.

On the old socket:

Switch one = Bathroom (light controls fan)
Switch two = Hall

All neutral wires are together in a small joining box

The new faceplate im trying to put on has standard l1 l2 x 3
but also has 3 extra inputs.

Sorry im getting myself really confused now. I have pictures if anybody needs them.
 
Take a twin and earth to the loft light from switch. There are no extra connections just marked up differently. Commons are still commons. Connect up new switch leaving 3 switch empty. Now you have your new cable to loft light. Connect the brown into L1 and take a loop of cable from the second switch's common into switch 3 common to feed your loft light. The blue to the loft goes into the neutral connector block and obviously connect the earths together that is important. Hope that's helped a little bit.
 
Help: Adding aditional lighting to switch

Now i have ran into another problem. All switches working but when switch 2 is off, switch 3 doesn't work. Also i was wondering, due to the mass amount of wires and the sheer awkwardness of it. is it possible to have ie 4 brown wires into a connector box and have 1 brown wire coming from the other end.

ie, say l1 has 3 brown wires going into it, could i put they 3 wires into a joining box then have 1 brown wire coming from it so you only need to fiddle with 1 wire instead of 3. and the joining boxes could be hidden in the wall
 
Last edited by a moderator:
sounds like you've taken the feed to switch 3 from the wrong side of switch 2. and don't be so impatient. even us gods need to eat sometimes. LOL.:ciappa:
 
but is com 2 the permanent L or is the feed to sw2 on L1? that's how it looks in your pic. but can't be sure from a pic.
 
nothing like a bit of trial and error. red to red, black to black, blue to bits. LOL.
 
is it possible to have ie 4 brown wires into a connector box and have 1 brown wire coming from the other end.

ie, say l1 has 3 brown wires going into it, could i put they 3 wires into a joining box then have 1 brown wire coming from it so you only need to fiddle with 1 wire instead of 3. and the joining boxes could be hidden in the wall

 
I think a pullcord in the loft may have been easier. Feed to switch. Live connected to c and l1 to lights. Neutral connected through to light fitting.
 
thats the switch all connected properly now but is it possible to have ie 3 brown wires into a connector box and have 1 brown wire coming from the other end.

ie, say l1 has 3 brown wires going into it, could i put they 3 wires into a joining box then have 1 brown wire coming from it so you only need to fiddle with 1 wire instead of 3. and the joining boxes could be hidden in the wall
 
thats the switch all connected properly now but is it possible to have ie 3 brown wires into a connector box and have 1 brown wire coming from the other end.

ie, say l1 has 3 brown wires going into it, could i put they 3 wires into a joining box then have 1 brown wire coming from it so you only need to fiddle with 1 wire instead of 3. and the joining boxes could be hidden in the wall

You'd still have to link the commons together so that's more wire!
 
I have no space for a bigger backbox, the com wires arnt the problem, the backbox has 6 x twin&earth going into it.

1. Bathroom Light
2. Hall Light
3. Loft Light
4. Loft Ariel Socket
5. Bathroom fan
6. Mains wire
 

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