I'm so sorry to ask yet another dimmer switch question - and I wish I'd taken a pic of the old one, rather than writing the wiring down, coz I've missed where a little 'linking' piece of wire, linked one contact to another

History, all lights in lounge, old dimmer fitted by electrician and replaced a double switch which operated wall lights and ceiling lights - ceiling lights are also turned off by another switch in the lounge.

When old dimmer was fitted, I think there was a loop wire between some of the contacts - I remember electrician was a bit puzzled over dimmer, but allworked OK.

Enter me, with new chrome double dimmer, and I can't get it to work, have bought a second dimmer switch - and no luck with that either - attached diag of old dimmer and where the wires connected, and a pic of the new dimmer and what I've tried so far. Thanks

Bit more info required..photos would be good..previous and current switch, where is the 2 way switching going, (pics of that switch would help)

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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....

agree with Wino, we need a picture because to be honest, your diagrams don't make any sense.

Hiya back in daylight again, have taken some pics,
one of the ordinary switch in the room,
the other two are of different configurations I've tried in the double dimmer switch, as said, didn't take a pic of the old double dimmer, just wrote down that at one part of the switch it had L2(blue) L1(yellow) com(2 reds)
other part com(blue) L2(yellow) L1 (none)
thanks

Sorry still over this one...normally I can visualise the wiring arrangement from a few pics....

...I don't suppose there's another wire not shown in your pic...lets say 2 blacks or 2 blues in a connector hidden away in the box??

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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....

hi, thank you for looking

there are no other wires at all,

the simple switch, as pic shows, a red wire screwed into 2-way terminal, a yellow wire with a red sleeve screwed into a terminal called common, and a blue wire with a red sleeve screwed into 1-way terminal (and earth)

at the dimmer switch there are just 2 reds, 2 yellows and 2 blues (and earths).

when I did try the configuration with the two red wires split apart as pic, there was a brief flicker of the bulbs in the wall lights, but nothing more

?????????????? Like the others I too am finding it a little hard to follow your pics, however looking at your drawing of old switch and new switch I believe your issue is that you have split the (red) commons accross a 2g switch??

I would sugest putting cables back together as shown in picture of old switch (2 reds together etc) and then the loop wire you said you were missing would go between the 2 common terminals!.

as above, it still doesn't make any sense.

as above, the problem you have in part is purely the missing link wire. we can only guess that at least one of the red wires are meant to be the live.

the reason it is confusing to us all is because that set up is NOT normal. somebody has made a right bodge of that wiring. if he was a sparks he wants shooting. i suspect that he has cut a cable out of a 3-core & earth in the back of the switch, but why he would choose to cut out the red wire is beyond me.

you simply do not wire a switch like that and as such, our guess is as good as your as to which cable he has used for what. the best guess we can off is as above: -

put a red in each common and then put a link wire between them as well. the common on your new switch is the ~

Hiya thank you all for all your suggestions, have tried them out this morning, (link in white)

(wall only pic) first attempt with the reds split, and a wire (linking the comm terminals) blues wires in L2 terminals, and yellow wires in L1 terminals...
SUCCESS for wall lights (which were switched on by the right hand knob) and could be dimmed and switched off. Main light - nothing

(wall and main pic) Then put it back to the old dimmers configuration (reds sharing comm terminal, blue moving to com and yellow to L2) wall lights still OK, BUT main light on..permanently - can't switch off from dimmer or other switch.

the wall lights are working now, so can't think that the wiring configuration on that side of the dimmer can be wrong - but then it doesn't seem to matter where blue and yellow go there - wish i knew what all these wires did, they're just different colours to me.

(wires) re the house wiring, it was built in 1993, hasn't had any changes made in the wiring - just a 3core cable comes into the box, and then goes out (!)
thanks again

just another bit of info - which may explain to you what this circuit's doing, but means nothing to me -

I changed the wires round, so that righthandside block on the dimmer,
had red to comm terminal, blue to L2 and yellow to L1

the right hand switch, can now turn on the main lights (and dimm) and then when turned off - turns on the wall light (and dimm)
(!)

As suggest above, both the reds into one of the com terminals a link wire from com to com, yellow and blue to L1/ L2 respectively.

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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....

Hi.. just tried that again with a second new dimmer switch - same result -
the right hand switch on the dimmer turns on the wall lights, and when you push it to turn it off, on come the main lights.
The ordinary switch on the wall, does nothing..

look at your yellow and blue wires, they should be coming from the same grey cable..I think you have swapped a yellow or blue from one cable with the uther cable!

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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....

I wish I had, but I havn't -

Ok having difficulty understand your set up like wine-0.

Can I clarify right hand dimmer as look at picture is for wall light only?? Try removing blue wire out of dimmer right hand switch and do not reconnect (put safely to one side for a minute) now what happens? *** I know this needs to be connected but could we try this 1ST