Light switch - from a single switch to a twin switch

Plaverda

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Can anybody help clarify, what i am doing wrong here. This was the current setup for a single pendent light:

8C2CDB83-1A4F-4DBD-937A-D8864A5BC0E3.jpeg


The wires on the left are how they where in the system previously, i have just added them to the new switch. Two wires into the top, and the live at the bottom in the COM.

The second switch is to run two spot lights. I want these to be independent from the main light. So that i can have either the main light on, or the two spot lights. I’ve added in the new cable for the spotlights into the top on the second switch, and have added a jumper from the live at the bottom into the live at the bottom on the right switch.

DD9F715F-A8F1-4238-AD40-E848161AFD29.jpeg


These now work perfectly. BUT, the second switch is only ‘live’ when the first switch is turned on. Not when its switched off.

Any idea what i need to do to make the second switch on the right independent from the one on the left?

Thanks
 
I think the two wires together are actually the live in and out
Swap with the cable in the com connection and you should be good to go
 
Thanks. Do you mean add the jumper cable at the bottom into the top instead of the bottom?
 
I’d spilt the two cables across both commons with the link between then have the switch wire in the L1 terminal
 
Swap the jumper to the other terminal
 
I’d spilt the two cables across both commons with the link between then have the switch wire in the L1 terminal

Or this is a much better way :thumbsup:
 
Cool thanks. I’ll give that a try tomorrow when i have some daylight to play with. I went back and looked at the original switch and i can seevwhere i went wrong, as the terminals are upside down compared to the new ones. It also doesn’t have COM on the terminals.
 
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The original wiring seems a bit odd as usually you would have a single twin and earth cable from the light to the switch. The brown would be live and the blue would be the switched live (sleeved with brown). It looks like this may have been one end of a two way switch in the past and converted to a one way.

The bottom wire COM will not be live until the switch is on. I presume you have a single twin earth to the new light. The brown live should go to L1 and connect to a permanent live I.e one of those on the original switch. The blue (sleeved in brown) should go to the COM.
 
The original wiring seems a bit odd as usually you would have a single twin and earth cable from the light to the switch. The brown would be live and the blue would be the switched live (sleeved with brown). It looks like this may have been one end of a two way switch in the past and converted to a one way.

The bottom wire COM will not be live until the switch is on. I presume you have a single twin earth to the new light. The brown live should go to L1 and connect to a permanent live I.e one of those on the original switch. The blue (sleeved in brown) should go to the COM.

not now, you wire your live and neutral round the switches and have a switched live and neutral going from there to light
Best practice is to have the permanent live into com and any switch wires connected to L1 or L2 if required
 
That’s what i have now done as you advised, and its perfect. Many thanks for the help and advice. It was the original switch not having a COM that distracted me. Now the fun job of filling all the holes in the plaster!

Always amazes me though, at what a difference a few led recessed spotlights can make to a room.
 

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