Any help appreciated. Just inside my front door I have a double light switch. One of the switches works in tandem with a single switch upstairs in the hallway and works the light just in the entrance hallway so you can turn the hallway light on or off upstairs or downstairs dependent on where you are. Here is my dilemma the other switch in the double appears to have some wires that have been disconnected to what in my memory was an outside PIR light that swtched on to use the key in the front door. There to be a red jumper wire across the (think its load) suggesting to me that someone has brought the power from the stairway switch across the double to power the outside lamp. Does this sound about right and something that maybe an old skool spark might do to save running a new power cable with all it entails. I would like to reinstate a new light outside and use these wires if possible for the power. Saves chasing in a new wire down and out of the wall.

Very unlikely...normally you'll only have Live and switched lives at the switch, You'll need a neutral from somewhere for an outside light to work.

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

Outside light definetly worked I believe the lantern outside was a Class II appliance therefore double insulated no earth required. I took the red link wire out and made safe the twin old black and blue wire in the switch when the kids smashed the lantern with a basketball (bless their cottons). The wires are made safe on the outside but no fitting as yet.

Sounds like you do have a Neutral at the switch then..any chance of a pic of the wiring at the switch so's we can advise further?

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

Sorry wino I am at work at the moment and also a bit of a nethandral when it comes to pictures. The information highway passed me by. I will be home in a couple of hours and give you the best possible description of exactly what wires, what colours although they are made safe and unattached in the switch that I have got. Hopefully you may have a soloution for me!!

I'll be out later, Helping with a house move, should be someone around to help though..

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

Scratch head time. I have a red from the old outside light cable twinned in one of the double switches with a red that I believe comes from the ceiling rose these are in the top terminal nothing in the bottom. I then have two reds that appear to come from the ceiling rose into the other switch top terminal and a black that comes from the outside fitting into the lower terminal of that switch there is another black from that cable sitting in an electrical taped up terminal block on its own . I forgot to mention neither switch turns off the hall light anymore I dont think it has since the old lantern was isolated although it looks like it may not have been if it is still running wires to the switch the outside has been put into a terminal block and taped up so noone can get a belt. We just use the single switch upstairs to turn the hallway light off. Here is the lowdown. I believe I have a cable with 3 reds and earth coming from the ceiling rose and a cable with with one red and two blacks coming from the old lantern. None of the cables appear to be sheafed IE a different colour sheaf for a switched live to show the change. The cables seem to be the exact colours that I have stated. Is it stick of dynamite time yet !!!!

the 3 reds will be from the upstairs switch, not a hope of getting that working based on the colours given, armed with a multimeter you should be able to identify the permanent live(s) at the switches whick would at least get your upstairs/downstairs sitching sorted..

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

Will grab the multimeter and sort the switching. Do you think that the originator has used the jumper wire that I mentioned in the first post and jumped the power across the switches from the permanent live therefore creating the power to run the outdoor light from the other switch.

Yes...but I still can't understand where your neutral is..??

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

Will try to sort it in a couple of hours and let you know how I got on. Thanx for all the help so far!!!!!