Help with appliance switch sockets.

[j87]

Hey guys, I need a little help switching some sockets in my apartment. I am replacing the switches for my dishwasher, washer and fridge freezer.


Currently, I have something that looks like this for each of the appliances: (Switch, fuse & neon light)

I have bought a replacement switch in chrome, which looks like this: (switch & neon light, NO fuse?)

One the packaging it says "20AX DP Switch + Neon". This new switch doesn't have a fuse on it.


The guy in the store told me it would be fine, but i'm not sure? I've wired it up exactly how it was wired previously, and it is working, but the neon light remains on constantly. Whether the switch is on or off.

So for example, if the switch is off, the appliance is off, but the neon light is on.



Have I done something wrong when I've wired this?
Is it even compatible in the first place?

Thanks for your input, i've been living in the USA for the past 18 years and the way these things work seem to be very different!

 

[Richard]

sounds to me like you have connected it incorrectly. I would guess that you have put the Feed into the switched side of it and the cable going down to the spur into the feed side of the switch.

As to whether the switch is suitable, firstly is the circuit a ring or a radial (if it`s on a 32A breaker this is an indication of a ring)? is each switch controling one appliance via a single socket outlet behind the appliance?

so long as the switch is only controling the one appliance via a plug top, then a 20A DP should be fine.

 

[j87]

Thanks a lot for replying!!

It is a ring circuit, and yes, each switch is controlling only one appliance via a single socket.

I'll double check the instructions, and I'll have a look at how the others are wired and I may come back and post a photo.

Thanks again.

 

[reidmaguire]

If the appliance works correctly and the neon is on all the time - as Richard said you have probobly have the supply and feed the wrong way round. check the positioning of the switch with the appliance working and what position the switch is in when the appliance is off as this should be in the up position - if you cant turn the appliance off from the wall switch then you should refer to the instructions to wire correctly.

The neon indicators are wired into the terminals of the feed side - check this if everything else appears fine.

Remember to earth the faceplate to the backbox.

 

[Risteard]

If the manufacturer's of your equipment say that it must be fused down then it must be fused down. I doubt whether a fused connection unit was fitted for no reason in the first place. 20A is simply the rating of the connection unit - it is not a fuse.

Competence would have to be called into question.

 

[j87]

Here's a picture of my 'handywork' and a snapshot of the instructions.

As far as I can see, i've wired it exactly the same as it was wired before on the previous switch.

Appreciate your input!

Unfortunately this is as far as I could stretch the box out.

The LOAD consis of 2 neutral and 2 live. These are fed into the two connections on the top of the switch.

The SUPPLY consists of 1 neutral and 1 live. These are fed into the bottom.

I've earthed the 3 wires on the face plate (as it was done on the previous face plate).

http://www.electriciansforums.net/redirector.php?url=http://g.imageshack.us/img18/dsc00135yt.jpg/1/

 

[reidmaguire]

You state that only ONE appliance is controlled by the switch, however your picture shows two seperate cables on the load side - as you stated that the circuit is fed from a ring you will have a ring in and a ring out with the other cable being to the appliance. I think that on the old fused switch you removed that the old supply and load terminals were the other way round. Identify the cable that goes to the appliance socket and connect this to the LOAD with the other two cables being connected to the SUPPLY and this should solve your problem. put an earth cable from a terminal on the DP switch to the metal back box as also show on the instructions.

Good luck

Matt

Looking more closely at the picture - you definately have the wires the wrong way round. SUPPLY is the circuit (ring) and LOAD is the appliance

 

[Notsosmart]

If the manufacturer's of your equipment say that it must be fused down then it must be fused down. I doubt whether a fused connection unit was fitted for no reason in the first place. 20A is simply the rating of the connection unit - it is not a fuse.

Competence would have to be called into question.

I should imagine that the appliances' plug top will accomodate the fuse.

 

[j87]

Fixed it! Thanks a lot guys.

The inputs on the new switch were in reverse order to the previous one. All good & working now!

 

[Risteard]

I should imagine that the appliances' plug top will accomodate the fuse.

I hadn't considered that it would be plugged into a socket. I presumed that it was wired directly into the spur or through a connection unit below. My bad...