We have an outside passage light which is controlled by an outside
switch and an indoor switch - it can be switched on or off by either
switch - I think this is called a 2-way switch?

I'm fed up with the number of times the outside light is left on all
night.

Is it possible to get a switch which you can push to switch the light
on, and which will automatically switch off say 5 minutes later. I'm
sure I saw something like this many years ago - it was a circular
button which you pushed in and it slowly moved outwards and switched
the light off again after a couple of minutes.

This sort of thing would be ideal, but I'm not sure if they are still
available. And more importantly I'm not sure how this would work with 2
switches controling the same light.

Any ideas?

Columbus time lag switch

available for flu's and std lamps

Wiring diagram usually enclosed [you just change wiring connections]
IIRC
Each switch then just works as 'push on...timed off'

HTH


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On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 17:49:37 UTC, wrote:

We have an outside passage light which is controlled by an outside
switch and an indoor switch - it can be switched on or off by either
switch - I think this is called a 2-way switch?

I'm fed up with the number of times the outside light is left on all
night.

Is it possible to get a switch which you can push to switch the light
on, and which will automatically switch off say 5 minutes later. I'm
sure I saw something like this many years ago - it was a circular
button which you pushed in and it slowly moved outwards and switched
the light off again after a couple of minutes.

You can still get these; they're pneumatic. There are also electronic
versions.

Two way is tricky, but if they're going to go off in 5 minutes, just
wire them in parallel. The existing cabling will be able to handle that,
with a wire to spare.

The other issue is weatherproofing. I haven't seen one suitable for real
'outside'.
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wrote in message
ups.com...
We have an outside passage light which is controlled by an outside
switch and an indoor switch - it can be switched on or off by either
switch - I think this is called a 2-way switch?

I'm fed up with the number of times the outside light is left on all
night.

Is it possible to get a switch which you can push to switch the light
on, and which will automatically switch off say 5 minutes later. I'm
sure I saw something like this many years ago - it was a circular
button which you pushed in and it slowly moved outwards and switched
the light off again after a couple of minutes.

This sort of thing would be ideal, but I'm not sure if they are still
available. And more importantly I'm not sure how this would work with 2
switches controling the same light.

Any ideas?


TLC is your friend:
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Wiring_Accessories_Menu_Index/Timers_Index/Timers_Time_Delay/index.html

Peter

Bob Eager wrote:
You can still get these; they're pneumatic. There are also electronic
versions.

Two way is tricky, but if they're going to go off in 5 minutes, just
wire them in parallel. The existing cabling will be able to handle that,
with a wire to spare.
screwfix still do pneumatic ones, RS & Farnell no longer do, but they do
offer electronic "equivalents". It _might_ be possible to add another
button (suitably IP rated and mounted outside) to one of these - without
pullign one apart I couldn't be sure.

C


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On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:36:47 UTC, Chris Hodges
wrote:

Bob Eager wrote:
You can still get these; they're pneumatic. There are also electronic
versions.

Two way is tricky, but if they're going to go off in 5 minutes, just
wire them in parallel. The existing cabling will be able to handle that,
with a wire to spare.
screwfix still do pneumatic ones, RS & Farnell no longer do, but they do
offer electronic "equivalents".

Strange that Farnell don't, because CPC do...the pneumatic ones are
PL400A.

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wrote:
We have an outside passage light which is controlled by an outside
switch and an indoor switch - it can be switched on or off by either
switch - I think this is called a 2-way switch?

I'm fed up with the number of times the outside light is left on all
night.

Is it possible to get a switch which you can push to switch the light
on, and which will automatically switch off say 5 minutes later. I'm
sure I saw something like this many years ago - it was a circular
button which you pushed in and it slowly moved outwards and switched
the light off again after a couple of minutes.

This sort of thing would be ideal, but I'm not sure if they are still
available. And more importantly I'm not sure how this would work with 2
switches controling the same light.

Any ideas?


Had you thought of changing the system to using a PIR set such that it
senses you coming in and out and switches off with it's internal
timer.- eg Screwfix 11291

Rob

Bob Eager wrote:
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:36:47 UTC, Chris Hodges
wrote:


Bob Eager wrote:

You can still get these; they're pneumatic. There are also electronic
versions.

Two way is tricky, but if they're going to go off in 5 minutes, just
wire them in parallel. The existing cabling will be able to handle that,
with a wire to spare.

screwfix still do pneumatic ones, RS & Farnell no longer do, but they do
offer electronic "equivalents".


Strange that Farnell don't, because CPC do...the pneumatic ones are
PL400A.

There's a few things that you can get from CPC but not farnell - unless
you've got both catalogues and a purchasing department.

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Thanks for the pointers everyone. I'll take a look at them. The PIR is
an interesting suggestion but we would want to be able to switch the
lamp on from BOTH ends of a passage.

wrote:
Thanks for the pointers everyone. I'll take a look at them. The PIR is
an interesting suggestion but we would want to be able to switch the
lamp on from BOTH ends of a passage.


It is possible to use 2 PIRs - in the office we'v got 2 zones with 2-3
PIRs per zone.

Chris

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