0

I am changing light switch in my apartement (based in France). When removed the old one, I can see that I have 2 Red wires (which I take it are Live or Hot wires) and 2 Blue ones (Neutral). Now I am not completely sure how would this work based on this outlet on the picture.

I tried connecting 2 reds into Red positions, marked as L, and 2 blue ones into positions 1, however my electricity went off (main board switched off), which leads me to believe this was wrong choice. I don't really want to experiment without understanding what am I doing. Can anyone explain what those mean actually - 1 and 2 in relation to L and if I am able to connect things properly based on the image below? enter image description here

Update:

This is how previous set up looked like. Here is the picture of the connection (badly made one because I had minimal space available and I thought I'd remember the positions, but I think there I can see that 2 Neutrals were together and 2 Live ones apart, one in L and another one in 2). enter image description here

And here is the picture of the actual old switch in question that I removed. Please see the bottom switch, not the top one. enter image description here

Improve this question
8
  • Is that really an electrical socket, not a light switch?
    – HandyHowie
    Aug 1 at 7:32
  • Sorry, it is a light switch, I will update my question, thanks for pointing out
    – Oleg Gulevskyy
    Aug 1 at 7:37
  • Is there a switch in another room that still has an original switch on that you can take a photo of the connections?
    – HandyHowie
    Aug 1 at 7:41
  • When you originally found the switch, the blues were connected to each other but not to the switch. Isn't that correct?
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Aug 1 at 7:44
  • The other switches did not have 2 Red and Blue wires, they all had normal set up, one Red and one Blue. This particular switch is weird, there are cables connected, extended to each other etc. So in the end I have 4 cables to work with - 2 red and 2 blue
    – Oleg Gulevskyy
    Aug 1 at 7:44

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

The red wires need to go individually into L and 1

If you find that the on/off of the switch is working opposite to what you want, use L and 2 instead.

The blue wires need connecting together with another connector like that Wago connector in your photo. On your old switch there was a separate connector for doing this, but your new switch doesn't have one. This is not a problem, just use another separate connector.

Update - If the wires will reach, rather than adding another connector, you could remove the blue wire i have marked with a red spot from the Wago connector and replace it with the blue wire with the yellow spot in the Wago connector.

enter image description here

Improve this answer
7
  • Do you mean that blue wires need to be connected together but not plugged into the new switch actually? So the only 2 cables that are plugged into the new switch are 2 reds: one into L and one into 1 positions?
    – Oleg Gulevskyy
    Aug 1 at 8:04
  • And can I use electrical domino instead of Wago to connect blue ones together, if so? I do not have Wago connector but do have domino
    – Oleg Gulevskyy
    Aug 1 at 8:05
  • And why in this case the old set up had 2 red wires plugged into L and 2 ? and here you are suggesting to plug L and 1? I am sorry for that's a dumb question, one of my questions was if somebody could explain what those mean in relation to each other
    – Oleg Gulevskyy
    Aug 1 at 8:07
  • You can use any type of connector that is legal for use in your country and is rated for the voltage/current. You must put one red in L, but you can use either terminal 1 or 2 for the other red, it will just make the switch work in the opposite direction, depending if you want on as up or down. Try 1 or 2 and see which gives the operation you require.
    – HandyHowie
    Aug 1 at 8:14
  • The diagram on the back of the switch shows how L is switched between positions 1 and 2 when you operate the switch.
    – HandyHowie
    Aug 1 at 8:15
2

There's the problem right there.

Both your switches have their terminals in pairs. Within each pair, each terminal connects to the other.

However on your old switch, they are kind enough to provide a "blue" terminal block. This block does not connect to the switch in any way. It is simply there for your convenience, if you you have 2 neutral wires you need to connect to each other.

The new switch does not provide that, hence your confusion.

The new switch provides nothing for neutral and you must manage it yourself.

I note there is already a 3-space Wago connector in there. You could upgrade to a 4 or 5 space connector and route the extra neutral wire to that.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.