How to make two switches on one light bulb?

Basically, one electrical switch is used for one lighting device.

So, if you want to turn off the chandelier, which is located in the living room, you should go into this room. As a rule, only one switching device is installed at the entrance of the room, thanks to which they control the electric lighting devices in this room. But sometimes situations arise when this method of lamp control is inconvenient. In this article we will look at how to make two switches for one light bulb.

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general information

Consider situations when the classic version of connecting fixtures is not justified:

• In the long corridors of the building, which have two exits. If you turn on the light at the entrance to the room, go through the entire corridor and exit, the bulb will remain on, the light will be wasted, and a large amount of electricity is consumed per day.
• In houses on stairwells, where the lighting is switched on only on the lower floor for the entire entrance or separately for each floor at the corresponding site.
• In the passage rooms. Even with small apartments, situations arise when a person needs to go into one room and turn on the lighting there. Having entered the next room, a resident of the apartment turns on the lamp and returns to the first room to turn off the electric lamps, which have become unnecessary. In this case, it is more advisable to hold a duplicate key, thanks to which you can control the switch in the back room.
• For external lights when entering the house. It often happens that to illuminate the porch you should use the switch located directly at the entrance to the building. If you need to turn on the lamp in the dark, you will have to go to the switch in the dark. When you entered the house, lit a light, then you have to leave the light on for the whole night or immediately turn it off behind you and in complete darkness go up to the apartment.
• At the head of the bed when you want to turn off the overhead light. Sometimes there is a situation when a little light is switched on in a bedroom, for example, a sconce or a night lamp, and you have to get out of bed in order to turn off the upper chandelier. It is very uncomfortable. To solve this problem, you can use the additional switch on the chandelier, which is installed nearby beds.

There are a lot of cases when you have to use duplicate rocker switches. In such situations, use a device that allows you to turn on and off the lighting from different rooms and different switches, and independently from each other.

Important! This method is very effective and convenient, in addition, it helps to save electricity. Using a walk-through switch, for example, you don’t have to leave the light on the porch of the house for the whole night. On the top floor you can turn it on and off at the front door.

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How to put two switches on one light bulb? Features

It is not difficult to connect two or more switches to one lamp or lamp. Such a scheme has one significant drawback in terms of the convenience of controlling a lamp or lamp.So, for example, if you use the switch “A” to turn on the light, you cannot turn it off with the switch “B”, and you only have to use the same “A”. This situation causes inconvenience and confusion.

Important! If it is important for you that the control of the lamp comes from two switches that are interconnected, using one switch to turn on the light, you could use the other to turn it off, and vice versa, you should use switches, or the so-called passage switches. In addition, you need to change the connection diagram.

The main difference between the passage switch from the standard version of the switching device is a design feature:

• Such a switch is equipped with three rather than two contacts and has the ability to switch phases in turn from one contact to another.
• If a standard circuit breaker is simply characterized by a break or connection of an electric circuit, then in the case of installing a switch, when an electric circuit breaks on one conductor, it switches to another conductor, which served as the name for the corresponding element.

Important! Lighting devices that are connected by this principle can be either incandescent lamps or fluorescent lamps. In addition to lighting devices, in a similar way, you can connect other devices that need a switch on and off.

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Schematic Features

Installing such a circuit is not difficult, but attentiveness is required to connect it.

Important! At the stage of creating wiring at the points at which the installation of the cross over structures is planned, it is necessary to lay a three-core cable in advance before the first two. If you need more switches, you will have to use a four-wire cable, which you need to stretch to the next.

In order to be able to control the lighting from two places at the same time, it is required to purchase passage switches that are equipped with two switching positions and three contacts. In this case, the switching should have a flip character, while the first node should be common to the other two.

Important! One switching position is characterized by the closure of the first, and in the second, the subsequent contact closes. Therefore, initially there is no closure of three compounds simultaneously.

Accessories

When considering the power line circuits, which have two cross over switching structures, the following components can be distinguished:

• a junction box, the so-called junction box, which is used to protect connecting electrical cables - is present in every room, several pieces are installed in large rooms;
• connecting wires, which are two, three and four-core;
• the lamp itself;
• two-way switching devices.

Connection principle

Consider how the connection diagram of a lamp with two switches looks approximately:

1. Wire zero is laid from the source to the junction box, then the wire goes to the lamp.
2. The phase wire is drawn from exactly the same source to the same box, and then lay to the common terminal of the first switch.
3. Two changeover contacts of the first switch, using a junction box, connects to exactly the same parts of the second switch.
4. The phase from the common contact of the second switch is connected to another electrical node of the lamp.

Installation works of the control system of one lighting device, functioning from two places at the same time, are not complicated. Consider how to install:

1. In the required places we install cross over switching structures.
2. From them we derive three-core cables.
3. We install one or, if necessary, several electric lamps. which are connected in parallel to each other.
4. We output a two-core cable from one or several lighting devices.
5. We install the junction box, and at the same time we choose a place whose location corresponds to convenient access to the box itself and the shortest cable length distance.
6. To the box we bring the wires from the cross over structures, power supply and the lighting devices themselves.
7. We connect them, as described in the above paragraphs.

Important! Such a system involves the connection of four contacts (two pairs) with each other. When lighting is switched on, the phase from the common node of the second electrical switch is suitable for the lighting device.

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Safety conditions

How to make 2 switches on one light bulb? Installation work of passage switches is possible both with open and with hidden wiring system. Installation can be carried out independently, only in this case the necessary safety rules must be observed:

• Before proceeding with installation work, it is required to turn off the apartment.
• You must correctly determine the location of the phase and zero.
• The wires should be connected by neat twisting, while crimping and insulating them.
• It is recommended to firmly fix electrical accessories and branch box on surfaces.
• Based on the power of the consumed electricity, it is necessary to determine the power parameter of the lighting device and select a three-core cable of the required cross section.

Important! Due to the design feature, there is no definite “on” or “off” position on the key of the duplicating electrical switches. Based on the position of the electrical contacts of the other switch, the position of the “closed” or “open” corresponds to the two connecting nodes of this system. Therefore, when the light is off, the key will be in a different position each time. This feature is not a problem and you can quickly get used to it.

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Alternative

There are alternatives for pass-through redundant switches. An alternative is characterized by the presence of bistable relays or LED electric lamps, which are equipped with motion and light sensors:

• Bistable relays are preferred when it is necessary to use not only two, but three, four or more electrical switches to control the lighting.
• Luminaires equipped with motion sensors are not as practical as walk-through switches. The number of stops, speed of movement and other parameters significantly affect the continuous procedure of “turning on” or “turning off” electric lighting, which is an extremely inconvenient option.

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Stock footage

If you follow the generally accepted electrical safety rules and take into account the recommendations described in this article, then you can independently install this option for lighting control in your apartment, and it is very simple to implement this.