If you have a standard two way switch, I was wondering can one of the switches be wired together and that become a neutral wire?
Is this possible for an electrician as this wall switch is plastered in from the top so can't run a neutral (both of the switches are in the same room)?
They won't answer. Will need to do call out fee and inspect it.
Tradies are often reluctant to do free consulting over the phone. OzBargain is sometimes very generous with advice.
this is true! and people here seem to respond very quicker, I find faster then reddit or other forums
A standard light switch will often have a neutral down near the switch. This is usually the case if your house is wired with downlights, the wiring is generally looped at the switch.
Obviously you should not touch the wiring but you can safely enough switch off power at the mains and unscrew the plate to have a look and snap a pic.
If it only has a single wire coming in, running through the switch and a single wire headed back out to the light and no other wires in the vicinity there is no neutral. In this case there is an active (red) coming down, runs through the switch/s and then back up to the light. There is no way to convert this wiring without pulling new cable.
If you have black (neutral) and green (earth) wires located behind the switch plate your all good to go. They will be all bundled together behind not actually connected to the switch but there is a good chance they are already there.
yeah unfortunately it doesnt have the black (neutral) and green (earth) wires :(
An electrician will attach a new cable to the existing one and use the old cable to pull the new one into place. Quite common. Assuming standard plasterboard over studs.
This is definitely an option if the path is reasonably direct and the holes in the studs are big enough to accommodate the much larger cable, I think it has to be 3 core and earth (Aircon) cable (red, white, green, black) to meet wiring colour regulations. Red and White for the switched active loop for the light and black for the neutral. Green earth would be redundant at the switch.
If they make a (red, white, black) 3 core tps cable that would be fine, but I don't think they do? I am not an electrician though,
The current cable is a reasonably small twin active (2 core red and white) cable.
Question unclear. "2 way" means a normal on/off switch.
Do you mean to say you have two switches on the same panel, with 2 pairs of wires running to them?
In that case, yes, you can reallocate the wires as live, neutral, and 2 output switched wires.
How to make that compliant with codes is another question. Do the pairs run to a light fitting?
But of course your home is already non-compliant as codes change since it was built.
Agreed the question is a bit unclear.
Could be a two way switch. ie. Single light wired to be turned on and off from 2 different locations (switch plates)
If there are only 2 wires to a switch, how can you possibly add live?
The answer is to break away from the outdated mindset that control and physical switching go together.
Your control buttons should be battery powered, wireless (e.g. zigbee), and put wherever you like.
yes two switches on the same panel with 2 wires running to them (so both switch cans can turn the same set of lighting on/off) as the person above said 'ie. Single light wired to be turned on and off from 2 different locations (switch plates)'
yeah the pairs run to a light fitting
Is that a called a 3 way switch then? so an electrician may be able to do that then?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWeDLVPESh8&ab_channel=AllEl…
Good explanation here of how your switch is wired from what I can gather from your responses.
Still a No unfortunately.
Below is a great video that explains the 2 different ways lighting is wired in Australia. ie. Looped at light VS looped at the switch is what your after to have neutral at the switches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqDV-I8MnC0&ab_channel=AllEl…
Good channel to help explain the basics.
What are you trying to achieve here exactly?
The ability the use smart switches, they require neutral at the switch.
Why not call them and ask?