Resident Electrician?

Sawdust

Sawdust

Well-known member
Who’s the forum resident electrician? I’ve got old style light switches and wiring, and wanting to put new switches on, but unsure which wires should go where.
Will post pictures of old and new.
All help much appreciated.
 
Red and Yellow into "com" and "1" or "2" depending whether you want down or up to be ON. Black and blue into the brown connector. Connect the bulb across the R and Y if you want it on when the light is OFF i.e. find the switch in the dark or between the R and Blk/Blu so it glows when the switch is ON

Edit, looks like the little bulb fits just above the brown connector
 
deere66 said:
Red and Yellow into "com" and "1" or "2" depending whether you want down or up to be ON. Black and blue into the brown connector. Connect the bulb across the R and Y if you want it on when the light is OFF i.e. find the switch in the dark or between the R and Blk/Blu so it glows when the switch is ON
Click to expand...
This more or less.
If its a one way light switch not 2 way like on a landing use that one and the common for your main switching wires.
The extra one in corner of original looks like an earth, can use that reddish brown thing I guess.
It won't matter which wire goes in which to make the switch work but by convention you press the bottom for on I suppose.
 
4wd said:
This more or less.
If its a one way light switch not 2 way like on a landing use that one and the common for your main switching wires.
The extra one in corner of original looks like an earth, can use that reddish brown thing I guess.
It won't matter which wire goes in which to make the switch work but by convention you press the bottom for on I suppose.
Click to expand...
Needs linking back to the earth on the back box too.
 
Phil the Dill said:
Your wiring needs replacing, never mind the switch.
Looks to me like red and yellow are being used as live and neutral with blue and black both in the earth connector.
Click to expand...
It looks like conduit with single wires. Red "should" be supply switching onto Yellow which goes to the light. Black "should" be incoming neutral carried through on the blue to the light fitting. All plastic so no Earth.
If it was wired in T&E you'd have 2 reds to either side of the switch, 2 blacks together into the brown connector and the 2 Earths into the terminal in the back box for continuity but not doing anything useful on the plastic box
 
deere66 said:
Red and Yellow into "com" and "1" or "2" depending whether you want down or up to be ON. Black and blue into the brown connector. Connect the bulb across the R and Y if you want it on when the light is OFF i.e. find the switch in the dark or between the R and Blk/Blu so it glows when the switch is ON

Edit, looks like the little bulb fits just above the brown connector
Click to expand...
Thanks, just thought I’d ask before, red to black and blue tae F*%k ⚡️💥
 
deere66 said:
It looks like conduit with single wires. Red "should" be supply switching onto Yellow which goes to the light. Black "should" be incoming neutral carried through on the blue to the light fitting. All plastic so no Earth.
If it was wired in T&E you'd have 2 reds to either side of the switch, 2 blacks together into the brown connector and the 2 Earths into the terminal in the back box for continuity but not doing anything useful on the plastic box
Click to expand...
It’s actually real heavy duty cable, that’s just a heat shrink shroud over the plastic insert.
 
Sawdust said:
So would it be better putting a small jumper wire between the brown earth connector and the one on the backing box?
Click to expand...
Nah, there is no earth wire the blue and black are neutrals in and out. Best thing is look in the light fitting, hopefully there'll be a yellow and blue wire
 
deere66 said:
Nah, there is no earth wire the blue and black are neutrals in and out. Best thing is look in the light fitting, hopefully there'll be a yellow and blue wire
Click to expand...
It’s quite simple wiring,
Cable from light switch goes to a junction box, then another cable comes from the consumer unit to same junction box, then another cables leaves junction box and then to the lights.
 
4wd said:
This more or less.
If its a one way light switch not 2 way like on a landing use that one and the common for your main switching wires.
The extra one in corner of original looks like an earth, can use that reddish brown thing I guess.
It won't matter which wire goes in which to make the switch work but by convention you press the bottom for on I suppose.
Click to expand...
Looking at it again, is that brown connector the terminals for a "neon" light on the front of the switch?
 
Sawdust said:
It’s quite simple wiring,
Cable from light switch goes to a junction box, then another cable comes from the consumer unit to same junction box, then another cables leaves junction box and then to the lights.
Click to expand...

1739304149856.png

Something like that?
 
Phil the Dill said:
Your wiring needs replacing, never mind the switch.
Looks to me like red and yellow are being used as live and neutral with blue and black both in the earth connector.
Click to expand...
There is no neutral in the switch position, should be live and switched live, if it was live and neutral it would trip/blow fuse when switched on.
It does look as, has been mentioned blue and black are being used as neutrals
I'm fairly sure in latest regs there is no requirement for the earth link back to a backbox
 
Phil the Dill said:
Looking at it again, is that brown connector the terminals for a "neon" light on the front of the switch?
Click to expand...
If you want to use the neon light to indicator that the main light is on then yes, connect between the brown connector which will have the blue/black wires and the switched wire (yellow).
To use the neon to find the switch in the dark, connect it across the switch (might not work with newer LED lights as they won't have as much resistance as a filament bulb)
 
deere66 said:
View attachment 25563

Something like that?
Click to expand...
Wired my light switches up today.

From light switch only red and yellow are used

From consumer unit only red and black are used

From light to junction box
Red and blue with yellow earth

Consumer unit sends power up to junction box through red, then red back down to switch, yellow takes power back up to box, then connects back to red to power the lights and black neutral from CU connects to blue in junction box and neutrals all lights while yellow from lights earths all lights in junction box.
And no⚡️or hair standing on ends, mind you, I’m bald, so would be impossible anyway 😂
 
So you have a yellow wire with switched power and a yellow wire to earth in the same junction box or am I miss reading your post?
 
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