Wiring 2 Gang Light Switch - what is this wire?

Bes

Bes

Bes

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
7,318
Location
Melbourne
Hi

I am trying to change the plastic white switches & sockets fitted during our recent renovation for some brass ones. All good so far apart from this 2 gang switch:

This controls a wall light and a ceiling light (Both independent, this is the only switch for them)

Wiring it seems pretty straightforward:

Live from the mains goes into L connectors at top. One per switch

Live to light goes from the L2 connectors at bottom One per switch, presumably as each only controls 1 fitting in the room

What is confusing me is a wire that bridges the 2 top L connectors together. Why is this given both appear to be powered anyway? Do I need it?

hrXzWd2.jpg

The switch I am fitting has the same configuration as this, except what is labelled as L in the photo here is labelled as COM (Common) on my new switch.

QMj9v8F_d.jpg

Thanks for any help you can give!
 
It’s a permanent live cable. The other 2 are your switch wires that turn your light on and off.

so if the link is removed it will break the circuit and cause other problems with these lights or others around the house.

Hope that makes more sense to try and understand?
 
I have a similar question...I'm updating my light switches and wired them like for like but its doing random things as there are two lights on the circuit.
The new switch has a different terminal layout could it be this,
xsjmt9Q
see images....
a>
 
Peter01 said:
I have a similar question...I'm updating my light switches and wired them like for like but its doing random things as there are two lights on the circuit.
The new switch has a different terminal layout could it be this,
xsjmt9Q
see images....
a>
Click to expand...

Check that the switches are the same way up as the originals. Some double switches have the second switch terminals upside down. In other words common to the top on one switch and common to the bottom on the second switch.
 
One of those brown wires in the top of the switch is the live feed, the short wire then "links" the live feed to the other switch
the 3rd wire runs off to another light somewhere in the house, most houses are wired this way, that way when you turn of "ground floor lights" at the CU all of the lights get isolated together.
 
Mikeyboy said:
They're all brown because they're all live.

Feed to the switch, none of this outdated ceiling rose crap.
Click to expand...
I realise that, but some of the switches in my house have "hot" neutral I think its called, I think they just used twin and earth and put a red sleeve on it. Just makes it easier to tell them apart.
 
theone8181 said:
I realise that, but some of the switches in my house have "hot" neutral I think its called, I think they just used twin and earth and put a red sleeve on it. Just makes it easier to tell them apart.
Click to expand...

Switch live, hot neutral is a US term I believe.

"Conventional" lighting circuit wiring using old colours. The proper way was to use double red T&E, but the cheaper way was to sleeve the black wire. All well and good if the red sleeve doesn't fall off, or in most bodged wiring, is missing at one end.

Having been trained to do it this way years ago, taking the feed to the switch is a far better way of doing it, and in my opinion, much easier to work out what's what.
 
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