Quick question - Dimmer switch replace

ando

Hi,

I’m trying to swap a dimmer switch (1 way) to a 2 way. Is this possible? It’s not working for me as it is. See pics:

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21ANXQd1US63y8PWM&cid=DEAEC67FBB2C9548&id=DEAEC67FBB2C9548%215627&parId=DEAEC67FBB2C9548%215625&o=OneUp

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AKdkNnTmfZwxIZc&cid=DEAEC67FBB2C9548&id=DEAEC67FBB2C9548%215626&parId=DEAEC67FBB2C9548%215625&o=OneUp

Are they compatible?

alan4cult

Why are there two wires going into L1 on the first switch. Is the live looped in at switch? Are you running a new cable for the 2 way switching?

aido79

ando wrote: »

Hi,

I’m trying to swap a dimmer switch (1 way) to a 2 way. Is this possible? It’s not working for me as it is. See pics:

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21ANXQd1US63y8PWM&cid=DEAEC67FBB2C9548&id=DEAEC67FBB2C9548%215627&parId=DEAEC67FBB2C9548%215625&o=OneUp

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AKdkNnTmfZwxIZc&cid=DEAEC67FBB2C9548&id=DEAEC67FBB2C9548%215626&parId=DEAEC67FBB2C9548%215625&o=OneUp

Are they compatible?

I'm not entirely sure I understand what you are trying to do. Are you just looking to do a straight swap with the switches? It's not possible to change a one way circuit to a 2 way circuit without additional wiring but if you just want to use a 2 way switch on a one way circuit then you just use "c" and "L1" and ignore "L2".
Looking at the first picture why do you have 2 wires in L1 and one wire in "c"? I would have thought it should be the other way.

maggots_123

aido79 wrote: »

I'm not entirely sure I understand what you are trying to do. Are you just looking to do a straight swap with the switches? It's not possible to change a one way circuit to a 2 way circuit without additional wiring but if you just want to use a 2 way switch on a one way circuit then you just use "c" and "L1" and ignore "L2".
Looking at the first picture why do you have 2 wires in L1 and one wire in "c"? I would have thought it should be the other way.

I bought this house a few years ago but my wife wants new lights in the sitting room. So, the new lights are all fixed up on the ceiling, but when I went to swap out the dimmer switch I found the cabling the way you see it... I thought it would be a straight swap but it doesnt look like it. I suspect I have to look out for a one way dimmer switch? I dont know why there are two cables in the L1 and one in C??

The lights did work with the original dimmer switch but when I went to take it out the lights stopped working, so I suspect the old dimmer one way switch is broken and this two way switch just is not compatible.

In a one way switch it doesn't matter if you have the two lives in L1 or C .
It'll still work .

Or you might have one live in and one switch wire to each lamp.
It might have been a two gang at some stage.

ando

Ok so can I cable up the two way switch to replicate what is going on with the one way, where two cables are plugged into L1?

ando

Can I put the live cable going into C from my old dimmer switch into L1 on my new dimmer and the put the two outputs into the wavey line port? From reading online the wavey line is the output

aido79

ando wrote: »

Can I put the live cable going into C from my old dimmer switch into L1 on my new dimmer and the put the two outputs into the wavey line port? From reading online the wavey line is the output

It's the exact opposite of what you've said. The waves line port is the common so the wire from c goes in there.

Do you understand the basic operation of a switch? All it does is break the live coming from the board going to the live. The switch won't care if you put the switch wire in the common or the L1. It'll work either way. It's just the done thing to put the live from the board in the common and the switch wire in L1. It helps the next person working on it identify the cables if they want to replace the switch(like you're doing) or fault find.

alan4cult

ando wrote: »

Can I put the live cable going into C from my old dimmer switch into L1 on my new dimmer and the put the two outputs into the wavey line port? From reading online the wavey line is the output

Why are you putting two outputs into one terminal, unless you are looping in at this switch to another circuit then I don't expect that you need to?

If you are looping, please please do this at the common terminal so you aren't switching the next circuit, that's why it's called common.

ando

alan4cult wrote: »

Why are you putting two outputs into one terminal, unless you are looping in at this switch to another circuit then I don't expect that you need to?

If you are looping, please please do this at the common terminal so you aren't switching the next circuit, that's why it's called common.

I don’t know why there are two output cables there in L1. There is only one switch in the room for the sitting room light which this dimmer controls..

alan4cult

Then it looks like very like a loop in at switch.
These two need to be moved to common and L1 is for switching alone. Have you noticed any other rooms going off when these two wires are apart?

Honestly though, I'd think about getting an electrician in.

aido79

alan4cult wrote: »

Then it looks like very like a loop in at switch.
These two need to be moved to common and L1 is for switching alone. Have you noticed any other rooms going off when these two wires are apart?

Honestly though, I'd think about getting an electrician in.

I'd say the switch was wired wrong originally but if they got that wrong I'd be worried about what else they got wrong.

ando

aido79 wrote: »

It's the exact opposite of what you've said. The waves line port is the common so the wire from c goes in there.

Thank you, that’s worked for me. Thanks all, another job ticked. 5.. million left to do 😁