Wiring a new delay switch

[Jon B80]

I need to replace a faulty light delay switch with a replacement. The current switch has 3 wires that must be several years old as all are red wires (one is marked with blue - perhaps from a more recent electrician?). 2 wires are going into the "com" switch and one into "on". I want to replace with a switch that has just a "live in" and "live out" terminal, therefore asks for only 2 wires and says not to fit an earth / neutral wire. Any suggestions for how to do this – I’m guessing I attach the red one from the “com” into “live in” and the one from “on” to the “live out” and then to tape up the blue labelled wire and not use it?! Advice would be appreciated!

 

[telectrix]

sounds about right, but a bit of trial and error is indicated.

 

[Jon B80]

Thanks Telectrix... and it's perfectly safe to just tape up and tuck away the "blue" wire?

 

[telectrix]

Thanks Telectrix... and it's perfectly safe to just tape up and tuck away the "blue" wire?

stick a single choc connector or a wago on it. by rights, you should also diss. the other end of it and connect both ends to earth if there is the facility to do so.

 

[westward10]

Why are you ditching the red Taped blue? If it is currently in with the other red in the common then in may well be a loop out to other lighting.

 

[Richard Burns]

As westward10 says even if it is sleeve blue it must be connected directly to another line conductor and so would trip the circuit breaker if it were a neutral conductor.
Test for voltage between the the cores and also to earth, both in the switch (off and on) and out of the switch, this should tell you which ones are which, I would expect that it is a loop supply and a switch wire so all live when the switch is on.

 

[HandySparks]

Your description is unclear.

The number of wires used is irrelevant. It's the number of terminals used that matters. If the original switch had wiring to two terminals, then connect the same wires into the two terminals on the new switch.