Wiring a light controlled by 4 switches

gaelicyoda

Hi All,

Hope someone can help me here....

The Problem:

We had our converted attic wired up (first fixed) about 2 years ago. The electrician at that stage told us to give him a shout back when the rest of the attic was finished (slabbed & skimmed), and he'd come back and finish it off.

Since then, and like so many others, he's hit for Canada and it's only now we're getting back to finishing the job. He said it was done to 'best practices' and that anyone should be able to pick up where he left off. No more than himself, we're feeling the pinch a bit ourselves and I hope to be able to finish off the few bits that are left.

Simply adding face-plates to the sockets doesn't present any significant problem to me, nor fitting the smoke alarm, but I am not fully sure how best to finish off the light in the landing of the attic... and I really don't want to have to call an electrician just to wire a light for me

The Layout:

In the attic there are two rooms and a landing. I will lay out here what the set up looks like and hopefully someone will be able to identify the configuration (seeing as how it's hopefully been done to a 'best practice') and be so kind as to let me know how best to finish it off.

Here's an overview:



... and some actual photos of the sockets in case they're useful:


Room #1: Room1_Switch.jpg
Room #2: Room2_Switch.jpg
Landing: Landing_Switch.jpg
Downstairs: Downstairs_Switch_Case.jpg


Would be very grateful for some guidance here - thanks!
GY

mikehammer67

did you identify the strappers at the switches?-they'd be a twin brown+earth probably


sometimes a pir can be handier than all that switching-just saying

gaelicyoda

mikehammer67 wrote: »

did you identify the strappers at the switches?-they'd be a twin brown+earth probably


sometimes a pir can be handier than all that switching-just saying

Thanks for your reply Mike,

Actually no - the tape is still on the ends so I can't say for sure. I assumed they were just regular twin+earth, but what you're saying makes sense - thinking about it now, I probably shouldn't have assumed what they were, and actually taken the tape off and eyeballed them - so I expect I'll find some twin brown+earth when I take those off.

On the PIR-front... yes, you could well have a point there alright, but seeing as how all the wiring's in place already I might as well make use of it

Cheers!
GY

Bruthal

I'd say the room light switches will be single gang, for their own light.

And only the hall and landing switches are going to do the landing light. 3 twin and earths at bedroom switch is likerly L N E feed, loop feed, and third one is L N E to light fitting.

The downstairs switch will have the twin brown into L1 and L2. And single core to common.

Upstairs landing light switch will be blue in twin and earth connected to single blue. Brown in it to common of 2 way switch. Earths connected together and to steel box. I assume one twin and earth is twin brown, and like downstairs switch, both browns to L1 and L2.

In bedroom 1, find twin and earth going to light. Connect brown to one side of single way switch. 2 browns from other 2 twin and earths go together into other side of switch. Blues all connected together, same for earths. Earth also to steel box.

Same in bedroom 2. Fit lights should be straight forward. In bed 2, with 2 lights, one has 2 cables that will simply be connected together in first light.

Circuits probably not connected at MCB board. The whole thing Is really a job for a qualified person.

mikehammer67

Bruthal wrote: »

I'd say the room light switches will be single gang, for their own light.

And only the hall and landing switches are going to do the landing light. 3 twin and earths at bedroom switch is likerly L N E feed, loop feed, and third one is L N E to light fitting.

you could be right there lol:)

Bruthal

mikehammer67 wrote: »

you could be right there lol:)

Its all long range guesswork

gaelicyoda

Thanks a lot for the analysis Bruthal - very, very much appreciated!
Exactly what I was looking for I think.

Bruthal wrote: »

I'd say the room light switches will be single gang, for their own light.

And only the hall and landing switches are going to do the landing light. 3 twin and earths at bedroom switch is likerly L N E feed, loop feed, and third one is L N E to light fitting.

Aha! Okay.
Another bogus assumption on my part then - I saw 3 pairs of cables and figured it must be 2 gang.

So can you just clarify what you reckon the individual pairs are for again?

LNE Feed -> Mains power in?
Loop Feed -> Mains power out?
LNE to Light Fitting -> spur from mains power that actually controls the light on/off

Bruthal wrote: »

The downstairs switch will have the twin brown into L1 and L2. And single core to common.

Upstairs landing light switch will be blue in twin and earth connected to single blue. Brown in it to common of 2 way switch. Earths connected together and to steel box. I assume one twin and earth is twin brown, and like downstairs switch, both browns to L1 and L2.

You're right about the downstairs, and I'll give this a shot tomorrow and post the outcome.

Bruthal wrote: »

In bedroom 1, find twin and earth going to light. Connect brown to one side of single way switch. 2 browns from other 2 twin and earths go together into other side of switch. Blues all connected together, same for earths. Earth also to steel box.

Same in bedroom 2. Fit lights should be straight forward. In bed 2, with 2 lights, one has 2 cables that will simply be connected together in first light.

This too ...

Bruthal wrote: »

Circuits probably not connected at MCB board. The whole thing Is really a job for a qualified person.

Would I be wrong to assume he would have just 'extended' the existing circuits (which are already connected )?

belcampprisoner

I don't see the power coming in

Calgary22

Your best bet is to get a qualified electrician to do the job.

Bruthal

belcampprisoner wrote: »

I don't see the power coming in

Here

LeBash

Handiest thing to do is scrap the current switches and replace with spring loaded normally open switch and get an "impulse switch". Every time one of the switches is pushed the contact on the impulse switch changes position.

gaelicyoda

Bruthal wrote: »

I'd say the room light switches will be single gang, for their own light.

And only the hall and landing switches are going to do the landing light. 3 twin and earths at bedroom switch is likerly L N E feed, loop feed, and third one is L N E to light fitting.

The downstairs switch will have the twin brown into L1 and L2. And single core to common.

Upstairs landing light switch will be blue in twin and earth connected to single blue. Brown in it to common of 2 way switch. Earths connected together and to steel box. I assume one twin and earth is twin brown, and like downstairs switch, both browns to L1 and L2.

In bedroom 1, find twin and earth going to light. Connect brown to one side of single way switch. 2 browns from other 2 twin and earths go together into other side of switch. Blues all connected together, same for earths. Earth also to steel box.

Same in bedroom 2. Fit lights should be straight forward. In bed 2, with 2 lights, one has 2 cables that will simply be connected together in first light.

Circuits probably not connected at MCB board. The whole thing Is really a job for a qualified person.

Well, looks like you were bang on the money Bruthal - really appreciate you helping me out on this!

For anyone reading back over this thread, I'll include what I *believe* to be the wiring involved here. Some stuff I couldn't actually lay my eyes on, but I think it should be something like this:




Where the LNE feeds in the rooms come from / go to I can't really say, so I've left those unconnected.

Anyway, the important thing is that all the lights are working as expected.
Again, thanks a lot - would've been quite some time figuring this out otherwise!

Cheers,
GY