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
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!
I agree with the many comments below. Showing an electrical schematic clearly shows HOW and WHY each wire is connected to a specific terminal. Those vids that show just the wiring confuses people IMO. As an electrical engineer (retired) turned electrician I have always shown this type of schematic. I know they understand the connections after being confused. Great vid.
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.
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
I just fitted a second switch in my garage,-was fed up fumbling in the dark,-so I followed John's 2nd method[above] in this video,- works perfectly, easy to follow, so thanks John!
Thanks for this. Having spent a couple of hours trying to put light switches back on my 3 way set up, and not getting it to work, I now understand one of them needs to be an intermediate. After this solid understanding of the theory, it took 5 minutes to get it right.
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.
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 UA-cam had existed then, and I still had the garage.........!
One minor quibble. The phase rotation using the old colours was red, yellow, blue. You reversed yellow and blue on this video. A very clear explanation of switching arrangements. Students will be helped by this.
I always wanted to know how to add a second light switch to control the same light. Now I've found it with crystal clear instructions that even a dummy can overstand. Thanks a bunch for making this so clear.
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
My sparky is a drunk and he left me bunch of cables sticking out of the walls. Thanks to these "lighting" series I just managed to connect all sockets and switches. Much appreciate it.
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.
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.
Simply the clearest description and explanation of lighting switch connection I have ever seen ... but did I detect just the smallest hint of sarcasm towards the end there? Surely not! ;-) Thanks for your videos John, they are an invaluable resource!
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
Here in New Zealand, we use 1mm 3 core wire ( I forget the name of it), the colours are Red, White and Blue. The outer plastic insulation on the cable is yellow, It's a bugger of a thing to work with because it breaks all the time while stripping it. We also use 1mm for residential lighting as well
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.
This teaching is a topnotch, you made it so simple, I couldn't drop my phone till the end. truly you are a great Teacher, thanks to @Robert of Access Academy, another electrical guru who recommended your channel to us, his student.
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
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
I absolutely love all your videos. Clear, educational with easily understood, uncomplicated diagrams. One question I have: if you’re running the power from the consumer unit to the light switch and not the light, and you want the light to be 2way/3way, how are the switches wired. Many thanks.
Thank you John for your excellent explanations. I've just found the reason why my dining room light with two switches wasn't working and fixed it. A small thing, but very satisfying.
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.
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.
jw rocks again explaining stuff to simply, wish u were about when I was an apprentice in the early 80s. Still enjoy your videos 📹 john ( northern Ireland)
My mate was a time served electrician and he had to stop working due to ill health but he was always helping people out and one day asked me to take him to a friends house where the local residents association had rewired the house, he put the hall light on and the landing lights came on and vice versa and then the upstairs switch that turned the landing lights off and on didn’t work, the first thing he did was draw a diagram of how they should work and then had a look to see how it was wired, half an hour later and half a roll of wiring and it was sorted and the reason why we needed to rewire was he found a screw through the conduit and plastered over, me I made the tea I’d the most important job that day and it was a freebie
Hi John. Here in America we call your 2 way a three way switch and your intermediate is a 4 way here. The principal is the same here but we have to phase the neutral to split the 240 circuit at the main panel. Witch is your consumer unit. It's neat to see how you guys wire stuff there. You are very informative. Happy holidays to you . Thank you Mike.
In my building the upstairs light only turns on when the downstairs & upstairs switch is in down position. Rest of the combinations keep the upstairs light off. How should I determine which switch is bad, upstairs or downstairs switch? Thankful for explaining it so well.
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?
much appreciate ur work john.. there was a little mistake which doesnt matters to me as i know it being an electrical engineer graduate.. keep uploading more videos.. ur great
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.
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.
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?
John - thanks for these videos. The best I have seen so far. I get the concept but I don't quite get how to extend the concept to multi gangs. In my bedroom I want a 3-gang (1-main light, 2-bedside lamp A, 3- bedside lamp B) a 2-gang (1-main light, 2-bedside lamp A) and another 2-gang(1-main light,2, bedside lamp B). I can't find a way to wire all the 2-ways together. I understand that all of these will be 2-ways. However I can't get all the wiring diagram right.
If you don't mind me asking, where are the neutral and earth wires placed in this positions? Thank you very much for uploading these informative and helpful videos! Kind regards, George
Earth is taken to all points, light fittings and switches included. Neutrals can be take to the light fittings only, or to both the switches and the lights. Although the basic switches in this example don't require a neutral, it's useful to have a neutral there for installing smart switches in the future. N&E connections covered in this video: ua-cam.com/video/dnpV781c6Sw/v-deo.html
In the conversion method you instruct that the switch 1 connections should be connected to the corresponding switch 2 connections. For clarity, imagine a face: Switch 1's nose connects to switch 2's nose (common 1 to common 2). However, you have switch 1's "Left Eye" connected to Switch 2's "Right Eye". Is this correct? If it were "corresponding", the figure should look like this - : X : - with wires crossing over the common wire. Please clarify.
I have two-way switching in my bedroom - and there is a spare box by my side of the bed (there is a switch the other side). There is no wiring in the spare box or I would have looked into three-way switching. As it is I now have remotely controlled LED bulbs in both fittings, enabling control from my side of the bed.
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 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
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.
I agree with the many comments below. Showing an electrical schematic clearly shows HOW and WHY each wire is connected to a specific terminal. Those vids that show just the wiring confuses people IMO. As an electrical engineer (retired) turned electrician I have always shown this type of schematic. I know they understand the connections after being confused. Great vid.
3 days of going mad over some simple wiring and at 12:21 in this video at last I solved it. Many thanks
I am in the Philippines and am grateful that I can watch video from Mr John Ward an expert in electrical from the UK. Thanks sir.
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 👍
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
Mr Ward. You are an absolute gangster of the electrical education world. I absolutely love your videos. Thank you very much sir.
Recently started electrical installation in college and have found your videos invaluable. Thank you.
I just fitted a second switch in my garage,-was fed up fumbling in the dark,-so I followed John's 2nd method[above] in this video,- works perfectly, easy to follow, so thanks John!
Thanks for this. Having spent a couple of hours trying to put light switches back on my 3 way set up, and not getting it to work, I now understand one of them needs to be an intermediate. After this solid understanding of the theory, it took 5 minutes to get it right.
the king of electricity speaks! and we all listen and learn. well done and many thanks.
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.
Brilliant. Struggled with this for years and now totally clear. Thank you. 30 minutes of my day well spent.
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.
I love the dig at the end there , brilliant !
I'm so glad UA-cam recommended your channel to me. You are so knowledgable, I get to learn something new every time I watch your channel.:)
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 UA-cam had existed then, and I still had the garage.........!
One minor quibble. The phase rotation using the old colours was red, yellow, blue. You reversed yellow and blue on this video. A very clear explanation of switching arrangements. Students will be helped by this.
I always wanted to know how to add a second light switch to control the same light. Now I've found it with crystal clear instructions that even a dummy can overstand.
Thanks a bunch for making this so clear.
Love the sarcasm at the end. In the name of safety let’s swap all the cable colours around.
Thank You John. You simplified the complex one in details. Thanks from India🇮🇳.
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.
that is the best explanation on 2 way and intermediate switching I have seen!
My sparky is a drunk and he left me bunch of cables sticking out of the walls. Thanks to these "lighting" series I just managed to connect all sockets and switches. Much appreciate it.
Darek Michalak I’m trying to imagine what would be worse you or the drunk. Either way a recipe for disaster.
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.
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,
Super clear videos. Much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to make and share them.
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.
BEST EXPLANATION EVER. Now you know how logic gates work in computer chips kids. :)
Simply the clearest description and explanation of lighting switch connection I have ever seen ... but did I detect just the smallest hint of sarcasm towards the end there? Surely not! ;-)
Thanks for your videos John, they are an invaluable resource!
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
Such a simple way of explaining how this works. Great work.
Here in New Zealand, we use 1mm 3 core wire ( I forget the name of it), the colours are Red, White and Blue. The outer plastic insulation on the cable is yellow, It's a bugger of a thing to work with because it breaks all the time while stripping it. We also use 1mm for residential lighting as well
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.
Black and Blue. Red and Brown sauce. Good way to remember which corrosponds to which.
Thanks for the videos :)
FABULOUS... I would like to go back to college now with you as my lecture. 😁👍
This teaching is a topnotch, you made it so simple, I couldn't drop my phone till the end. truly you are a great Teacher, thanks to @Robert of Access Academy, another electrical guru who recommended your channel to us, his student.
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
Brilliant teacher, explained it simply without over complicating everything.
Extremely helpful. Covered a couple ways to wire a 2-way switch and I was able to fix the wiring someone else messed up. Thanks!!!!!!!
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
I'd much sooner watch JW explanations than anything on the gogglebox - and often do.
I absolutely love all your videos. Clear, educational with easily understood, uncomplicated diagrams.
One question I have: if you’re running the power from the consumer unit to the light switch and not the light, and you want the light to be 2way/3way, how are the switches wired. Many thanks.
Really you have got a talent to give lectures..we are looking at your video here in Iraq
Very informative. Second method of wiring 2 switches. Fantastic explanation
of the intermediate switch.
This is best video I’ve watched this year. Thanks a lot Boss
Thank you John for your excellent explanations. I've just found the reason why my dining room light with two switches wasn't working and fixed it. A small thing, but very satisfying.
Brilliant videos. If you aren't already, I think you'd make an excellent tutor at a college.
You single handedly are help me rewire my extension and garage that’s old and running none earthed black and red wires.
Obligatory thank you comment as at this point I'm binging your videos
Easy to understand information and hilarious dead-pan humour 😁
Thank you: tremendously helpful.
Brown, Black, Grey... WHHHHYYYYY !?!?
Fantastic instructional mate! Your my go to to refresh and learn.
Keep up the fantastic work, it's greatly appreciated!
Cheers JW you’re great simple, clear and very helpful
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.
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.
Wow. Superb. You taught me that means you can teach literally anyone. Thank you.
What a talented instructor. Cheers.
I LOVE YOUR DRY HUMOUR!
jw rocks again explaining stuff to simply, wish u were about when I was an apprentice in the early 80s. Still enjoy your videos 📹 john ( northern Ireland)
My mate was a time served electrician and he had to stop working due to ill health but he was always helping people out and one day asked me to take him to a friends house where the local residents association had rewired the house, he put the hall light on and the landing lights came on and vice versa and then the upstairs switch that turned the landing lights off and on didn’t work, the first thing he did was draw a diagram of how they should work and then had a look to see how it was wired, half an hour later and half a roll of wiring and it was sorted and the reason why we needed to rewire was he found a screw through the conduit and plastered over, me I made the tea I’d the most important job that day and it was a freebie
Love love love the wiring at 13min mark! That would save so much time!
Hi John. Here in America we call your 2 way a three way switch and your intermediate is a 4 way here. The principal is the same here but we have to phase the neutral to split the 240 circuit at the main panel. Witch is your consumer unit. It's neat to see how you guys wire stuff there. You are very informative. Happy holidays to you .
Thank you
Mike.
I am obliged for your detailed yet clear guidance. Many thanks.
Very useful many thanks life becoming easy thanks to You Tube and people like you
Explained better than most electricians here
Thank you! I now understand 2 way + intermediate lighting wiring.
In my building the upstairs light only turns on when the downstairs & upstairs switch is in down position. Rest of the combinations keep the upstairs light off. How should I determine which switch is bad, upstairs or downstairs switch? Thankful for explaining it so well.
Great and clear explanations. I also find it interesting that there's an organ in your workshop!
Thanks for taking the trouble of making these videos. Easy and clear to understand++
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.
Brilliant you are a true professional teacher
Mr Ward you are a fantastic teacher ! thank you .
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?
much appreciate ur work john.. there was a little mistake which doesnt matters to me as i know it being an electrical engineer graduate.. keep uploading more videos.. ur great
Old trolley system used to switch neutrals to save wire in. A knob and tube system.
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.
just started an electrical course, this is helpful thanks
Thanks a lot sir, I was searching for this and finally got it, May Allah bless you and show us the true path.
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.
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?
Absolutely the best, clearest description. Thanks
Thanks
John - thanks for these videos. The best I have seen so far. I get the concept but I don't quite get how to extend the concept to multi gangs. In my bedroom I want a 3-gang (1-main light, 2-bedside lamp A, 3- bedside lamp B) a 2-gang (1-main light, 2-bedside lamp A) and another 2-gang(1-main light,2, bedside lamp B). I can't find a way to wire all the 2-ways together. I understand that all of these will be 2-ways. However I can't get all the wiring diagram right.
It's really funny listening to you John. And very informative. Please keep making videos!
If you don't mind me asking, where are the neutral and earth wires placed in this positions?
Thank you very much for uploading these informative and helpful videos!
Kind regards, George
Earth is taken to all points, light fittings and switches included.
Neutrals can be take to the light fittings only, or to both the switches and the lights. Although the basic switches in this example don't require a neutral, it's useful to have a neutral there for installing smart switches in the future.
N&E connections covered in this video: ua-cam.com/video/dnpV781c6Sw/v-deo.html
excellent as usual Knows his stuff. and presentation giving understanding of the matter is 1st class. Thank You John
In the conversion method you instruct that the switch 1 connections should be connected to the corresponding switch 2 connections. For clarity, imagine a face: Switch 1's nose connects to switch 2's nose (common 1 to common 2). However, you have switch 1's "Left Eye" connected to Switch 2's "Right Eye". Is this correct? If it were "corresponding", the figure should look like this - : X : - with wires crossing over the common wire. Please clarify.
I have two-way switching in my bedroom - and there is a spare box by my side of the bed (there is a switch the other side). There is no wiring in the spare box or I would have looked into three-way switching. As it is I now have remotely controlled LED bulbs in both fittings, enabling control from my side of the bed.
Thank you John, that was really helpful 👍
I really like theses videos. They are made simple and very informative.
One of top lectures. I fully understood.Thank you very much.
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.
Finally two way switching makes sense. Thank you.
Brilliant an example for many lectures!