JW I am not an electrician but like to learn and know how things work. I have tried for so long to understand how lighting circuits and especially two way lighting works. This series really explains it in plain simple English and is worth its weight in gold. Thank you so much for putting this up, along with your other content; it's brilliant. Keep it up mate and thanks again!
The rare ability of an individual to impart complicated instructions in its simplistic form to the masses ,most of whom like myself find this electrical world a mystery. Teachers out there please note , this is how you teach , now no longer a mystery , many thanks from a grateful student
What a fantastic video. As a non-electrician I’ve never really considered how the circuits actually work. Any time I’ve had to replace a switch I’ve just continuity tested the switches and replaced like for like.
I am South African and your dry English humour about mixing up the "dull" new colours to create a "big bang" tickled me. Beggars belief that .Gov implemented someone's dim idea to increase risk throughout UK by changing what wasn't broken?! I simply can't fathom that one. I have no problem grasping your very lovely lessons, though. Thank you! xox
Quite some years ago, I had a garage, with a single light, operated by a single switch by the rear door. I wanted to add a switch to be able to turn the light on from the main garage door. My then boss, tried various ways of explaining how to do this, but to no avail! I just didn't get it. This video has made it very clear how it should be done. If only the Internet and TH-cam had existed then, and I still had the garage.........!
Nice job JW , I had to replace the plastic switches on my hall, stairs and landing. Like all of the 3 story 'town' houses on my development - the 1st floor landing light IS controlled by an intermediate switch. Had I seen this video prior to doing that job, it would have saved much time and head scratching... thanks again
After looking at this instruction, I have managed to get the 2 way switch working in my garage. It was wired up incorrectly when the house was built 20 years ago. I just thought it wasn't meant to be two way. Thank you
Hi thank you for this video I'm not a qualified electrician but I know the basics and multiple way switching can get a bit confusing thank you so much for your video I always like your videos please keep them coming
At around 17:00, an alternative way of understanding the intermediate switch is that in the parallel position the end switches are connected as before, whereas in the crossover position, it appears to each end switch that the other switch is in the opposite state than it really is. Thus on and off are interchanged when you move the intermediate switch. This immediately makes the use of a fourth, or forty fourth, intermediate switch obvious. If there are an even number of crossovers they cancel out leaving the end switches working as before; of there are an odd number then it's as if there is a single crossover. Whether you prefer my explanation or JW's is a matter of personal preference
good video, well presented. only pick up would be order of colours RED, YELLOW, BLUE to BROWN, BLACK, GREY just so not to get confused when wiring 3 phase.
In Canada, the one way switches have an "on" position indicated on the switch handle, wheras the 2 way and intermediate ones don't. I'm not sure if the wiring code permits 2 way and intermediate switches to be used in one way applications.
Hi John Just started my electrical course a couple of weeks ago and your videos are a massive help in understanding all the different parts involved. I was worried I wouldn't understand switches but you have made it so simple to comprehend, Many thanks and keep up the good work. Its all very much appreciated.
About the colouring, in Sweden red was earth a long time ago, and as a slightly colour blind person brown and red looks scary similar! The other colours was White (N), Black (L1), Brown (L2), Grey (L3), so the same as the new EU-standard except neutral (and earth). But looking at your videos I find it amusing that 3-phase seems to be so uncommon in the UK, in Sweden it's standard for houses and more or less standard for flats. I've lived in two different studio flats, both with 3-phase. I now live in Norway, and here we don't have neutral, so we have 230v between phases and 115v between line and neutral. So here 3-phase is also standard, but to me used to 400v 3-phase the main fuses are huge. I mean, in a studio I have 3x50A, and in Sweden I had 3x16A.
I've read that the new colour scheme was supposed to be good for people who were colour blind, at everyone else's expense of course; but I've always suspected it was a fudge of existing standards, based on the drab colour schemes that were readily available in the past. The British colours were based on the now defunct red, yellow, blue colour theory, associated with paints. It's a pity they didn't go with the more modern colour theory of light. Red, Green, and Blue for the three Line phases; White for Neutral, to represent the combination of the three Line colours; and Black for the Protective Earth, to represent the absorption of all colours. It's easy to have indicator lights for Line(s) and Neutral. Plugs would be Red, White, and Black. Would a colour-blind person like you find it difficult to tell the plug wiring apart?
I'm only slightly colour-blind, only problems with reddish colours, so for me it would work great. But the most common "normal" colour-blindness is red-green, where the person can't tell those colours apart, so they might disagree. But I like your idea, it's easy to learn!
Andreas Nyman Have you ever used gel filters, or a camera phone app, to help distinguish between colours? If I was colour-blind, that's what I'd be looking at.
Andreas Nyman In North America, live is black, with red and blue as well in case more live wires are needed. Neutral is white, and earth is bare or green.
The way you speak is amusing. raising the pitch/tone at the end of every sentence you say. Do you speak like that all the time? like down at pub chatting about football with mates for example?
Thank you john, you are a great teacher. I have always wanted to understand electrical lighting cicuits and you bring much needed clarity to my knowledge on the subject. Best regards.
Dear John, -- I think important correction, You should be saying Red, YELLOW, BLUE which then become Brown Black Grey ... Granted this matters less in this specific (lighting) case as that usually relates to swapping over L1/L2, but still I think from point of view of discussing official colour change this is a problem. E.g. when talking 3-phases, this will reverse the phase-order... Essentially this is (as I see it) factually incorrect. Hope that helps!.
It's rare to find people who know their field very well but still can lecture to complete newbies without skipping important details or jumping back and forth etc. If everyone in the education business was this good the world would be a better place.
I had seen both method 1 (conduit) and method 2 (house style) and always wondered why would they even do that.. (yes, I am watching a video of something I already knew) Method 1 always seemed easier to understand and uses less cabling.. Why would anyone use method 2?? It wasn't until I seen the way that John drawn it I had the 'AHA' moment and noticed Method 2 works better when power goes to the light, but just before being wired in, the switch is (kinda) like a spur. (Not really, but it's how I am going to remember it) But Method 1 works when the power comes from Location A, gets a switch along the way, but the light is in Location B, and the light will just be connected to neutral in whatever way it wants.
Excellent video, thank you. When they changed the colours of wire, what was the rationalle behind the decision ? Like you pointed out, the colours they have chosen do not stand out from each other as the old colours. To me, a layman, it seems a step backward with regard to a H & S choice. The more different they are the less choice of getting mixed up....
If there were more than one lamp switched connected to each switch stage, i.e a Traveler circuit for a long hospital corridor. How would they be connected?
I should have revised this video this morning. What I thought would be a straightforward consumer unit upgrade had turned into a baptism of fire. Having to change all connection as neutrals were being switched instead of line, then on a two way light the Single core cables, all red, not descenrable from each other could not fathom what was going on, not getting readings as expected, one switch worked, other didn't, hair loss was inevitable till I plumbed for switch must be faulty. Unsurprisingly, switch was faulty. Lesson learned, go round checking all accessories before I start!!! So now we're leaving the EU, can we go back to our original colours, especially red, white and blue for 3 core, how patriotic. Oh yes, great videos John.
So the ceiling rose is the same as a junction box? What is confusing me is why in this video there is no neutral. If your lights are connected to the junction box already an you want to add a switch you have to run it to the junction box as well right? and not to the other switch like in this video. Any thoughts from anyone would be appreciated, I don't want it to go bang bang.
Hi John, Great set of videos thanks. I wonder if you can help I have 2 lights at separate ends of my dining room both controlled by a one gang one way switch. Would it be a massive job to install a two gang switch to control each light separately!
Hi there, your video is very helpful. I wonder if you could help me with a question. I recently installed a dimmer switch in a circuit with two switches to control the lights in a room from two different points. The dimmer is a 2-way switch and works fine. However, if the dimmer is off the other switch doesn't switch on the lights. On the other hand if the dimmer is on I can switch off the lights from the other switch, but can't switch them on again with the dimmer. According to the instructions it should work fine. I installed the same dimmer in other rooms and they work fine but they are only a single point which makes it simple.
Sorry John, you made a mistake. The old BLUE is now the new GREY and the old YELLOW is now the new BLACK. I know it makes no difference when it comes to lighting but when it comes to three phase, Colour matching is important as i'm sure you know.
a lot can depend on who's doing the fitting, with damned EU regulations changing so often, as I found out recently, its like change for the sake of change... & yes there are some who will argue in favour / against
Depends if you care which way the motor turns... BTW, there was a brief time when it was black, blue, brown and black. Yes, two blacks and one brown. Or maybe it was two browns and one black (my memory is dodgy and this was in the mid-80s). You were supposed to figure out which black was which (or maybe it was browns) by the lay in the cable. All in the name of allowing colour-blind people to wire up mains plugs at home. Which forced brown/blue to replace red/black and the ripples propagated upwards into 3-core+E, via a few transient colour schemes.
hi Matt thanks for replying. I will try to be specific. I can't figure out how applying the technique to my case. I have: three light points in my room and Switch 1: three gang that controls light 1,2 and 3 Switch 2: two gang that controls light 1 and light 2 Switch 3:two gang that controls light 1 and light 3. I think This amounts to 2 2-way switches + 1 3-way switch? I now know that I am doing wrong as the gangs in each switch box are "individual" and require some wiring between each of them, but I can't figure out how. If you can suggest some source covering multiple gangs, it would be great.
Thanks for this series. Cheeky request: Please could you do a video that combines the 2 way wiring and the ceiling rose wiring from Part 1? The light on our landing has a rose with 3 blues, 3 browns and 1 blue with brown sleeve + 1 brown. The switch on the landing has Com: black (brown sleeve), L1 two browns, L2 grey (brown sleeve) + blue (brown sleeve) The switch in the hall has Com: black (brown sleeve), L1 one brown, L2 one grey (brown sleeve) The switch wiring seems to match what's shown in the V3 section in this video th-cam.com/video/opoEswRp_jg/w-d-xo.html but I'd like to understand how those wires link up to the ceiling rose.
That last wiring example with the two switch setup I found to be just plain weird. I don't really think we use it in Canada. The other thing I found in another video was rating 2.5 mm2 wire at 26 amps. 2.5mm2 wire is between our 12awg and 14 awg wire. Where 14awg is the skinnier wire which is rated at 15 amp and 12awg is rated at 20 amp in Canada. The 15 amp circuit at 120 volts is the common one, whereas the 20 amp circuit is just coming into use for kitchen appliances, because the former standard was split 15amp circuit for kitchen use. The split circuit could actually give 240 volts across the two hot wires, so the duplex outlet was split - a joiner bar was broken off that connected the two hot terminals. A special two-pole breaker was used which turned off both hot lines simultaneously. Wiring for that outlet was white for neutral, black for one hot line and red for the other, or two separate cables with white and black. Ground(earth) in Canadian wiring is a bare copper wire usually or occasionally a green conductor. The split circuits met their demise with more use of the GFCI (RCD) outlets. So a 20 amp version of the outlet became available. Actually, the outlets were always rated at 20 amps, but a plug that is used on an item requiring 20 amps is slightly different, with the neutral pin being turned 90 degrees. The outlet is configured so it can take either the 15 amp or the 20 amp plug.
Hi John, I hope you are still doing your TH-cam videos, I have a question, I want to control five led wall lights, with individual switches, with two two way light switches, first of all, is this feasible and safe ( from the consumer unit, fused at six amps ) and secondly, this is off grid, do you think that this will work ok. Many thanks for any advice that you can give. I am now going to look through any other videos that you have posted. Once again, thank you.
Part 1 vid .. i came away with clear understanding. Part 2 vid .. i did not find so clear. Would love to say make yur vids clearer John but have been thru comments. Looks like its me not u. I need to rewatch .. suspect more complexity in this vid. Thanks anyway.
4:20. Not that unlikely, in my opinion, to want three places to control a light. In the house where I grew up we had a hall that could be enter from the front, the back, or from upstairs. There were no switches by the front door, but it could be controlled from the back or the top. When you entered from the front you had to stumble in the dark to the other end of the hallway This was the standard wiring for zillions of similar houses built and wired in the thirties, but it would have been much more convenient to have a switch at top and front and back. We did eventually get that, and I'll tell you a story about that if you look at my reply to this comment
When I was 9 or so we were rewired to upgrade the 1930's electrics after the power in my bedroom was condemned (it didn't have an earth, would you believe and when my parents called in an electrician for something else, that electrician explained why that matters.) That first spark gave a price for the job he had been called in for, and a price for a full rewire be done rather than fixing the immediate fault. Safety standards had moved on since the house was built and the rubber based insulation was not considered safe any more (or was past the end of its safe life perhaps?). He suggested not doing the piecemeal repair and charged a small call out for the advice, refundable if he got the rewire contract. He didn't actually get the full contract and I'll explain why. My father decided if it was going to be a big job he wanted several quotes. One of the other sparks that came was very friendly to me and started answering my incessant questions and wouldn't let Dad shut me up. Because I was already a precocious child, I asked the friendly electrician could we have three switches to control the hall lights instead I of just two. My Dad said "That's not possible, surely?" but the spark said "actually it is" and turning to me asked if I knew what the name of the extra switch was. I didn't, I just knew my friend's house had one line that. He said the extra switch was called an intermediate switch and promised to explain how it worked IF my parents gave him the work: looking at my Dad as he said that. Of course they did give him the job. I still don't know if his price was the best, but even if it was it's not why he got the job While he was working at our house he showed a natural desire to teach, but I only realised as an adult that that might also have been a useful sales technique when he came across proud parents ;) He not only honoured his promise but brought a 6V battery and a 6V bulb in a holder and wired it up for me to play with, using the real switches that were going to be installed in our house. It's simple: you already understand the two way switch, the intermediate just swaps over the wires that context the two way switches. And he never once complained when I followed him round asking questions. He even claimed he needed my help to turn the handle on the megger* though he sensibly wouldn't let me touch any of the real wires at any time. It's not a good habit, he said, for untrained people. *In the sixties a megger was powered by rotating a crank rather than internal batteries. At least his was. He explained what it did, too. Just goes to show that knowing the regs is only part of what gets the work. And my guess is that JW would get that sort of job for the same reason. To teach well you have to love doing it.
This really really confused me as a kid. I just couldn't figure out how two switches could control one light. That there could be other switch arrangements than a SPST type was a whole new concept the first time I took one to bits.
Hello Friend. I am in a project to make a cnc table. I still have to wire the race limit switches that go to the card. I have a diagram of the card and the limits. You can help me ? I can send it to you by email. I would greatly appreciate it
Sorry for the random question but are upstairs lights usually connected in series, in one, then out to next light? Noticed bathroom spots not working and room ceiling rose. Other room spots are working.. Could be bulbs but if one bulb goes does that mean rest of lights further down that circuit wont work?
Thanks for this John, helped me sort out a 'two way' switch that had been wrong for years. Gave me an idea for a video suggestion, any tips on how to figure out where old wires are going where in a building without ripping them all out of the wall?
Hi everyone I have a new vanity mirror in my bathroom I used twin and earth wire blue and brown in this country and ran the line from above the sink where the mirror is up the wall and across the ceiling to the main bathroom light There were 2 brown wires together going into a connector and the main bathroom light brown wire connected to it on the opposite side of the connector. And 2 blue wires together going into a connector and the main lights blue wire connected to these on the opposite side of the connector the same way as above. So I connected my new mirror light into the main bathroom lights side of the connector matching the colours brown to brown and blue to blue But now I can't switch the mirror light on and off without the main bathroom light being on What did I do wrong?? I know I probably worded this question way too much for you pros because I think this is a very simple task for you guys but is it just a matter of putting the neutral wire separate from the line coming in from the switch? And if so how do I do it? Many thanks for any advice I might get
lol! the WHITE wire....commonly used in thailand, it can be live or neutral or earth although if it starts out as an earth it wont be one when it reaches a socket. they rarely connect it past the consumer board.
thats very interesting i didnt realise you could use the two way switches backwards using three core cable. i have always used them in the tradional way but you need to use four core cable which you did not mention. two lives,neutral and earth. very clearly explained though. thanks
So useful 6 years later. I’m in college doing electrical installation and I’m always 1 step ahead because of your videos. Thank you so much!
JW I am not an electrician but like to learn and know how things work. I have tried for so long to understand how lighting circuits and especially two way lighting works. This series really explains it in plain simple English and is worth its weight in gold. Thank you so much for putting this up, along with your other content; it's brilliant. Keep it up mate and thanks again!
To be glued to the screen for half an hour while my brain fills with new knowledge. Its a rare talent to be able to provide that. Thankyou.
The rare ability of an individual to impart complicated instructions in its simplistic form to the masses ,most of whom like myself find this electrical world a mystery. Teachers out there please note , this is how you teach , now no longer a mystery , many thanks from a grateful student
Exactly
Mr Ward. You are an absolute gangster of the electrical education world. I absolutely love your videos. Thank you very much sir.
I'm so glad TH-cam recommended your channel to me. You are so knowledgable, I get to learn something new every time I watch your channel.:)
As an Aussie, I find the dead pan English delivery funny to listen to! But damn man, this is one of the best tutes I’ve ever seen. Well done!
@Christopher Clark - John is a legend. He was invited to lecture at a college and they almost made him smile. My favourite electrics guru.
Super clear videos. Much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to make and share them.
What a fantastic video. As a non-electrician I’ve never really considered how the circuits actually work. Any time I’ve had to replace a switch I’ve just continuity tested the switches and replaced like for like.
Recently started electrical installation in college and have found your videos invaluable. Thank you.
Thank You John. You simplified the complex one in details. Thanks from India🇮🇳.
I am South African and your dry English humour about mixing up the "dull" new colours to create a "big bang" tickled me. Beggars belief that .Gov implemented someone's dim idea to increase risk throughout UK by changing what wasn't broken?! I simply can't fathom that one. I have no problem grasping your very lovely lessons, though. Thank you! xox
Quite some years ago, I had a garage, with a single light, operated by a single switch by the rear door. I wanted to add a switch to be able to turn the light on from the main garage door. My then boss, tried various ways of explaining how to do this, but to no avail! I just didn't get it. This video has made it very clear how it should be done. If only the Internet and TH-cam had existed then, and I still had the garage.........!
This is best video I’ve watched this year. Thanks a lot Boss
Black and Blue. Red and Brown sauce. Good way to remember which corrosponds to which.
Thanks for the videos :)
Nice job JW , I had to replace the plastic switches on my hall, stairs and landing. Like all of the 3 story 'town' houses on my development - the 1st floor landing light IS controlled by an intermediate switch. Had I seen this video prior to doing that job, it would have saved much time and head scratching... thanks again
when john is drawing the system it shows the possible states, 1-way=2states,
and 4 states with the two-way example, good work john,
Mr Ward you are a fantastic teacher ! thank you .
I am obliged for your detailed yet clear guidance. Many thanks.
Brilliant videos. If you aren't already, I think you'd make an excellent tutor at a college.
I'd much sooner watch JW explanations than anything on the gogglebox - and often do.
I really like theses videos. They are made simple and very informative.
I love the dig at the end there , brilliant !
Excellent !! Appreciate you taking your time to clearly show exactly how things work ... great video
After looking at this instruction, I have managed to get the 2 way switch working in my garage. It was wired up incorrectly when the house was built 20 years ago. I just thought it wasn't meant to be two way. Thank you
Thanks a lot JW you are my favourite. I never skip your add. Good work keep it up.👍
It's a valuable lecture, many thanks
just started an electrical course, this is helpful thanks
Hi thank you for this video I'm not a qualified electrician but I know the basics and multiple way switching can get a bit confusing thank you so much for your video I always like your videos please keep them coming
Same here. I have been working with electrics since I was twelve but not paper qualified.
Brb just gonna make me a 52-switched light fitting :D
Cool. One switch for every week of the year makes a lot of sense
At around 17:00, an alternative way of understanding the intermediate switch is that in the parallel position the end switches are connected as before, whereas in the crossover position, it appears to each end switch that the other switch is in the opposite state than it really is. Thus on and off are interchanged when you move the intermediate switch.
This immediately makes the use of a fourth, or forty fourth, intermediate switch obvious. If there are an even number of crossovers they cancel out leaving the end switches working as before; of there are an odd number then it's as if there is a single crossover.
Whether you prefer my explanation or JW's is a matter of personal preference
good video, well presented. only pick up would be order of colours RED, YELLOW, BLUE to BROWN, BLACK, GREY just so not to get confused when wiring 3 phase.
Great video, clearly explained. Thank you
very very helpful jhon thanks
Another brilliant video
In Canada, the one way switches have an "on" position indicated on the switch handle, wheras the 2 way and intermediate ones don't. I'm not sure if the wiring code permits 2 way and intermediate switches to be used in one way applications.
Hi John
Just started my electrical course a couple of weeks ago and your videos are a massive help in understanding all the different parts involved. I was worried I wouldn't understand switches but you have made it so simple to comprehend,
Many thanks and keep up the good work. Its all very much appreciated.
Still a useful video 4 years later, as usual the clear and matter of fact style is both informative and practical - thanks JW 👍
Nice video ... good job
Love from Pakistan
that is the best explanation on 2 way and intermediate switching I have seen!
Thanks very much John.
So great and wonderful..
Thanks for a great lesson..
Love the sarcasm at the end. In the name of safety let’s swap all the cable colours around.
My house has a landing light controlled by 5 switches. One downstairs and one outside each of the 4 doors opening onto the said landing.
Thanks for a great video ,I think I may have learnt something Thanks
About the colouring, in Sweden red was earth a long time ago, and as a slightly colour blind person brown and red looks scary similar!
The other colours was White (N), Black (L1), Brown (L2), Grey (L3), so the same as the new EU-standard except neutral (and earth).
But looking at your videos I find it amusing that 3-phase seems to be so uncommon in the UK, in Sweden it's standard for houses and more or less standard for flats. I've lived in two different studio flats, both with 3-phase.
I now live in Norway, and here we don't have neutral, so we have 230v between phases and 115v between line and neutral. So here 3-phase is also standard, but to me used to 400v 3-phase the main fuses are huge. I mean, in a studio I have 3x50A, and in Sweden I had 3x16A.
I've read that the new colour scheme was supposed to be good for people who were colour blind, at everyone else's expense of course; but I've always suspected it was a fudge of existing standards, based on the drab colour schemes that were readily available in the past. The British colours were based on the now defunct red, yellow, blue colour theory, associated with paints. It's a pity they didn't go with the more modern colour theory of light. Red, Green, and Blue for the three Line phases; White for Neutral, to represent the combination of the three Line colours; and Black for the Protective Earth, to represent the absorption of all colours. It's easy to have indicator lights for Line(s) and Neutral. Plugs would be Red, White, and Black. Would a colour-blind person like you find it difficult to tell the plug wiring apart?
I'm only slightly colour-blind, only problems with reddish colours, so for me it would work great. But the most common "normal" colour-blindness is red-green, where the person can't tell those colours apart, so they might disagree.
But I like your idea, it's easy to learn!
Andreas Nyman Have you ever used gel filters, or a camera phone app, to help distinguish between colours? If I was colour-blind, that's what I'd be looking at.
Andreas Nyman c
Andreas Nyman In North America, live is black, with red and blue as well in case more live wires are needed. Neutral is white, and earth is bare or green.
very much appreciated. THANKYOU!!
Thank you! great video
FABULOUS... I would like to go back to college now with you as my lecture. 😁👍
The way you speak is amusing. raising the pitch/tone at the end of every sentence you say. Do you speak like that all the time? like down at pub chatting about football with mates for example?
Thank you john, you are a great teacher. I have always wanted to understand electrical lighting cicuits and you bring much needed clarity to my knowledge on the subject.
Best regards.
Dear John, -- I think important correction, You should be saying Red, YELLOW, BLUE which then become Brown Black Grey ... Granted this matters less in this specific (lighting) case as that usually relates to swapping over L1/L2, but still I think from point of view of discussing official colour change this is a problem. E.g. when talking 3-phases, this will reverse the phase-order... Essentially this is (as I see it) factually incorrect. Hope that helps!.
Yes, no idea why the order ended up as red-blue-yellow at the left side of the page.
I'd like to suggest you use the youtube text-overlay-facility to point this out briefly in the video, with many thanks!.
Excellent video...
Seriously why aren't lectures more like you? Everything seems a lot more simple than they were ever explained to me before
It's rare to find people who know their field very well but still can lecture to complete newbies without skipping important details or jumping back and forth etc. If everyone in the education business was this good the world would be a better place.
I know!
Agreed! Explanations are so easy to understand...
Thank you Sir ..... really helpful
Thank you: tremendously helpful.
Brown, Black, Grey... WHHHHYYYYY !?!?
This helped me understand how circuits with intermediate switches work. Thank you.
I had seen both method 1 (conduit) and method 2 (house style) and always wondered why would they even do that.. (yes, I am watching a video of something I already knew)
Method 1 always seemed easier to understand and uses less cabling.. Why would anyone use method 2??
It wasn't until I seen the way that John drawn it I had the 'AHA' moment and noticed
Method 2 works better when power goes to the light, but just before being wired in, the switch is (kinda) like a spur. (Not really, but it's how I am going to remember it)
But Method 1 works when the power comes from Location A, gets a switch along the way, but the light is in Location B, and the light will just be connected to neutral in whatever way it wants.
Very helpful.
Brilliant. Struggled with this for years and now totally clear. Thank you. 30 minutes of my day well spent.
Fantastic instructional mate! Your my go to to refresh and learn.
Keep up the fantastic work, it's greatly appreciated!
Excellent video, thank you. When they changed the colours of wire, what was the rationalle behind the decision ? Like you pointed out, the colours they have chosen do not stand out from each other as the old colours. To me, a layman, it seems a step backward with regard to a H & S choice. The more different they are the less choice of getting mixed up....
Alignment with IEC 60446, and later replaced with IEC 60445 which is used across Europe so that wire colours are the same everywhere.
If there were more than one lamp switched connected to each switch stage, i.e a Traveler circuit for a long hospital corridor. How would they be connected?
Cheers JW you’re great simple, clear and very helpful
I should have revised this video this morning. What I thought would be a straightforward consumer unit upgrade had turned into a baptism of fire. Having to change all connection as neutrals were being switched instead of line, then on a two way light the Single core cables, all red, not descenrable from each other could not fathom what was going on, not getting readings as expected, one switch worked, other didn't, hair loss was inevitable till I plumbed for switch must be faulty. Unsurprisingly, switch was faulty. Lesson learned, go round checking all accessories before I start!!! So now we're leaving the EU, can we go back to our original colours, especially red, white and blue for 3 core, how patriotic. Oh yes, great videos John.
Lee Greveson h
Yes! Patriotic sparkies I can handle.
No reverse from Europe, brexit or no-brexit, a group called CENELEC is quietly standardising all our electrics.
Make a video about solar panel syestem.......... Best Regards
From Pakistan......love you
So the ceiling rose is the same as a junction box? What is confusing me is why in this video there is no neutral. If your lights are connected to the junction box already an you want to add a switch you have to run it to the junction box as well right? and not to the other switch like in this video. Any thoughts from anyone would be appreciated, I don't want it to go bang bang.
A ceiling rose is kinda like a light fixture with a built in junction box
And in the UK the wire is generally run directly between the switches
3 days of going mad over some simple wiring and at 12:21 in this video at last I solved it. Many thanks
Very clear
Hi John, Great set of videos thanks. I wonder if you can help I have 2 lights at separate ends of my dining room both controlled by a one gang one way switch. Would it be a massive job to install a two gang switch to control each light separately!
Thanks
BEST EXPLANATION EVER. Now you know how logic gates work in computer chips kids. :)
Really you have got a talent to give lectures..we are looking at your video here in Iraq
You can turn you light on from fifty different switches ...lol!!
I wondered how you were going to do the grey.. well played sir!
Hi there, your video is very helpful. I wonder if you could help me with a question. I recently installed a dimmer switch in a circuit with two switches to control the lights in a room from two different points. The dimmer is a 2-way switch and works fine. However, if the dimmer is off the other switch doesn't switch on the lights. On the other hand if the dimmer is on I can switch off the lights from the other switch, but can't switch them on again with the dimmer.
According to the instructions it should work fine. I installed the same dimmer in other rooms and they work fine but they are only a single point which makes it simple.
Here in the U.S., what you call the 2-way switch, we call a 3-way switch and your intermediate switch a 4-way switch.
Sorry John, you made a mistake. The old BLUE is now the new GREY and the old YELLOW is now the new BLACK. I know it makes no difference when it comes to lighting but when it comes to three phase, Colour matching is important as i'm sure you know.
I always found phase rotation to be hit and miss even with the official colours.
Quite right, seems I have put the blue and yellow in the wrong order there.
mastergx1
a lot can depend on who's doing the fitting, with damned EU regulations changing so often,
as I found out recently, its like change for the sake of change... & yes there are some who will argue in favour / against
Depends if you care which way the motor turns...
BTW, there was a brief time when it was black, blue, brown and black. Yes, two blacks and one brown. Or maybe it was two browns and one black (my memory is dodgy and this was in the mid-80s). You were supposed to figure out which black was which (or maybe it was browns) by the lay in the cable.
All in the name of allowing colour-blind people to wire up mains plugs at home. Which forced brown/blue to replace red/black and the ripples propagated upwards into 3-core+E, via a few transient colour schemes.
Such a simple way of explaining how this works. Great work.
Muy bien esplicado thanks
One of my light switch are red blue and white, was driving me mad as to why, so thanks for explaining.
Thank you for not using marker on paper... until 23:30 that noise haunts me! Otherwise amazing information!
can you suggest any video at least half-as-good as yours to get the diagram right?
hi Matt thanks for replying. I will try to be specific. I can't figure out how applying the technique to my case. I have: three light points in my room and
Switch 1: three gang that controls light 1,2 and 3
Switch 2: two gang that controls light 1 and light 2
Switch 3:two gang that controls light 1 and light 3.
I think This amounts to 2 2-way switches + 1 3-way switch? I now know that I am doing wrong as the gangs in each switch box are "individual" and require some wiring between each of them, but I can't figure out how. If you can suggest some source covering multiple gangs, it would be great.
Thank you sir very very thank you I like you sir
Thanks for this series. Cheeky request: Please could you do a video that combines the 2 way wiring and the ceiling rose wiring from Part 1?
The light on our landing has a rose with 3 blues, 3 browns and 1 blue with brown sleeve + 1 brown.
The switch on the landing has Com: black (brown sleeve), L1 two browns, L2 grey (brown sleeve) + blue (brown sleeve)
The switch in the hall has Com: black (brown sleeve), L1 one brown, L2 one grey (brown sleeve)
The switch wiring seems to match what's shown in the V3 section in this video th-cam.com/video/opoEswRp_jg/w-d-xo.html but I'd like to understand how those wires link up to the ceiling rose.
What a talented instructor. Cheers.
That last wiring example with the two switch setup I found to be just plain weird. I don't really think we use it in Canada. The other thing I found in another video was rating 2.5 mm2 wire at 26 amps. 2.5mm2 wire is between our 12awg and 14 awg wire. Where 14awg is the skinnier wire which is rated at 15 amp and 12awg is rated at 20 amp in Canada. The 15 amp circuit at 120 volts is the common one, whereas the 20 amp circuit is just coming into use for kitchen appliances, because the former standard was split 15amp circuit for kitchen use. The split circuit could actually give 240 volts across the two hot wires, so the duplex outlet was split - a joiner bar was broken off that connected the two hot terminals. A special two-pole breaker was used which turned off both hot lines simultaneously. Wiring for that outlet was white for neutral, black for one hot line and red for the other, or two separate cables with white and black. Ground(earth) in Canadian wiring is a bare copper wire usually or occasionally a green conductor. The split circuits met their demise with more use of the GFCI (RCD) outlets. So a 20 amp version of the outlet became available. Actually, the outlets were always rated at 20 amps, but a plug that is used on an item requiring 20 amps is slightly different, with the neutral pin being turned 90 degrees. The outlet is configured so it can take either the 15 amp or the 20 amp plug.
Obligatory thank you comment as at this point I'm binging your videos
Hi John, I hope you are still doing your TH-cam videos, I have a question, I want to control five led wall lights, with individual switches, with two two way light switches, first of all, is this feasible and safe ( from the consumer unit, fused at six amps ) and secondly, this is off grid, do you think that this will work ok. Many thanks for any advice that you can give. I am now going to look through any other videos that you have posted. Once again, thank you.
Part 1 vid .. i came away with clear understanding. Part 2 vid .. i did not find so clear. Would love to say make yur vids clearer John but have been thru comments. Looks like its me not u. I need to rewatch .. suspect more complexity in this vid. Thanks anyway.
4:20. Not that unlikely, in my opinion, to want three places to control a light. In the house where I grew up we had a hall that could be enter from the front, the back, or from upstairs. There were no switches by the front door, but it could be controlled from the back or the top. When you entered from the front you had to stumble in the dark to the other end of the hallway
This was the standard wiring for zillions of similar houses built and wired in the thirties, but it would have been much more convenient to have a switch at top and front and back. We did eventually get that, and I'll tell you a story about that if you look at my reply to this comment
When I was 9 or so we were rewired to upgrade the 1930's electrics after the power in my bedroom was condemned (it didn't have an earth, would you believe and when my parents called in an electrician for something else, that electrician explained why that matters.)
That first spark gave a price for the job he had been called in for, and a price for a full rewire be done rather than fixing the immediate fault. Safety standards had moved on since the house was built and the rubber based insulation was not considered safe any more (or was past the end of its safe life perhaps?). He suggested not doing the piecemeal repair and charged a small call out for the advice, refundable if he got the rewire contract. He didn't actually get the full contract and I'll explain why.
My father decided if it was going to be a big job he wanted several quotes. One of the other sparks that came was very friendly to me and started answering my incessant questions and wouldn't let Dad shut me up. Because I was already a precocious child, I asked the friendly electrician could we have three switches to control the hall lights instead I of just two. My Dad said "That's not possible, surely?" but the spark said "actually it is" and turning to me asked if I knew what the name of the extra switch was. I didn't, I just knew my friend's house had one line that. He said the extra switch was called an intermediate switch and promised to explain how it worked IF my parents gave him the work: looking at my Dad as he said that.
Of course they did give him the job. I still don't know if his price was the best, but even if it was it's not why he got the job
While he was working at our house he showed a natural desire to teach, but I only realised as an adult that that might also have been a useful sales technique when he came across proud parents ;)
He not only honoured his promise but brought a 6V battery and a 6V bulb in a holder and wired it up for me to play with, using the real switches that were going to be installed in our house. It's simple: you already understand the two way switch, the intermediate just swaps over the wires that context the two way switches.
And he never once complained when I followed him round asking questions. He even claimed he needed my help to turn the handle on the megger* though he sensibly wouldn't let me touch any of the real wires at any time. It's not a good habit, he said, for untrained people.
*In the sixties a megger was powered by rotating a crank rather than internal batteries. At least his was. He explained what it did, too.
Just goes to show that knowing the regs is only part of what gets the work. And my guess is that JW would get that sort of job for the same reason. To teach well you have to love doing it.
This really really confused me as a kid. I just couldn't figure out how two switches could control one light. That there could be other switch arrangements than a SPST type was a whole new concept the first time I took one to bits.
Hello, I thank you very much for this video
"Intermediate" switches also known as "crossovers".
Well, that's what I was taught back in the seventies.
Hello Friend. I am in a project to make a cnc table. I still have to wire the race limit switches that go to the card. I have a diagram of the card and the limits. You can help me ? I can send it to you by email. I would greatly appreciate it
Wow! Thank you! 🤯
Sorry for the random question but are upstairs lights usually connected in series, in one, then out to next light?
Noticed bathroom spots not working and room ceiling rose. Other room spots are working..
Could be bulbs but if one bulb goes does that mean rest of lights further down that circuit wont work?
Thanks for this John, helped me sort out a 'two way' switch that had been wrong for years.
Gave me an idea for a video suggestion, any tips on how to figure out where old wires are going where in a building without ripping them all out of the wall?
Hi everyone
I have a new vanity mirror in my bathroom I used twin and earth wire blue and brown in this country and ran the line from above the sink where the mirror is up the wall and across the ceiling to the main bathroom light
There were 2 brown wires together going into a connector and the main bathroom light brown wire connected to it on the opposite side of the connector. And 2 blue wires together going into a connector and the main lights blue wire connected to these on the opposite side of the connector the same way as above.
So I connected my new mirror light into the main bathroom lights side of the connector matching the colours brown to brown and blue to blue
But now I can't switch the mirror light on and off without the main bathroom light being on
What did I do wrong??
I know I probably worded this question way too much for you pros because I think this is a very simple task for you guys but is it just a matter of putting the neutral wire separate from the line coming in from the switch? And if so how do I do it?
Many thanks for any advice I might get
lol! the WHITE wire....commonly used in thailand, it can be live or neutral or earth although if it starts out as an earth it wont be one when it reaches a socket. they rarely connect it past the consumer board.
thats very interesting i didnt realise you could use the two way switches backwards using three core cable. i have always used them in the tradional way but you need to use four core cable which you did not mention. two lives,neutral and earth.
very clearly explained though. thanks