Installation of the passage switch: diagram, step-by-step instructions, advice from the masters

In our article, we will consider the installation scheme of the passage switch. Such an element is used quite often in homes, especially if their area is large. But before you make the purchase of a switch and select it, you need to decide what it is in general. And the most important thing is to understand the functions and purpose, the main differences from simple elements with two or three keys.

It is worth mentioning that it is installed if you need to make switching from several places at once. And to do this with simple switches is almost impossible. In the article, we will consider how to correctly install a double pass-through switch.

Where can I put through switches

Single-pass type walk-through switches are necessary in order to control a single line or light circuit simultaneously from different points. And you can put the switches in several places at home or in the corridor at once. In other words, going into a long corridor, you turn on the lighting with one switch. After you reach the end of the corridor, turn off the lighting with a second device. And when you come back, you can do the same manipulations. For everything to work correctly, you must strictly adhere to the installation diagram of the passage switch.

Quite often, such lighting control schemes are used in bedrooms. It is not very convenient to turn off the light at the door, and then move to the bed in the dark. Therefore, they usually put passage switches at the door and next to the head of the bed. Often, such devices are placed on the stairs of multi-storey mansions. Several switches can be used to control the light.

Switch Features

What you need to know about installing walk-through switches with your own hands? Immediately you need to pay attention to such points:

1. A cable with three conductors of the VVGng-LS 3x1.5 type will be required.
2. Self-assembly of a passage from conventional switches is not possible, so you should not even try to do it.
3. The number of contacts is the most important difference between the passage switches. Conventional single-key devices have the simplest design - one input and the same number of outputs. The walk-through switches have three pins for connection.
4. On simple devices, the circuit either opens or closes. There can be no intermediate states. Pass-throughs are called switches rather than switches, since they switch two or more circuits. But you will have to adhere to the installation diagram of the passage switch, so that everything works like a clock.

The appearance of the through-passage and simple switches is almost the same, inexperienced eyes will not see any features that give out an appointment. But on most devices, the key has a small icon in the form of vertically arranged triangles. Do not confuse such designs with cross or, as they are also called, rocker switches. They have triangles on the keys horizontally.

The inside of the switch

When installing walk-through switches with your own hands, you need to pay attention to the inside of the device. On it, you can see the whole difference in the designs:

1. At the checkpoints, there is one terminal above and two below.
2. For conventional switches, the terminals are located one below the bottom.

Inexperienced electricians can confuse a checkpoint with a two-key. But the latter will not be able to work exactly as the checkpoint does.

After all, the difference lies in the functioning of the contact group. When one contact at the gate closes, the second automatically opens. If we talk about two-keys, then they do not provide such a function. It should also be noted that the passage structures do not have a state in which both contacts are open at the same time. Someone for any will be closed.

How to connect break-through switches?

Now we will consider the installation procedure of two-gang passage switches, and then we will familiarize ourselves with how to connect similar devices. First you need to properly connect in the rosettes. To do this, remove the key and the overlay frame. When the switch is disassembled, you will see all three pins for connection. Now you need to find the contact that is common.

On most of the products on the reverse side there is a diagram. And you just need to be able to read it in order to navigate and make the right connection. In the same case, if you purchased a cheap model that doesn’t have a circuit, or you have one, but you don’t understand anything, then you can use the simplest tester. Put it in the dialing mode and start searching for contacts. By the way, you can use the simplest probe with a light bulb (LED) and a battery. The algorithm for finding a common contact and connecting a switch is as follows:

1. Alternately touch the contact probes.
2. If the tester “beeps” or shows the value “0” (in the case of using a dial indicator) at any position of the key, then you have found a common connector.
3. To the common contact you need to connect a wire on which the phase is suitable. You can check it with the indicator screwdriver.
4. The remaining two wires must be connected to the remaining contacts. It is not critical in what order you put them together.

After that, you can assemble the switch in the socket. When installing the second switch, perform similar operations:

1. First you need to find a common contact. And the main thing is to do it right so that subsequently no "surprises" appear. If you incorrectly determine the common contact, the circuit will not work.
2. Connect the phase wire leading to the lighting lamp to a common contact.
3. Connect two wires to the switch.

Junction box

And now the most important thing is the installation of a two-gang passage switch of any manufacturer. Namely, the connections in the junction box. After all, how you will do everything correctly depends on how the whole system will function in the future.

In the box you will need to get four wires with three cores:

1. Power wire coming from the circuit breaker on the switchboard.
2. Cable to switch "1".
3. Cable to switch "2".
4. Cable to the lamp or chandelier.

When you connect the wires, it is best to focus on their color. In the event that you use VVG with three cores, the markings for them will be as follows:

1. Gray or white - should be used for the "phase".
2. Blue wire - connection to zero.
3. Yellow-green - ground connection.

There is also such a combination of colors:

1. Gray or white - connects to "zero".
2. Brown - with a "phase".
3. Black - connects to ground.

But it is worth clarifying all the connection rules in GOST. These documents govern the rules for connecting conductors.

Junction box assembly

You need to start the assembly with conductors to supply "zero". To do this, the core going to the lamp must be connected in a box with a wire that came from the circuit breaker. When implementing the circuit-breaker circuit breaker from two places, it is recommended to use "Vago" type terminals. When you finish work with the zero chain, proceed to the "ground". Similarly, you need to connect all the conductors of the wires that go to ground.

The yellow-green wire must be connected to the lamp housing. And it remains to perform similar work with phase wires. To do this, you need to take the phase wire from the input cable and connect it to the common terminal of the through-type switch "1". After that, the common contact of the passage switch "2" must be connected using the "Vago" connector with the "phase" going to the lighting lamp.

Having completed all these manipulations, it is necessary to connect all the secondary conductors that depart from the switches with each other. How you connect them - it does not matter, you can even confuse the colors. But to make everything simple and clear, it is recommended to adhere to the color that was previously used.

Basic connection rules

If you wish, you can connect the switch through passage on two bulbs, but you will have to make a few changes to the circuit. After the final assembly, you can power the entire circuit to check the operation of the switches. When connecting these rules, you must adhere to:

1. The phase wire coming from the circuit breaker should always be fed to the common terminal of the first device.
2. The same phase conductor must be removed from the common contact of the second switch to the light bulb.
3. The remaining two wires must be interconnected in a junction box.
4. Grounding and "zero" must be applied directly, without a switch, directly to the lighting lamps.

Three-point lighting control with rocker switches

In the same case, if it is necessary to carry out the installation of passage switches from three points to control the electric circuit, rocker switches are used. The usual ones that we reviewed above have only three contacts. And with their help, implementing a connection will be quite problematic. The difference between the toggle switch and the one considered above is that it has four contacts - two at the bottom and the top. The scheme is such that two walk-throughs are placed at the extreme points, and between them - cross over.

In order to carry out the installation of passage switches from two points, it is enough to follow the recommendations that we indicated earlier. But to control a circuit of three or more points, you will need to connect several more devices in the interval. To do this, you need to find in the junction box the secondary (that is, not the main) wires coming from the two extreme passage switches.

Now it remains only to disconnect these wires correctly. It is better to adhere to such a scheme so that there are no troubles:

1. The wires coming from the switch "1" must be connected to the input.
2. The wires that go to the switch "2", connect to the output of the switch.

A little further we will talk about how to make the connection. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the installation diagram of the two-gang switch Gira through passage. It may differ slightly from the one we present in our article.

Of course, the rocker switch should not be mounted in the box itself, but in any other convenient place. To connect it, you must use a wire with four cores. Simply insert it into the junction box and connect it correctly with the wires. Now you can control the lighting from three points at once. This will be especially useful if you are installing lighting for a three-story house.

What mistakes can be made?

Naturally, if you are unable to read the installation diagram of the two-gang switch "Lezard" through passage , you can make a lot of mistakes. And the very first happens when looking for a common contact. By mistake, some people think that a common terminal is one that is separate from the other two. And this is not so at all. Of course, on some models such a "trick" can ride, but this happens quite rarely.

And if you assemble the circuit with an error, the switches will not be able to work correctly, how many do not click them. The general contact can be located anywhere, so it is important to find it, focusing on the circuit or instrument readings. Quite often, such problems arise when installing or replacing through-type circuit breakers from different manufacturers.

We looked at the information one at a time, connected it correctly, and the second turned out to be another manufacturer. And they connected it in the same way, but it does not work. To restore performance, you need to find a common contact and connect all the wires correctly. This step is the main one, it directly depends on how the whole system will work in the future. It’s not necessary to focus on chance, it’s better to make sure several times that the contacts are defined correctly. And in order not to forget, you can mark them with a marker. Thus, of course, so that these marks are not visible from the outside.

But it also happens that the device you are using is not a walk-through device. Therefore, when buying, you need to pay attention to what type of device - walk-through or regular two-key. It is also worth mentioning about the incorrect connection of cross devices. Some electricians wire from the first switch "put" on the contacts located at the top. And from the second switch - to the contacts that are below. But you need to do something different - connect all the wires to the device crosswise. Only in this case the whole structure will be able to function correctly.

Disadvantages of switches

And now let’s talk about what are the shortcomings in the connection diagrams of passage switches from place and directly in the structures. The most important minus is that there is no specific provision - on and off. This creates a slight inconvenience when the lamp fails. After all, you can’t immediately understand that it burned down.

The next minus is that the box has a very large number of connections. And the number of wires directly depends on how many switches are used and lighting lamps. Of course, you can manage and significantly reduce the complexity of switching. But you will have to completely abandon the junction boxes, as a result - an increase in cable consumption. But there is a trickier way - for simplicity, set pulse relays.

In the event that, when installing walk-through switches according to the scheme shown in the article, you do not want to lay the wires in the gates, use wireless designs. True, they will cost you quite a lot - such devices cost 4-5 times more than simple ones. But then the installation work is simplified by about the same time. By installing such switches, you will forget about the wires. In addition, after installing the entire lighting system, you will not have to make repairs and cover the strobes with mortar.