Intermediate switching

[ETradesmen]

Good evening all,

Just a quickie, if I wired a switched live and neutral to an intermediate switch could it still work?

2 way switch - feed and 3 core
intermediate switch - 3 core 3 core and switch live and neutral
2 way switch - 3 core

I’ve not made a mistake, I’m just a bit curious!

cheers big ears

 

[telectrix]

rare to see a neutral at an intermediate switch. more info required.

 

[pc1966]

An intermediate switch would swap the live & neutral over if wired as I think you describe, so no normal switching action as such.

A diagram might help!

 

[Timbo]

Deleted.

 

[FatAlan]

If I understand correctly you’d need neutral continuity between the feed and the switched line out to the light.

 

[H]

Did you switch it on and see?

 

[7029 dave]

More info need, pic would help or diagram, but I am assuming you have LN at switch plus pair from light to switch?, if so 3core&e to all other positions.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

You can take a feed to the first 2-way, with line on COM and neutral to a connector. Then send the two strappers from L1 and L2, and the neutral, down the 3C+E. At the intermediate, strappers go through the switch as usual and N simply passes through another connector. At the second 2-way, strappers finish at L1 & L2 and the light is fed from N and COM.

It's the same as a 'conventional' 2-way but with the neutral tagging along too. At no point should the neutral connect to any of the switch terminals!

FWIW an intermediate is a cross-connected DPDT, that will function as a polarity reverser, not that it is designed to have L & N across two of its terminals.

 

[ETradesmen]

Guys, I haven’t wired up anything,

It was just a question I was thinking about on my way home.

So it would work if you had the permanent feed at one of the circuit end and the S/L at the other end of the circuit but not if the S/L is in with the intermediate?

I’m certain it won’t work, again, just curious!

 

[pc1966]

Did you switch it on and see?

Probably safer than sucking it to see...

 

[7029 dave]

Your strappers are a continuous metallic path , does not matter how many positions you are switching, so why talk about N at intermediate position.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Yes, you can feed the light from intermediate. The two strappers run from end to end as before, going through the intermediate switch, using two cores of the 3C+E. The third core in the 3C+E from the supply end 2-way to the intermediate carries the neutral to the intermediate position. The third core in the 3C+E from the far end 2-way carries the SL back from the COM to the intermediate position. N & SL can then be jointed to the cable to the light.
[automerge]1594328405[/automerge]

 

[ETradesmen]

Could you get this to work?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Look at my pic in the previous post!

 

[7029 dave]

Could you get this to work?

Yeah it would work, with some joints of N& S/L along the way.Not ideal way in domestic set up, not even if it was conduit system, I would have the perm live s/l end to end with just strappers in-between. Only if it as conduit system