Replacing a light switch - help with wiring please!

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#1823776 17-Jul-2017 13:58

What a bunch of twaty replies.

To quote from my original post in this thread:

I'm only comfortable in replacing the switch if it's a direct connection of the four sets of grouped wires into the equivalent terminal on the new switch, so will seek help from someone experienced with wiring or get an electrician in to do it if it needs a redistribution of the wiring, but hopefully it's fairly straight-forward?

There's a @#$$@#-load of difference between unscrewing a bunch of grouped wires and inserting them into similarly labelled equivalent terminals on a new switch compared to going back to square one to determine which of the million wires in the back of this switch goes where in new switch which has different labels and a different number of terminals.

larknz

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#1823780 17-Jul-2017 14:01

I'd have to agree. This is a pretty simple job. Just provide a photo of the connections and we will be able to tell you how to do it.

Rikkitic

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#1823815 17-Jul-2017 14:40

See above. Cut the power to the house, make sure it is off, disconnect all wires from the switch, marking them to know which goes where, remove switch, take a good close-up photo of it and especially any markings on it, if possible pull wires out from the wall and take a good photo of those as well. This is not difficult to solve, but it has to be done with due care.

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#1823882 17-Jul-2017 15:51

jonathan18:

What a bunch of twaty replies.

To quote from my original post in this thread:

I'm only comfortable in replacing the switch if it's a direct connection of the four sets of grouped wires into the equivalent terminal on the new switch, so will seek help from someone experienced with wiring or get an electrician in to do it if it needs a redistribution of the wiring, but hopefully it's fairly straight-forward?

There's a @#$$@#-load of difference between unscrewing a bunch of grouped wires and inserting them into similarly labelled equivalent terminals on a new switch compared to going back to square one to determine which of the million wires in the back of this switch goes where in new switch which has different labels and a different number of terminals.

theres a big difference between being comfortable & being competent
To be honest , its not a million wires. Its not hard to figure out. If you cant see how to do , then you shouldnt be doing it.

twaty , nope . Just a few honest replies.

Were you going to inspect the existing (bare) wires , & restrip them ? No one mentioned that either , they could break off if reused as is (might be OK, maybee not)

Heck, its only mains voltage after all.

networkn

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#1823903 17-Jul-2017 16:28

As someone who has experience in getting 240V across the chest after a very simple thing went badly wrong out of instinct, and having had the RCD in my house kick in to save me, I can tell you that the $100 it would cost a sparky to do this seems good value.

Generally, people do this stuff to save money, personally, I'd imagine you could earn the money to pay the sparky in not much more time than he would earn his money doing what he is qualified to do, at much less risk to you, whilst you do what you are qualified to do.

If you were saving serious coin, I'd consider it, but doesn't sound like it.

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#1823955 17-Jul-2017 17:51

Devils advocate: what would your insurance company say?

I imagine you wouldn't be covered if something happened that was even remotely connected to your replacement

Rikkitic

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#1823993 17-Jul-2017 18:43

It is just a light switch. How bad can it be? Either the light comes on, or doesn't, or comes on when it shouldn't, or doesn't when it should. Worst case: he gets a short between phase and neutral or phase and earth and the fuse does what it is designed to do. This isn't going to set off Chernobyl.

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shk292

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#1823998 17-Jul-2017 18:59

There should be a variation of Godwin's Law which states that for any online discussion starting "Can I do XXX to my house/car/boat/bike etc", sooner or later someone will always ask what an insurance company would say in the event of a fire/flood/collision/explosion.

With similar consequences

richms

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#1823999 17-Jul-2017 18:59

Crappy old single strand 1mm was overtightened and breaks leaving an arcing connection that heats up leading to something burning perhaps?

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#1824003 17-Jul-2017 19:05

Certainly possible, but surely not probable?

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#1824005 17-Jul-2017 19:09

Maybe I should take the mickey and start a thread about how to DIY tap into the South - North island HVDC line?

richms

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#1824006 17-Jul-2017 19:12

Highly Likly if the cables are old and hard and are just slapped into new terminals and tightened up. Not sure why but some of that 70s and 80s cable is rock hard and brittle.

Richard rich.ms

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#1824052 17-Jul-2017 20:47

simplest solution for a 1 way switch all the black wires go in to a terminal connector or a strip connector and all the green wires go in to another strip connector

so from the old light switch all the wires in the "N" terminal will go in to a strip connector and all the green wires will go in to another strip connector

then match 1 for 1 and c for c