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Been spending my time trying to sort out a intermediate switching problem at a customers house. The problem i have is that the intermediate is wired what i what i thought was correctly but the switchs only work if you change the postion of the intermediate switch to then operate the 2ways. Effectivly you have two 2way switches. When investigating i found that the one 3 core from the intermdiate switch to the last 2way had 230v between p-e from the downstairs circuit.(intermdiate is on upstairs circuit.) I therefore assumed that there was a link between the 2. I managed to get a few floor boards up and found the 3 core and it just seems to go from the 2way to the inermediate. I disconnected both ends checked r1+r2 and i/r all good. Still got more to check but was wondering if there was any suggestion as to why there was 230v on this cable as i cannot find a link, as far as i can tell apart from a small section of the stairs i have not manged to have the carpet up yet. When i isolate at ccu the hallway lights will only be dead if i turn off both mcb. Racking my brains at the moment as i have been working my way through he circuits but at the moment it is all testing out fine. I know you will probaly say yes there is a link between feeds and i will have to find it but if anyone has any alternative suggestions. I would greatly appreciate it.
 
check and make sure the customer ain't been messing. i had one who'd replaced the switches with posh stainless ones. all done correctly except that he'd used a D/P switch instead of an intermediate.
 
isit possible that someone has added another light upstairs but linked it onto the downstairs , at the top of stairs

install a sensor, its a bilding reg, and walk
 
When you say p-e do you mean protective earth? because any live line conductor would have 230V to any earth.

However check at the switches with a continuity tester to see what is happening at the intermediate switch, one to check it is not a 2 way with a blind terminal (odd) or that the intermediate is not crossing over.
 
I would hazard a guess that one of the 3-core cables at either 2way switch has got the common and strappers crossed over during connection.....resulting in the intermediate switch actualy switching 1 strapper and common instead of the 2 strappers.
 
Is the mains and the light wire either end or are they both at one end and just the live linked through the switches ? Someone mentioned a diagram it would be good as there are different ways to wire them and I am sure among us we can work it out.
 

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