# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  Wiring Issues with Dual light switch

## WinkWink

Hi,I am having difficulties to replace my current switches. I have 4 wires from the old installation, one live wire, two wire for switch 1 and switch 2, the last wire (neutral?) when not connected is unable to switch on lights from other rooms. 
The problem is i have 4 terminals on the new switch, i am looping the live cable to the 2 terminals while the other end of the terminals are connected by the switch 1 and 2 cables. That leaves the last wire with nowhere to be terminated. When wired in such configuration, the room lights are able to work but not the rest of the house.  
Currently what i have done is to remove one switch (SW1) and terminate the last wire into the load terminal, thus allowing all the other lights to function but one light (SW1) is not able to turn on. 
Kindly advise how should i terminate these wires so that i can have all lights working. 
Thanks!

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## Bros

You lost me, how many switches how many lights do they switch? 
 Do a Google on two way and intermediate switching and see what you get.

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## manofaus

im da party pooper: 
probably a good idea not to touch it and call a eleco... 
but you should have an active on switch 1, with two switched wires, the two switched wires then go to switch 2, they connect to switch 2 and then the actual active switched wire then goes to the light. Your neutral should not be at the switch at all. your lamp fitting should have your neutral, earth and switched light wire as connections. or something like that.

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## WinkWink

> You lost me, how many switches how many lights do they switch? 
> Do a Google on two way and intermediate switching and see what you get.

  Hi Bros 
Sorry for the confusion caused. I have a dual switch for 2 lights.(one way).

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## WinkWink

> im da party pooper: 
> probably a good idea not to touch it and call a eleco... 
> but you should have an active on switch 1, with two switched wires, the two switched wires then go to switch 2, they connect to switch 2 and then the actual active switched wire then goes to the light. Your neutral should not be at the switch at all. your lamp fitting should have your neutral, earth and switched light wire as connections. or something like that.

  Hi manofaus 
i definitely have a live cable core and 2 cable core coming from the light/lamp fittings, however i have no idea what the last core of the 4-core cable do and where should i terminate. I have to terminate the last as it will affect the entire lighting/lamp circuit of the home.

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## Master Splinter

Two-way switch wiring as follows....

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## manofaus

are you supposed to have your neutral connected to the loop terminal? why?

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## WinkWink

> are you supposed to have your neutral connected to the loop terminal? why?

  I have no idea what the connection/circuit diagram looks like hence i couldnt tell if it is neutral or not. But it should be looped over at the lamp/light fitting side instead of switch side.  
But one thing definite is that without that last core being terminated, the rest of the lights/lamps do not work.

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## WinkWink

> Two-way switch wiring as follows....

  
Thanks for the circuit diagram, I am actually looking for one way dual switch for dual lights circuit. Will study it and analysis my current situation.

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## BRADFORD

It is difficult to understand exactly what you have got.
Do you have 2 switches on one plate that each control a seperate light and are not 2 way switches?

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## WinkWink

> It is difficult to understand exactly what you have got.
> Do you have 2 switches on one plate that each control a seperate light and are not 2 way switches?

  Yup. I have 2 switches on one plate that each controls a separate light. At the switch gang, i have 4 core cable incoming which i managed to identify as per my earlier post.

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## chrisp

It seems that you have two active wires coming to the switchplate - one being the active from the switchboard and one being the active on to the subsequent lights in the next room.  This is simply the daisy-chain ('loop') of the active. 
What I'm wondering is where is the corresponding daisy-chain for the neutrals.  Are there any other connections that have been made off the switchplate such as neutrals in a BP connector? 
Also, what colour are these wires?  Can you post a picture?

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## Bros

> Yup. I have 2 switches on one plate that each controls a separate light. At the switch gang, i have 4 core cable incoming which i managed to identify as per my earlier post.

  Now we are getting somewhere this is like pulling teeth. How about a photo of the wires and the back of the switch plate showing the switches in place.

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## BRADFORD

I'm not sure I've got this correct, but it sounds like you have 4 wires at the switch plate, if this is so you will have 2 switch wires and
 an active in and an active out (loop).
Or do you have 4 multi core (3 core probably) cables at the switch plate?

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## Master Splinter

First link in my sig has extra wiring diagrams.

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## WinkWink

> I'm not sure I've got this correct, but it sounds like you have 4 wires at the switch plate, if this is so you will have 2 switch wires and
> an active in and an active out (loop).
> Or do you have 4 multi core (3 core probably) cables at the switch plate?

  i have 4 single core cables at the switch plate, no colour codes and labels on the cables previously. It is a old house, these circuits were done back in 1985... 
Now i am thinking where to terminate the last core as i do not have any terminals left. As for pictures, i am currently outstationed and will only be back home during the weekends to post some pics for all to take a look. 
Thanks for the inputs guys!

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## Bros

> Now i am thinking where to terminate the last core as i do not have any terminals left.

  Photo's will be real interesting, you don't run out of terminals on a light switch, in your situation you only need to use a max of three terminals not one for each. If you have used the 4 you have cocked up well and truly.  
Boy oh Boy.

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## Electron

Be interesting to know where you got this from, Wink, because if someone doesn't know what they're doing anyway they're extremely unlikely to find this set up used for 2 way switching in Australia or NZ.  Sparkys use twin active (red and white) as the strap with the unswitched active on one switch and the switched active on the other.  The blue core shown here simply doesn't exist, especially as an integral core in the TPS.

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