Loop in at switch (Trainee)

[Deleted member 89296]

Yeah, this is my first post to this forum.

I have been learning the trade for roughly about 8months now, and really only been doing 1st fix to new builds.
Now I have been moved to doing 2nd fix, and the problem i'm having is with some on the switches having 6 cables in there.
As all the loop ins etc is at the switch, to help working above height for so long.
I.E. In one 3 gang switch at the front door it will consist of, Loop in (1mm) Loop out (1mm), 3 core(2way for hall), 3 core(2 way for upstairs), switch wire for hall, and a switch wire for outside light.
The 2 way for the upstairs, has a switch on the top of the stairs, which operates the bathroom light, as well as the upstairs landing light.
We drop a T+E from that switch to one of the switches downstairs, to be put on with the downstairs lighting circuit.
The Electrician says this is because if we connect to the upstairs, it would still have the strappers to the downstairs been live, even when the upstairs breaker could be off.
This is why we do it this way.

Anyway, I would just like people tell me the ways they would connect this up within the 3 gang switch (C, L1,L2) etc, I'm not actually shown how to do one yet.
I'm trying to learn from home and why its done, so I can think for myself and show im progressing well.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Octopus]

Yeah, this is my first post to this forum.

I have been learning the trade for roughly about 8months now, and really only been doing 1st fix to new builds.
Now I have been moved to doing 2nd fix, and the problem i'm having is with some on the switches having 6 cables in there.
As all the loop ins etc is at the switch, to help working above height for so long.
I.E. In one 3 gang switch at the front door it will consist of, Loop in (1mm) Loop out (1mm), 3 core(2way for hall), 3 core(2 way for upstairs), switch wire for hall, and a switch wire for outside light.
The 2 way for the upstairs, has a switch on the top of the stairs, which operates the bathroom light, as well as the upstairs landing light.
We drop a T+E from that switch to one of the switches downstairs, to be put on with the downstairs lighting circuit.
The Electrician says this is because if we connect to the upstairs, it would still have the strappers to the downstairs been live, even when the upstairs breaker could be off.
This is why we do it this way.

Anyway, I would just like people tell me the ways they would connect this up within the 3 gang switch (C, L1,L2) etc, I'm not actually shown how to do one yet.
I'm trying to learn from home and why its done, so I can think for myself and show im progressing well.

Thanks in advance.

Most houses have two way switching for the landing in the hall - and a lot have the up and down fed seperately - so just be aware live connections in the hall or landing switches - so be prepared to isolate both circuits.

Nothing wrong with it - just be aware.

 

[Andy78]

There is a trainee forum you can apply for access to. There are mentors and other trainees in there, and you will get a more "tailored" response than the open forum.

Announcements - Trainees Only

 

[telectrix]

normal practice is to wire the 3 cores ( for 2 way lights) as black common, brown L1, grey L2, and same way at the 2nd switch. feed i at 1 switch to L1 and s/l out in L2. suitably sleeved. try drawing it out, then it breaks down into something simpler.

 

[Adam W]

Have you been shown at college how to connect the cables when 3 plating at a rose?
Essentially it's the same as that - the neutrals just connect together in the back of the box. The lives connect the same way.

 

[Guest77]

normal practice is to wire the 3 cores ( for 2 way lights) as black common, brown L1, grey L2, and same way at the 2nd switch. feed i at 1 switch to L1 and s/l out in L2. suitably sleeved. try drawing it out, then it breaks down into something simpler.

Yeah right lol

 

[Leesparkykent]

Yeah right lol

This is a debate in itself lol. What colour do you use as common on a two-way switch?

 

[Simonslimline]

This is a debate in itself lol. What colour do you use as common on a two-way switch?

I Use Brown personally. As long as the conductors are identified whats the difference.

 

[Guest77]

grey as common, and then brown with brown L1 and black with blue L2 on the 2 way domestic.

 

[Leesparkykent]

I Use Brown personally. As long as the conductors are identified whats the difference.

Same here brown as common for me.

 

[telectrix]

always used to use yellow as common, then red and blue went with red and black in L1 and L2. just followed the conversion to stupid colours when we went daft in 2006.

 

[Adam W]

I Use Brown personally. As long as the conductors are identified whats the difference.

It helps to know what's what at the other end.
I wire them the same way as Tel suggested, then the 2 browns will be in the same terminal, and the sleeved blue will be in the same terminal as the sleeved grey. Also the black will always be live, which is the colour I use for permanent live when wiring emergency lighting, brown being the switched live, which is the colour you'd use when wiring a non-emergency fitting using twin.

As Lee says though, that's a separate debate which there are always differences of opinion on.

 

[Guest77]

I agree, we replaced the yellow with the grey, anyhow as suggested by Simon, it is irrelevent really, providing they are marked with brown sleaving it matters not.

 

[7029 dave]

Red common for me, brown if I did it now.

 

[Octopus]

I agree, we replaced the yellow with the grey, anyhow as suggested by Simon, it is irrelevent really, providing they are marked with brown sleaving it matters not.

Nah, sod the sleeving, anyone taking a switch off the wall should know that!