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-   -   2 light switches in a 2g plate (https://www.diybanter.com/uk-diy/642558-2-light-switches-2g-plate.html)

[email protected] December 9th 19 04:35 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so ... can anyone here point
me at a white 2g plate with only 2 switches? I suppose I could use a
euro plate and a couple of blanks if all else fails, but these look a
little office'y

Andy Burns[_13_] December 9th 19 04:44 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
wrote:

For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so


MK 3gang grid plate (plus yoke) with one blank way?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK3633.html

[email protected] December 9th 19 06:57 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 09/12/2019 16:44, Andy Burns wrote:
wrote:

For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only
2 of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so


MK 3gang grid plate (plus yoke) with one blank way?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK3633.html

Thanks, I haven't used a grid plate before but it seems that it would
look better than a euro plate. A tad expensive with all the bits, but
probably the best solution (unless there's a 2g plate with 2 switches on
it, which I've failed to find)

ARW December 9th 19 07:25 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 09/12/2019 16:44, Andy Burns wrote:
wrote:

For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only
2 of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so


MK 3gang grid plate (plus yoke) with one blank way?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK3633.html


Scolmore?

MD024WH

A double width switch and two of them could sit side by side like a
wedding using a

MD024WH

--
Adam

[email protected] December 9th 19 07:33 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On Monday, 9 December 2019 16:35:25 UTC, wrote:
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches


Why don't you wire the left pair as two-way for one light, and the right pair as two-way for the other light?

Or in parallel, so either switch down = light on, both switches up = light off.

Owain


Brian Reay[_6_] December 9th 19 07:44 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 09/12/2019 16:35, wrote:
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so ... can anyone here point
me at a white 2g plate with only 2 switches? I suppose I could use a
euro plate and a couple of blanks if all else fails, but these look a
little office'y


If the switches are 2w types, wire adjacent pairs to form a 2 way
switching circuit (as you have on stairs etc). Then all you need to get
right is the pair to make the correct light work.

Not ideal but (perhaps) an improvement.



ARW December 9th 19 07:44 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 09/12/2019 19:25, ARW wrote:
On 09/12/2019 16:44, Andy Burns wrote:
wrote:

For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only
2 of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so


MK 3gang grid plate (plus yoke) with one blank way?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK3633.html


Scolmore?

MD024WH

A double width switch and two of them could sit side by side like a
wedding using a

MD024WH


Swap that second one for a


CMA404



--
Adam

Bob Eager[_7_] December 9th 19 10:16 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On Mon, 09 Dec 2019 16:35:20 +0000, nothanks wrote:

For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so ... can anyone here point
me at a white 2g plate with only 2 switches? I suppose I could use a
euro plate and a couple of blanks if all else fails, but these look a
little office'y


You don't say if this is surface mount or not. If it is, a bit of a
lateral solution is an MK K2025 (twin surface box) with two single
plateswitches (or one dual plateswitch and a blanking plate).



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
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[email protected] December 9th 19 10:44 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On Monday, 9 December 2019 16:35:25 UTC, wrote:
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so ... can anyone here point
me at a white 2g plate with only 2 switches? I suppose I could use a
euro plate and a couple of blanks if all else fails, but these look a
little office'y


You're missing an opportunity. For each light, use one switch for on/off, the other for full/dim. Just need a capacitor.


NT

Brian Gaff \(Sofa 2\) December 10th 19 08:18 AM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
The question is why is it there to start with. I'm sure you have looked
inside, but I've seen some terrible things done, like whole lighting
circuits buried in plaster but still live etc.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
wrote in message
...
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2 of
which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I still
operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the decoration
(yet) in this part of the house so ... can anyone here point me at a white
2g plate with only 2 switches? I suppose I could use a euro plate and a
couple of blanks if all else fails, but these look a little office'y




[email protected] December 10th 19 10:12 AM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 09/12/2019 19:44, ARW wrote:
On 09/12/2019 19:25, ARW wrote:
On 09/12/2019 16:44, Andy Burns wrote:
wrote:

For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches,
only 2 of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3
years I still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to
mess-up the decoration (yet) in this part of the house so

MK 3gang grid plate (plus yoke) with one blank way?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK3633.html


Scolmore?

MD024WH

A double width switch and two of them could sit side by side like a
wedding using a

MD024WH


Swap that second one for a


CMA404


Thanks! I hadn't heard of Scolmore before. That would have been the most
elegant solution BUT Owain's suggestion of wiring pairs of the existing
switches as 2-way will do until I get to that part of the house and sort
it out properly.


[email protected] December 10th 19 10:14 AM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 09/12/2019 19:33, wrote:
On Monday, 9 December 2019 16:35:25 UTC, wrote:
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches


Why don't you wire the left pair as two-way for one light, and the right pair as two-way for the other light?

Or in parallel, so either switch down = light on, both switches up = light off.

Owain

A brilliant suggestion; that's the simplest way forward for now.

[email protected] December 10th 19 10:15 AM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 09/12/2019 19:44, Brian Reay wrote:
On 09/12/2019 16:35, wrote:
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only
2 of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so ... can anyone here
point me at a white 2g plate with only 2 switches? I suppose I could
use a euro plate and a couple of blanks if all else fails, but these
look a little office'y


If the switches are 2w types, wire adjacent pairs to form a 2 way
switching circuit (as you have on stairs etc). Then all you need to get
right is the pair to make the correct light work.

Not ideal but (perhaps) an improvement.


A great idea (that I hadn't thought of) but Owain was 11 minutes ahead
of you ;-)

[email protected] December 10th 19 10:19 AM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 10/12/2019 08:18, Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote:
The question is why is it there to start with. I'm sure you have looked
inside, but I've seen some terrible things done, like whole lighting
circuits buried in plaster but still live etc.
Brian

There's been no shortage of electrical surprises in this house, but this
isn't one of them. I think the light in the entrance lobby and the
outside light were once controlled by the unused switches, but these are
now on PIRs from some (currently unknown) source. I'll sort it out when
I get to that part of the house, which won't be for a while.

[email protected] December 10th 19 10:19 AM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 09/12/2019 22:44, wrote:
On Monday, 9 December 2019 16:35:25 UTC, wrote:
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to mess-up the
decoration (yet) in this part of the house so ... can anyone here point
me at a white 2g plate with only 2 switches? I suppose I could use a
euro plate and a couple of blanks if all else fails, but these look a
little office'y


You're missing an opportunity. For each light, use one switch for on/off, the other for full/dim. Just need a capacitor.


NT

:-)

Roger Hayter[_2_] December 10th 19 12:40 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
wrote:

On 09/12/2019 19:33, wrote:
On Monday, 9 December 2019 16:35:25 UTC, wrote:
For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches, only 2
of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3 years I
still operate the wrong damn switches


Why don't you wire the left pair as two-way for one light, and the right
pair as two-way for the other light?

Or in parallel, so either switch down = light on, both switches up =
light off.

Owain

A brilliant suggestion; that's the simplest way forward for now.


Wiring as two way is better. In parallel connection it will only work
satisfactorily if everyone remembers that down is on and to choose the
right switch to operate given the state of the light. Otherwise there
are states where choosing a random switch may have no effect on the
light. Which would be irritating.

--

Roger Hayter

Andrew[_22_] December 10th 19 01:11 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 10/12/2019 10:19, wrote:
On 10/12/2019 08:18, Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote:
The question is why is it there to start with. I'm sure you have looked
inside, but I've seen some terrible things done, like whole lighting
circuits buried in plaster but still live etc.
Brian

There's been no shortage of electrical surprises in this house, but this
isn't one of them. I think the light in the entrance lobby and the
outside light were once controlled by the unused switches, but these are
now on PIRs from some (currently unknown) source. I'll sort it out when
I get to that part of the house, which won't be for a while.


can't you re-purpose them to energise some of those small round pin
plugs/sockets rated at 5 amps, and use for table lamps or whatever.?

ARW December 10th 19 05:48 PM

2 light switches in a 2g plate
 
On 10/12/2019 10:12, wrote:
On 09/12/2019 19:44, ARW wrote:
On 09/12/2019 19:25, ARW wrote:
On 09/12/2019 16:44, Andy Burns wrote:
wrote:

For some reason this house has a 2g plate with 4 light switches,
only 2 of which do anything. Although we've been here for nearly 3
years I still operate the wrong damn switches. I don't want to
mess-up the decoration (yet) in this part of the house so

MK 3gang grid plate (plus yoke) with one blank way?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK3633.html

Scolmore?

MD024WH

A double width switch and two of them could sit side by side like a
wedding using a

MD024WH


Swap that second one for a


CMA404


Thanks! I hadn't heard of Scolmore before. That would have been the most
elegant solution BUT Owain's suggestion of wiring pairs of the existing
switches as 2-way will do until I get to that part of the house and sort
it out properly.


It's one of the manufacturers I usually name on here as I believe they
are pretty good. It is what I fit as standard mainly due to their
MiniGrid and NewMedia stuff.


--
Adam


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