Wiring A Light Switch

[jennyjoan]

I bought a new silver light switch for the living room and put it on myself. I followed avidly where the wires came out of old one and got them correctly into the new.

Being confident of doing the same thing in my hallway which has a 3 switch - one for the hall, one for the landing and one for outside lamp.

There were just a load of RED wires coming out everywhere onto the switch and unfortunately no matter how hard I tried to remember or replicate them and actually drawing of them.

They are mixed up. I have now got 2 hall switches and one landing switch. No outside lamp which doesn't be used up much anyway.

Would anybody tell me the proper way of wiring them if I was to try again. thanks

The green EARTH is back in the wall but I remember when wiring a plug one had 3 different colours - this is what got me confused as they were all RED.

[jennyjoan]

well - I can only describe this

Earth Wires - Green - tight into the wall
Live Wires - Green & White - tight into the wall
Red Wires/Neutral - hanging out - maybe about 5 or 6

Now the Green Wire and Green & White are lodged right into the wall
so all pops out are RED wires.

I am going to have a go tomorrow in the daylight as I have a diagram of where the red wires should be - right now all the lights are working.

So as you can see at the mo - never mind the Earth Wires being live - I am still alive LOL.


PS I have been wiring fuse boxes, plugs, record players, ceiling lights from I was about 10 years old.

I must give you a laugh before bedtime.

My sista was going with an oul fella and he used to pick her up of a Sunday night after she had dinner. Anyway he had given an old radio and said the tape bit wasn't working and would I look at it.

So I opened/prised the thing open and there a little fan belt had come off the two wheels at the back of the radio. I popped the fan belt on and radio started to belt out.

Guess what - the following week Sista came in with a watch - wonder could your Jenny fix this for me. Get outta here - what doya think I am. We laughed.
However I will call a qualified electrician if need be. Thanks for all your concern.

[Ryzen]

Jenny....there are old electricians and bold electricians..but never both :-).From a previous post of yours re..ceramic fuses..it sounds as if your circuit protection is very basic. Dont mess with it.

[jennyjoan]

well let me explain better as I truly believe I have confused you all.

In what I could see and being verbose I did say Earth was SCREWED INTO THE WALL - that's wrong

Now I have carefully looked.

It is ONE BIG FAT CABLE poking from inside the wall - Coming out of the big fat Cable are these other small cables.

Green - which is earth and I have screwed that onto the Earth on the metal plate.

5 Red cables waiting to be inserted into proper holes.

But this is where I am funked.


I did get a diagram of where to put your cables

Inside MY SWITCH ITSELF it goes like this

COM COM COM



L1 L2 L1 L2 L1 L2

That would have been easier enough for me to follow the diagram

but the way diagram goes

COM L1 L2 COM



L1 L2 L1 L2 l1 l2
1 way 2way 1way 2way 1way 2way


It is a matter of where to put the Red cables - my own electrician is off on holidays so I'd like to give this a go.

sorry for the confusion and if anybody can help I would be grateful since I have to wait for another electrician - thanks