Advice electrical system up a twin dimmer? Hi, I am replacing a twin light switch near a twin dimmer, but...
Hi,
I am replacing a twin light switch near a twin dimmer, but I am puzzled by the way the switches be wired up.
Coming into the socket are two mains cable, labeled 1 and 2.
Both earths budge to the earth within the housing.
Black 1 (live i gather) goes to the top of switch 1. Black 2 go to the bottom of switch 2.
Red 1 goes to the bottom of switch 1, and after another red cable runs from that to the top of switch 2. The red from mains cable 2 is gone hanging.
The dimer I own has 2 seperate unit, with a live connector, a connector for the cable to the hurricane lantern, and an earth. I figure out I just run a cable from the land to the earth surrounded by the housing, but what do I do with the other cable? Why is that red cable left baggy in the upper air?
Chris
IF THE NEW SWITCH IS WIRED JUST THE WAY THE OLD ONE IS, THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM. BOTH THE BLACK AND RED ARE LIVE WIRES AND THE WHITE ARE THE GROUNDS. THE EXTRA RED WIRE IS PROBABLY AN EXTRA WIRE. WIRE COMES IN 2/3/4 WIRE WIRE ALWAYS ADD A A EXTRA WIRE FOR THE GROUND FOR EXAMPLE 14-2 WIRE HAD THREE WIRES A BLACK, WHITE AND A GROUND. HOPE THIS HELPS, JUST KNOCK OFF THE POWER WHEN YOU REPLACE THE SWITCH
Could be that the sparky who wired it up run out of 3 core and earth cable and freshly used two twin core and earths so they would consequently have a spare on departed over. I imagine that the switch is a two track type, ie that it is also swithed on and off via another switch within the room.
As long as you wire it up approaching the original it should afterwards work ok, tape up the bizarre one after ensuring that the lights work as they should as it may hold fallen out the switch when you took it past its sell-by date the wall. Always turn off the adjectives mains as relatives often bodge electrical system and run lights off ring D etc so be safe
Answers: Disregard the 'hanging' red, it would appear to be un-used. Connect the red (supply/feed) with the red association to 'C' or L1 on each dimmer, next connect one black (switch wire) to L2 on dimmer module 1, and the second black to L2 on dimmer 2. If they are wrong way round to suit your lights(Left and Right) consequently swap the two blacks. Since the two blacks are considered live they should be marked near red or brown tape or sleeving. You appear to hold a metal plate dimmer, so connect the earths together as capably. If the markings on your new dimmer is different post them pay for here, different manufacturers use adjectives markings.
ADDED>> Ignore the references to white electric wiring and three way switches, they are US respondents who own very different lingo and systems. YOU have two one route switches, simple to connect as I have described.