Thanks for this vid. I dont want to come across as a dick, however just saying "ensure metal light switches are earthed" kind of defeats the object for people who have no idea how this is done. You could've made the video an extra 30 seconds longer and included this vital information.
That's just what I was going to ask. Surely there should be some sort of earth cable, however this is not present in the video? I'm sure earthing is vital for safety.
Thank you so very much for this video. Didn't have to wait for the hubby to replace the faulty light switch. The tip about taking a picture before disconnecting the wires was also a great help. God bless! 🙂👍🌟
Thank you so much for this! I was thinking to just get cover plates because I was scared to open it up and change it, but this was so simple and you gave me the confidence to try it for myself!
Such an easy and informative video - thank you! It's great to know how to do these small DIY tasks to avoid paying a fortune for someone else to do them :)
Mate that's brilliant. All covered, including safety tips, and with humour, in under two minutes. Fantastic. Thank you. But hold on. I just listened to the very end and heard you upload recipes too! I can't wait to try some of those as well. Double thanks!
You need to attach the earth wire (yellow and green) to the metal box behind the socket. Just pop a screw in and make sure the wire is secured to the screw and touching the metal at the back. X
I looked at quite a few videos before finding yours (I’m glad I did) its way in the head better than all the others very well put together, concise and some good tips to keep up the good work
you made it look so easy! the replacement kit had screws which didn’t fit properly and i had to strip one of the wires to ‘fatten up’ the contact for the screw to hold it in place. the replacement kit didn’t sit flush against the wall either, whereas the original one did. i should have been more precise on selecting the replacement… they all looked about the same to me 🙄
Extra info for those who don’t know which “1 way or 2 way swicher “ to buy. You can use a two way switch for one way switching. Just ignore the L2 terminal. Some switches will actually come two way as standard for use as both. ✨🌸
What does it mean "ensure metal light switches are earthed"? How am I supposed to know what this means? He spends half his time checking that the power is off, then rushes through the actual explanation.
It’s generally a term electricians use that means “protected from electric shock”. Earth relates to the green and yellow wire and there should be a terminal in the light switch where the green and yellow wire should be screwed into.
I'm doing up my apartment before I move full time into my house. I did take a picture ages ago but can't find it. I don't know if the wires are wrong at the ceiling rose or the light switch, my bathroom/kitchen & hall work but my living room & bedroom don't. The wires go from my living room to the bedroom. All that is behind the wall switch is 3 reds, one ofcehich goes through the wall into the bedroom. Should that be in the L1 - L2 or the con? I can't tell where the other two are coming from, but I assume the ceiling. I have the other 2 reds in the L2 & nothing in the L1. Could you guide me please?
Hi great video many thanks can I ask I.m looking to change from plastic to metal light switches would I have to earth the switch cover? many thanks paul
I have tried following videos like this but my socket appears to have too many wires than the instructions state I need so am abit confused as to which ones I need to use.
@@snowwhite4946 Yep, I survived lol. All went well. However, I had to turn the whole fuse box off to be safe and this seems to have blown the power adaptor in one of our computers when I turned the electricity back on. Not a big deal - just had to buy another adaptor, but will remember to turn off the computers before I flick the 'off' switch. But it would have cost me a whole lot more to get an electrician in to do this job, so still saved myself a bit of money.
Hey Warren, new sub here - does the double switch work the same way? it is double wires or does it just look like two separate switch wiring? I don't know if I am explaining myself well. What is the difference between a single switch wiring and double switch wiring?
Changed all the switches casings from plastic to brushed stainless steel. Lost the cables in the wall cavity and had to call an electrician to retrieve them. He advised that all the switches should be earthed in case a casing ever became live. There is no earth wire evident in the patras. Does the house need to be re wired to earth the lights only? I don't see you attach the earth wire in this video?
iirc, The earth wire is already attached to the metal casing in the wall cavity. So I assume when you screw the switch back on to the brackets, the fascia should be earthed.
If you are changing from plastic front to metal, the metal front also should be earthed because if you take the front off when you are decorating the metal is still earthed, so there wont be any accidents.
In the light switch there should be an earth cable which is screwed into a terminal in the metal back box. This will give you a mechanical connection from the terminal at the back to the front plate of the light switch as metal conducts electricity. If there is no earthing cable in your light switch i would consult an electrician
What do I do if the plate at the back is metal and earthed and my new light switch is metal but there’s no second earth cable? Do I need to attach another earthing cable to the exiting one to screw into light switch or will it be okay because the actual metal plate at the back holding the wires is earthed? Currently changing my light switches and sockets and a bit stuck as there’s mixed opinions out there. Cheers
I have the same exact light switch and he button has fallen off. It won’t go back in as easy, do you suggest me to unscrew the whole thing and insert the button for the switch? 🤔
Hi I want to put a light switch in attic at the moment there is a socket and light bulb I have to use extension cable to plug light in, can I attach a switch to this instead of socket? Thanks
Hi Warren. Thanks for the video. I was wondering if the instructions would be any different if the switch is a double one? With controls for two different lights?
It looks very easy nice and clean and quick. But we all know it never works like that in real life. What is probably going to happen is that the new light switch you've bought has screw holes which don't line up with the old ones how can you prevent that happening in the first place. any tips?
that's really not my point. my point, a small passing comment , was that there is always a difference between the theory and the practice in the real world. The real world often throws up problems we need to get round. everyone knows this
Question? I want to change my light switch but the new one I bought has a completely different set up on the back, the one currently has 4 areas for wires to be inserted, where as the one I bought only had 3, is there an way to know where the wires should be placed in my new switch? Cheers
Hi Warren, can I replace a light switch with a switch for original light plus a switched outlet (socket), so basically have in total 2 switches (one for original light on off function) and one to control the new socket?
Hi,I’ve just moved house and there is a what looks like a second light switch on the other side of my living room but it’s not got the switch on it,it just got a bare switch plate on it,,I’ve unscrewed it and it’s got 1 cable in it that’s been cut so there’s no copper sticking out,, it’s 1 cable with 2 reds and an earth,,does this sound like a light switch cable and how would I wire it up,,cheers buddy
Hi, thanks for the video and the content on the channel. Do you have a video like this showing how to replace a one gang swith with a two gang switch so each switch controls different lights independently instead of one switch turning them all?
I want to try this but have a fear of electrocution lol. Even if I switched off the mains I'd be worried about electrocuting myself. I want to change two of these plate sockets in my bedroom because they're old and scruffy
Why do metal light switches have an earth? Do you need to use this what could happen if you don’t, I don’t see the earth connection in plastic switches
It's because metal conducts electricity. If a wire came lose from the swith connection and touched the metal casing, you'd get electrocuted if you touched it. The earth connection on metal switches introduces a safety element if this were to happen.
You need to use some earth cable and attach it from the earth connection on the metal back box to the earth terminal on the faceplate. If you don't earth it and the live wires come detached and touch the back of the faceplate you will get a shock
@ewanok neutral wire doesnt have to not be there - in fact if its line feed into the box its common just to bring neutrals lines and cpcs in and put neutreals in a connector or a wago
You'll notice that the plate screws have a little unthreaded bit at their tip. This is there deliberately to help them locate in the threaded holes in the patress. Putting them in can be fiddly. The easiest way to locate each of the two switch plate screws and get their threads started is to push them all the way home in the plate and hold them there with your driver in their slot to keep them there ready as you look in the gap to locate them; one at a time, obviously. This way, you're not locating it and having it drop out of position just as you put the driver in the slot. This can be a fiddly job with any technique if the screws are quite short and the patress is deep in the wall, as there's no gap to spy if they're located properly. You can get longer ones from electrical suppliers if necessary.
Not as useful as I thought, as the video does not for example explain what the different labels (e.g., L1, L2, COM) on the back of the light switch mean. Even in UK there seem to be variants and this is what I wanted to better understand. The obviosities (e.g., turn of electricity, unscrew the screw, look at the cables) are always easy to cover but I do not think that anybody watches a video for that...
Successfully changed my light switch thanks to this video. I'm so proud of myself lol. 👍🏽
Yeh but can you cook?
@@mandeepsekhon i cooked a slice of toast once
@@mandeepsekhon
Why does that matter?
G -wiz coz she’s a mahfackin bitch yo. And bitches stir eggs 🍳 whip it whip it
Benn2k10 I tried but injured my elbow
Thanks for this vid. I dont want to come across as a dick, however just saying "ensure metal light switches are earthed" kind of defeats the object for people who have no idea how this is done. You could've made the video an extra 30 seconds longer and included this vital information.
So eh.. How do I ensure metal light switches are earthed?
So lots of people might change from plastic to metal and forget the earthed bit because it was skimmed over.
That's just what I was going to ask. Surely there should be some sort of earth cable, however this is not present in the video? I'm sure earthing is vital for safety.
Yeah, more info on this please. How do I earth it? What does that mean?
Quick Tip - Google / TH-cam "how do I ensure metal light switches are earthed" - you can even copy and paste from your own comment.
Used this video as a tutorial and did the job. Didn't die, so clearly good advice. Cheers Warren.
This is very reassuring, thanks for commenting - I'm deadly serious.
Wow... Is she impressed with me, I`m on a winner tonight. Thanks to you . Cheers.
Thank you so very much for this video. Didn't have to wait for the hubby to replace the faulty light switch. The tip about taking a picture before disconnecting the wires was also a great help. God bless! 🙂👍🌟
Thank you so much for this! I was thinking to just get cover plates because I was scared to open it up and change it, but this was so simple and you gave me the confidence to try it for myself!
best instructions I found for changing light switch. Others skip some important steps for those who have no idea like me. You are a good teacher.
Such an easy and informative video - thank you! It's great to know how to do these small DIY tasks to avoid paying a fortune for someone else to do them :)
Mate that's brilliant. All covered, including safety tips, and with humour, in under two minutes. Fantastic. Thank you. But hold on. I just listened to the very end and heard you upload recipes too! I can't wait to try some of those as well. Double thanks!
Thanks Warren! I followed your instructions to the letter and everything worked first time.
you said "ensure metal light switches are earthed" and didn't tell me how to do this. Quite crucial
just chuck some soil in there. Hope this helps
@Jay So funny then.
@Jay No, it would be funny
You need to attach the earth wire (yellow and green) to the metal box behind the socket. Just pop a screw in and make sure the wire is secured to the screw and touching the metal at the back. X
Thank you Warren! Love how you added some humour to your video to make it more interesting too ☺️❤️
Quick, informative, covers safety and making sure you take a note of the current configuration. Good vid
Thanks Warren - your video really helped be undo the problem I created in my house by wiring the switch backwards :)
I looked at quite a few videos before finding yours (I’m glad I did) its way in the head better than all the others very well put together, concise and some good tips to keep up the good work
you made it look so easy!
the replacement kit had screws which didn’t fit properly and i had to strip one of the wires to ‘fatten up’ the contact for the screw to hold it in place. the replacement kit didn’t sit flush against the wall either, whereas the original one did. i should have been more precise on selecting the replacement… they all looked about the same to me 🙄
Did this in minutes without blowing myself up. I switched off at the main switch to make sure. Cheers.
Extra info for those who don’t know which “1 way or 2 way swicher “ to buy.
You can use a two way switch for one way switching. Just ignore the L2 terminal. Some switches will actually come two way as standard for use as both. ✨🌸
Thanks for the additional help.
J
I was wondering why my new switch had a L2 when its only a 1 way switch! Thankyou for commenting that or id have been boggled for ages x
What does it mean "ensure metal light switches are earthed"? How am I supposed to know what this means? He spends half his time checking that the power is off, then rushes through the actual explanation.
It’s generally a term electricians use that means “protected from electric shock”. Earth relates to the green and yellow wire and there should be a terminal in the light switch where the green and yellow wire should be screwed into.
It's also not clear in the video that he actually did earth his metal faced switch. It's a really unhelpful video.
Ensure metal light switches are erthed, important part really..how is this done
Thats what i was wondering
Me too. Only reason I’m watching this!
Just leave that part out, thanks 😂
@@GrumpysWorkshop4 The earth wire goes into the earth terminal on the back of the metal light switch plate.
Get a plastic one
Thanks for posting this video 😍 p.s you have a nice and calm relaxing voice ☺️
Had to change my first switch today. Made this very simple for me. Thanks!
Terrific vid. Clear and to the point. You saved me 100 pounds! Thank you.
£100 someone quoted you?
Damn..
Very, very helpful! 10 minutes and it was done!
Really helpful and easy to follow. Light switch successfully changed!!
Hurrah great news.
this was helpful. My kitchen switch plate just broke on me there, I live in an NIHE apartment after all, say no more. I know what to do, Thanks :)
Woo I did it. Just got the Mrs to hold up a torch on my phone because I couldn't see crap lol. Mine was a 2 way 1 gang switch.
Great to hear. Congratulations.
THIS is one super useful video, thanks!
This is excellent. So simple to follow, no faff!
Great, glad you found it helpful.
This worked like a charm! Thanks!
I'm doing up my apartment before I move full time into my house. I did take a picture ages ago but can't find it. I don't know if the wires are wrong at the ceiling rose or the light switch, my bathroom/kitchen & hall work but my living room & bedroom don't. The wires go from my living room to the bedroom.
All that is behind the wall switch is 3 reds, one ofcehich goes through the wall into the bedroom. Should that be in the L1 - L2 or the con? I can't tell where the other two are coming from, but I assume the ceiling. I have the other 2 reds in the L2 & nothing in the L1.
Could you guide me please?
Please could you do a 4 Gang Light switch replacement? Cannot see a video for this on youtube (for uk).
Hi great video many thanks can I ask I.m looking to change from plastic to metal light switches would I have to earth the switch cover? many thanks paul
Might be a silly question but how do you tell if it's a 1 way or 2 way?
so many great little tips in one. Thanks.
You're most welcome.
I have tried following videos like this but my socket appears to have too many wires than the instructions state I need so am abit confused as to which ones I need to use.
Agreed.
So what do I do to correct an upside working switch...I mean when the light switch seems to be Pressed the wrong way in when it is ON or OFF?
Thanks. I need to do this and found your video helpful. Good tip about the photo. If I am not electracuted in the process, I will update this post!
Philip Cowan How did it go? ;)
@@snowwhite4946 Yep, I survived lol. All went well. However, I had to turn the whole fuse box off to be safe and this seems to have blown the power adaptor in one of our computers when I turned the electricity back on. Not a big deal - just had to buy another adaptor, but will remember to turn off the computers before I flick the 'off' switch. But it would have cost me a whole lot more to get an electrician in to do this job, so still saved myself a bit of money.
Hey Warren, new sub here - does the double switch work the same way? it is double wires or does it just look like two separate switch wiring? I don't know if I am explaining myself well. What is the difference between a single switch wiring and double switch wiring?
cheers mate did it myself after watching
Great to hear!
did you earth it?
I tried this but slipped and broke my legs back and arm
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Tit
Lol
Hope you're okay
Glad I found yr video, I did this but now my light won't turn on? Any suggestions please? My wiring is also old like yr video thank you
Serious question, my metal light switch gets hot when on and Buzz's, I know it's F'd but would replacing the switch fix the problem normally?
Warren, my light switch has different names for the terminals. I.e
Old one has COM, 1 way, Loop
New one has, COM, L1, L2
Thoughts?
Thanks Warren 👍🏼
Great vid! Super helpful 👍
Changed all the switches casings from plastic to brushed stainless steel. Lost the cables in the wall cavity and had to call an electrician to retrieve them. He advised that all the switches should be earthed in case a casing ever became live. There is no earth wire evident in the patras. Does the house need to be re wired to earth the lights only? I don't see you attach the earth wire in this video?
iirc, The earth wire is already attached to the metal casing in the wall cavity. So I assume when you screw the switch back on to the brackets, the fascia should be earthed.
If you are changing from plastic front to metal, the metal front also should be earthed because if you take the front off when you are decorating the metal is still earthed, so there wont be any accidents.
In the light switch there should be an earth cable which is screwed into a terminal in the metal back box. This will give you a mechanical connection from the terminal at the back to the front plate of the light switch as metal conducts electricity. If there is no earthing cable in your light switch i would consult an electrician
Very useful thanks
What do I do if the plate at the back is metal and earthed and my new light switch is metal but there’s no second earth cable? Do I need to attach another earthing cable to the exiting one to screw into light switch or will it be okay because the actual metal plate at the back holding the wires is earthed? Currently changing my light switches and sockets and a bit stuck as there’s mixed opinions out there. Cheers
I have the same exact light switch and he button has fallen off. It won’t go back in as easy, do you suggest me to unscrew the whole thing and insert the button for the switch? 🤔
1:08 And what if the old and new switches have different markings?
Hi I want to put a light switch in attic at the moment there is a socket and light bulb I have to use extension cable to plug light in, can I attach a switch to this instead of socket? Thanks
Thank you very much, But i forgot to take the photo so i will now blow myself up, thank you BUMS UP.
This really helped me
Hi Warren. Thanks for the video. I was wondering if the instructions would be any different if the switch is a double one? With controls for two different lights?
How do I go from a dimmer to a normal switch? Please help. There's a weird extra wire in the back.
I know this might sound stupid but how do you earth a metal switch?
It looks very easy nice and clean and quick. But we all know it never works like that in real life. What is probably going to happen is that the new light switch you've bought has screw holes which don't line up with the old ones how can you prevent that happening in the first place. any tips?
The screw holes are a standard distance apart on every light switch
@@agicorn6379 all over the world?
@@Ana_crusis I mean throughout the UK which is where this video is for
that's really not my point. my point, a small passing comment , was that there is always a difference between the theory and the practice in the real world. The real world often throws up problems we need to get round. everyone knows this
@@agicorn6379 I don't think they are actually but...
Your wires are red and black instead of brown and blue, hmm wiring might be a bit old, but good video
+Tanzil That's correct. It's and old house so more modern day wiring will be a different colour.
Thank you. Just saved me from electrocuting myself.
Question? I want to change my light switch but the new one I bought has a completely different set up on the back, the one currently has 4 areas for wires to be inserted, where as the one I bought only had 3, is there an way to know where the wires should be placed in my new switch? Cheers
Sounds like you have got an intermediate switch. Can still be used though
Is it easy 2 apply an earth cable if my wiring is a loop
Isn't it best practice to be using insulated screwdrivers for this job? You know, just in case.
Hi Warren, can I replace a light switch with a switch for original light plus a switched outlet (socket), so basically have in total 2 switches (one for original light on off function) and one to control the new socket?
I would like to change my white light covers to chrome, and have seen some covers that are thicker than others. Is the reconfiguration the same?
Would have been better to show you doing the earth wire
exactly
Cheers good video 👍
What if I want to remove the light switch? How would I do this because I have a wireless light switch
If it’s Philips I think they have a case you can mount over it
Also make sure all of bare wire is pushed in to terminal
Awesome stuff!
Hi,I’ve just moved house and there is a what looks like a second light switch on the other side of my living room but it’s not got the switch on it,it just got a bare switch plate on it,,I’ve unscrewed it and it’s got 1 cable in it that’s been cut so there’s no copper sticking out,, it’s 1 cable with 2 reds and an earth,,does this sound like a light switch cable and how would I wire it up,,cheers buddy
You can use a two way switch for one way switching. Just ignore the L2 terminal. Some switches will actually come two way as standard for use as both.
Thanks man!!!!
Hi, thanks for the video and the content on the channel. Do you have a video like this showing how to replace a one gang swith with a two gang switch so each switch controls different lights independently instead of one switch turning them all?
Thank you
Perfect, thanks.
You're welcome.
Thanks mate great video,
Cheers- very helpful!
All the wire are in red just like Singapore. May I know which is the neutral wire? I thought of changing to TP link Wi-Fi switch. Can that be done?
8899friend if you have a Neutral wire then yes
really helpful, thank you :)
I want to try this but have a fear of electrocution lol. Even if I switched off the mains I'd be worried about electrocuting myself. I want to change two of these plate sockets in my bedroom because they're old and scruffy
about to embark on fixing my kitchen switch after watching this clip... here goes nothing
How did you earth it ?
Why do metal light switches have an earth? Do you need to use this what could happen if you don’t, I don’t see the earth connection in plastic switches
It's because metal conducts electricity. If a wire came lose from the swith connection and touched the metal casing, you'd get electrocuted if you touched it. The earth connection on metal switches introduces a safety element if this were to happen.
Nice 👍🏻
i have a a plastic now changing to metal like yours how do i earth it mate
You need to use some earth cable and attach it from the earth connection on the metal back box to the earth terminal on the faceplate. If you don't earth it and the live wires come detached and touch the back of the faceplate you will get a shock
thank you
can i do this without turning mains off
yes Alex if you want to be electrocuted, c'mon min!
Earthed? What does this mean?
Legend
my old switch has a neutral wire thats not connected, do i need to connect it to my new switch?
@ewanok neutral wire doesnt have to not be there - in fact if its line feed into the box its common just to bring neutrals lines and cpcs in and put neutreals in a connector or a wago
He never earthed the socket to the metal switch. He only mentioned it as if a newbie supposed to know how to do it. Go and find another video people
Cheers for that steve
Thankyou 👊
You'll notice that the plate screws have a little unthreaded bit at their tip. This is there deliberately to help them locate in the threaded holes in the patress.
Putting them in can be fiddly.
The easiest way to locate each of the two switch plate screws and get their threads started is to push them all the way home in the plate and hold them there with your driver in their slot to keep them there ready as you look in the gap to locate them; one at a time, obviously.
This way, you're not locating it and having it drop out of position just as you put the driver in the slot.
This can be a fiddly job with any technique if the screws are quite short and the patress is deep in the wall, as there's no gap to spy if they're located properly. You can get longer ones from electrical suppliers if necessary.
All by myself 😍
Not as useful as I thought, as the video does not for example explain what the different labels (e.g., L1, L2, COM) on the back of the light switch mean. Even in UK there seem to be variants and this is what I wanted to better understand. The obviosities (e.g., turn of electricity, unscrew the screw, look at the cables) are always easy to cover but I do not think that anybody watches a video for that...
Very informative
Thanks.
It was too fast, not enough on why you had two RED wires in the UK plug that should have different colours.
How come all of the wires are RED ?????
Can someone pls tell me how to earth?
Soooo.....I've just paid some Ody 150 quid to do this on four light switches.... I'm a mug.