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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Electrical Questions >> light switch https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1232798822 Message started by brooksie on Jan 24^th, 2009, 12:07pm

Title: light switch
Post by brooksie on Jan 24^th, 2009, 12:07pm

I Have a single light switch and I want to put an outside light in and connect it to the same switch making it a dual switch. Is it possible to do this with only a single live feed to the switch. If so, How?

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 24^th, 2009, 12:29pm

It depends what wiring you have at the switch already. How many cables and what colours are they?

Title: Re: light switch
Post by brooksie on Jan 24^th, 2009, 2:22pm

I have just the live, neutral and earth.

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:44pm

If you have a neutral you are a laughing.....

HOWEVER.

I believe you are confusing a switched live for a neutral.

The 'return' from a switch is often the black conductor of a twin and earth cable.

If you really only have a single cable at the switch with a red, black and green/yellow, then you do not have a neutral and you cannot take your outside light from that switch.

Can you run a new cable from somewhere else on the lighting circuit to this switch, or change the cable from this switch to it's associated light with a 3 core and earth?

Title: Re: light switch
Post by brooksie on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:48pm

The cable gives me red and a blue and a yellow wires all connected to the switch and there is a bare cable not connected.

Title: Re: light switch
Post by cosbycarl on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:55pm

wrote on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:48pm:

The cable gives me red and a blue and a yellow wires all connected to the switch and there is a bare cable not connected.

Sounds like you have a three core and earth cable which would indicate a 2 way switch which works along side another. You can put in a new circuit for your light from the mains consumer unit, or even from a nearby socket thats on the ringmain and use a switched fused spur as the light switch, making sure the 13a fuse is replaced for a 3a instead.

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:55pm

wrote on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:48pm:

The cable gives me red and a blue and a yellow wires all connected to the switch and there is a bare cable not connected.

The bare cable is an earth - it should be connected to the back box.

Can the light be controlled by two switches? Your cable suggests two way switching is in use. If it is not two way switched, we could tell you how to alter the connections to provide a neutral to the switch.

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:58pm

wrote on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:50pm:

wrote on Jan 24^th, 2009, 12:07pm:

You probably have a live, switch live and an earth at your switch. In which case you would need to get your supply from the nearest light (preferably from the last light in the circuit). You could either take this supply to your new light first and run another cable from there to the switch that you mention, or run it to the switch first and then run another to the light (this method requires you to put both neutrals in a 5a connector block). You can then put a 2 gang switch in place of your 1 gang. Dont forget to brown sleeve the conductors which are going to be live as well. Does this switch your talking about have surface plastic trunking going to it? This job would be easier if so but a bit more involved if not. To answer your question though, it doesnt sound like you can do what you have asked, so all this would need to be done by somebody who is qualified to do so.

There is no need for that at all! Absolutely pointless ;)

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 24^th, 2009, 3:59pm

A few photos or pictures of what you want to do would be good, including adjacent rooms etc.

Is this a house, bungalow etc? Do you have access above?

Title: Re: light switch
Post by cosbycarl on Jan 24^th, 2009, 4:02pm

it was a bit long winded, i need a slap to wake me up!

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 24^th, 2009, 4:09pm

It's the red underlined bit I was reffering to ;)

Title: Re: light switch
Post by cosbycarl on Jan 24^th, 2009, 4:11pm

I still need waking up though, feel done in!

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 24^th, 2009, 5:40pm

Whats with the username change carl?

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Goodsparks on Jan 24^th, 2009, 9:19pm

::)

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 24^th, 2009, 9:52pm

Im trying to put a pic to the name as well, having trouble with it. I know wat to do, but it doesnt work? I felt like a change

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 25^th, 2009, 8:15am

What pic do you want? One of the ones available from us, or one of your own? You are currently a cute little bunny.

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 25^th, 2009, 10:05am

Lectrician wrote on Jan 25^th, 2009, 8:15am:

What pic do you want? One of the ones available from us, or one of your own? You are currently a cute little bunny.

Well i never put a cute little bunny in it, that must have been u! One of my own would be good, i uploaded it on my adrive account, copied the link and pasted into the relevant place on here, but it doesnt work. Lets try your way, no doubt it will work ;)

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 25^th, 2009, 11:32am

Where did you upload the image to? Whats the URL to it?

Title: Re: light switch
Post by LSpark on Jan 25^th, 2009, 11:46am

My grey-haired freind will eat your rabbit for breakfast ;D

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 25^th, 2009, 4:50pm

I have an adrive account, here is the link to the pic

http://www.adrive.com/public/414cfef1ed7fce401a94911203ed19af529a25ca037fb7bef160914b9fc47a59.html

I just clicked the link and found out why, i need a direct link, not a downloadable one!

And do u LS? Thats nice :)

Here is the new link and it still doesnt work

http://www.adrive.com/home/downloadfile/414cfef1ed7fce401a94911203ed19af529a25ca037fb7bef160914b9fc47a59

The pic appears beside the list of presets when i tick the box and enter the URL, but it doesnt save?

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 25^th, 2009, 7:09pm

Your links are to html pages, not images.

Host the image somewhere like tinypic.com and then use the URL to the IMAGE.

Your Adrive images are also going to be password protected arnt they? How can the forum then access them!

Title: Re: light switch
Post by LSpark on Jan 25^th, 2009, 11:02pm

http://i41.tinypic.com/scqkxl.jpg

That's the link you need to copy and paste into the right box in your profile!

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 26^th, 2009, 9:26pm

Lectrician wrote on Jan 25^th, 2009, 7:09pm:

Your Adrive images are also going to be password protected arnt they? How can the forum then access them!

no, because i have opted to share them

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 26^th, 2009, 9:32pm

Also, thanx for the link LS and to you lec for the lovely replies

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 26^th, 2009, 9:41pm

You may want to crop the image to remove the surrounding white.

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 26^th, 2009, 10:39pm

thanx, i will do that right now

;)

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Zambezi on Jan 26^th, 2009, 10:41pm

Do you work for Adidas Carl, Y3 is one of their brands?

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 26^th, 2009, 11:04pm

i wear a lot of it, i like the make/designer

Title: Re: light switch
Post by LSpark on Jan 27^th, 2009, 12:01am

NP Carl, good to see you solved it! ;D

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Lectrician on Jan 27^th, 2009, 6:22am

Does that make you a chav Carl? ;D

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Zambezi on Jan 27^th, 2009, 8:29am

If you become famous you can get as much of it as you want for free! I used to do some work for Adidas/Y3 in Covent Garden. They had racks and racks of gear for celebs to come and help themselves. Every time I was there, some famous bod would be in collecting a car load of gear. I did not care much for a lot of it, too chav or too cool for plain old me ::)

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 27^th, 2009, 9:17pm

Chavs wear fake as they cant afford the real stuff, i can so the answer would be no ;)

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 27^th, 2009, 9:19pm

LSpark wrote on Jan 27^th, 2009, 12:01am:

NP Carl, good to see you solved it! ;D

With everybody's help, thanx

Title: Re: light switch
Post by Y3 on Jan 27^th, 2009, 9:20pm

wrote on Jan 27^th, 2009, 8:29am:

Thats interesting! f***ing famous people!