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williams83

Sorry if this is in the wrong part of the forum, let me know if so.

Hopefully someone can help.

I went to change the 1 way dimmer light switch in one of the rooms in my house, as it's a little faulty. As normal turned the breakers off for the lights, took the switch off then realised I only had an 2 way dimmer switch, so didn't end up replacing it. So I put the original switch back on.

I have now turned the breakers back on and for some odd reason all the lights work as normal expect for my lounge, kitchen and stairway lights??? Nothing has changed, everything is wired as should be and how it was, but cannot get the lights on in the three rooms as mentioned above. Can anyone help?
 
loose connection interrupting the feed out to the other lights.and you can use a 2 way dimmer as a 1 way switch. generally you have a common, L1 and L2. use common and either L1 or L2 for the switch.
 
Hum, you removed only one switch and now the circuit is faulty? This sounds a little odd to say the least.

Do you have any test kit?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well i thought I'd just pick up a single one way dimmer the week.

Yes murdoch, I literally took the switch off and ended up putting it back on. I even double checked the wiring and even switched around the l1 and com just to make sure. I'm just really confused as to why the three other rooms will not come on. Yet the switch i took off still works as normal.

Unfortunately no testers to hand.
 
Well i thought I'd just pick up a single one way dimmer the week.

Yes murdoch, I literally took the switch off and ended up putting it back on. I even double checked the wiring and even switched around the l1 and com just to make sure. I'm just really confused as to why the three other rooms will not come on. Yet the switch i took off still works as normal.

Unfortunately no testers to hand.
Can you actually see 1 cable enter the light switch box and then see the 2 x conductors (+earth)? As opposed to just 2 single conductors.
 
sounds like a job for superspark. i charge £45 + £1 per mile each way. hope you're not in essex. lol.
 
Can you actually see 1 cable enter the light switch box and then see the 2 x conductors (+earth)? As opposed to just 2 single conductors.

Hi driveman.

Yes. One feed comes into the switch (red, black + earth) all input and wired correctly. An auto electrician friend suggested maybe a bulb had blown, I didn't take thag into consideration as the lounge has 12 down lights on a 2 way switch, the kitchen had 8 led down lights and then the hallway is just a single light.
 
sounds like a job for superspark. i charge £45 + £1 per mile each way. hope you're not in essex. lol.

Lol, Birmingham based. This is actually a switch in my parents house, they always use the same electrician, although I usually do the basics (new lights/fittings and sockets) and nothing ever seems to go simple.
 
Hum, how many cables behind the switch?
 
Hum, how many cables behind the switch?

As far as I can see there is just one main cable coming into the switch, then again I can't see the outer sleeve of a main cable on the conductors, as if they were single. As normal there is no slack on these cables which I have found a lot of the house, minimum movement.
 
If there is just a live,switch line and earth at the dimmer then I dont see how it can affect unrelated lighting.....there must be more wires,or you have broken one off where it enters the box.
 
P.S - all the upstairs lights are fine. It's all the down stairs lights that are not working (other than the downstairs toilet and office) I am thinking perhaps a loose connection, but I don't see how they have become loose as I didn't pull or apply any tension in the light switch wires I changed the switch to.
 
How many circuit breakers feed lighting in the house?
 
Wirepuller - I am thinking the same, I don't think anything I have done has caused the problem. However for the sheer fact I changed the switch then the lights to not come back on makes me think it's me. There are definately no more wires coming into the switch only L, SL & E. I am always very careful when changing switches. I only had to losses the screws to remove the wires, and that's all I've done.

Handy - there are four cb's for the lighting. Upstairs, downstairs, lounge and office/toilets ( this was the extension onto the house so separate. Although one cb is labelled lounge lights it is in fact for the garage and hallway wall lights.
 
Handy - there are four cb's for the lighting. Upstairs, downstairs, lounge and office/toilets ( this was the extension onto the house so separate. Although one cb is labelled lounge lights it is in fact for the garage and hallway wall lights.

So, are all the failed lights on one circuit breaker, as far as you can tell?
 
Afraid to say this but unless you have some form of test equipment you are a bit stuck.
 
post your location and see if one of us is close enough to help you out.
 
Yes that's correct. All failed lights on one circuit.

It's hard to say when these had stopped working as no one turned any downstairs lights on or off for maybe a few hours before I changed the upstairs switch.

I am Birmingham based, but my in laws do have the same electrician they have used for years. We are just trying to see if we can solve the problem before calling in for help. Just in case it's something simple.

By any chance could the cb have failed? Even though it's in the ON position?

And as you say ideally need to get my hands on some test equipment.
 

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