outside light???

2

21up

New Member
Hi all
been looking at posts (some intelegent people on here,hope you can help.
I have 2 way switch for upstairs and downstairs need to swap downstairs 2 way for 3 way to use extra switch for outside light.
Could you please xplain how to wire it for outside (or any simpler way or any alternative).
All help appreciated in laymans terms please
thanks in advance Peter
 
Hi 21up

Single up to the rescue :)

No probs. You will need a 20A junction box with four terminals. Connect a 1.5mm T&E wire to nearest ceiling rose, red to loop, black to neutral, earth to earth (ashes to ashes, dust to dust :()....no seriously. Connect the wire from the ceiling rose to the junction box; red to one terminal, this will be your live feed to outside light, black to another terminal and cpc (earth) to another terminal leaving one spare. Take another 1.5mm T&E to your new 3 gang switch. Connect the red to the COMMON on the switch that you wish to use for your light. Put some red insulation tape around the black and connect this to L2 on the switch (this will be your switched live). Connect this wire to your junction box red to the red already there and switched live (black with red tape on) to the spare terminal. Now Take a 1.5mm T&E wire from the junction box to your nice shiny new posh outside light. Connect red to the switched live terminal (black with red tape) and connect this to 'L' or live in your light. Connect black to black in jct box and black to 'N' in your light. Take cpc from jct box to your light. Job complete. If the switch is "upside" down when you switch on/off just move the switched live from L2 to L1 in the switch.

Good luck

RSS
 
I have 2 way switch for upstairs and downstairs need to swap downstairs 2 way for 3 way to use extra switch for outside light.

No, you don't. You want a 3-gang switch downstairs, not a 3-way.

Is your existing switch 2-way, or 2-gang? Or both?

I know you've been given an answer to your original Q, and I hope you get it all working, but there is a real potential problem here.

This is not me being pedantic, and sying "oh look - he's using the wrong words". If you don't understand the difference between 2-gang and 2-way, and you go out and buy your 3-gang switch, how will you know whether to buy a 3-gang 1-way or a 3-gang 2-way? And if you buy a 1-way, and get home and find that your 2-gang is a 2-way, what then?
 
I wanted three switches to control one light and looked everywhere for one, but instead of being called 3-way they are called intermediate. Well, B&Q do anyway. They fit between a couple of 2-ways.
 
<u>unphased</u> I know what you are saying, however, I think he meant 3 gang 2-way.

Almost certainly he has, downstairs at least, a 2-gang 2-way, used as 1-way for the hall and 2-way for the landing, and what he needs is a 3-gang 2-way. My point was if he doesn't understand the difference between 2-way and 2-gang he might buy the wrong switch.


<u>Sponge</u> I wanted three switches to control one light and looked everywhere for one, but instead of being called 3-way they are called intermediate. Well, B&Q do anyway. They fit between a couple of 2-ways.

They aren't called 3-way for the simpe reason that you can have any number of them. Fit 5 in between two 2-ways and you'll have 7-way switching. They are called intermediate switches everywhere, not just in B&Q (where you should NEVER go if at all possible), and I don't think it's what the original poster was after.
 
Makes sense now. I don't make a point of going to B&Q - I was in there and saw one for about £3 and realised I could make use of it. Plus, it was exactly the same design as all my existing switches so it doesn't look out of place.
 
I sometimes wonder if it would be less embarrassing to be seen coming out of a sex shop than B&Q.

And why are they called sex shops anyway, when you can't actually buy sex in them?
 
This is not me being pedantic, and sying "oh look -
he's using the wrong words". If you don't understand
the difference between 2-gang and 2-way, and you go
out and buy your 3-gang switch, how will you know
whether to buy a 3-gang 1-way or a 3-gang 2-way?
And if you buy a 1-way, and get home and find that
at your 2-gang is a 2-way, what then?

Never seen a 3 gang 1 way switch, thought they were all 2way above a 1 gang.
 
I've been into a couple of s*x shops, didn't get any but was somewhat enlightened. Not embarrassed about going into B&Q - it's coming out with less money and more items than one went in with that is worrying!
 
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