Electrical loop removal - help!

[alisonlcraig]

I moved into a house that had a double gang switch downstairs that controlled a downstairs and upstairs hallway lights. You could turn the upstairs one on from downstairs and off upstairs etc. The downstairs hallway light was just controlled by the downstairs switch. I want to disconnect any loop and just have upstairs controlling upstairs and downstairs controlling downstairs, both with a single gang switch.

In the downstairs socket there is a red and black (presumably for downstairs) and also a red, blue and yellow in a sheath (presumably for upstairs).

In the upstairs socket there is two red, a black, a blue and a yellow wire.

Both have earth wires but not counting those.

I can only get the downstairs light to work. The upstairs hallway in any combination, I can’t get it to work. Can anyone kindly offer me any advice whatsoever? I will be eternally grateful as I am losing the will.

 

[littlespark]

Is this the new switches?
Did you you take a photo of how the old ones were connected.


We don’t know, but are the upstairs and downstairs lights on different circuits? You may have joined the two together now.

the switches appear to have an earth terminal… suggesting they are metal.
This should be connected to the back box earth terminal

 

[alisonlcraig]

Is this the new switches?
Did you you take a photo of how the old ones were connected.


We don’t know, but are the upstairs and downstairs lights on different circuits? You may have joined the two together now.

the switches appear to have an earth terminal… suggesting they are metal.
This should be connected to the back box earth terminal

Thank you - I will connect the earths to the back of the boxes. This is the new switches in the original photos and I have included a photo of what the downstairs one looked like previously.

When I only connected red and black upstairs and red and black downstairs, only the downstairs light worked. When I connect everything the downstairs socket trips.

I can’t seem to find anything on what the blue and yellow is and why there is two red wires upstairs.

Thanks so much for replying, I really do appreciate it.

 

[littlespark]

the power is tripping because you're mixing up the two circuits.

the yellow and blue are called strappers, pass wires or travellers... and are used for two-way switching... (switching one light from 2 positions) but if i understand you you do not want that functionality(?)

Take the wire with the red/yellow/blue and take it out of the circuit at both ends. Terminate into seperate connectors and tuck into the back of the box. Meaning the red, yellow and blue of the same grey cable.
You will then be left with just one red and one black from the same grey cable at both switches to work out.

The reds both go into a terminal market "C", "Com" or "Common" depending what the switches are marked.... and the blacks into something marked "1 way", or "L1" or whatever. If the new switches are "two-way".... there will be another terminal marked "2 way" or "L2"...... this terminal is ignored; nothing goes in it.


As well as connecting the metal switch to the earth of the back box, you also want to make sure there is no excess copper showing at the terminals, (such as showing on the blue wire on the second photo) and the blacks are marked to identify them as switched lives.... (a little red tape wrapped around)


No need to say it, but always turn the power off to the circuits while you're working on it.....


Interested to know why you dont want the 2 way switching on the stairs to be honest.