Pipes

Do-it-yourself bathroom renovation with toilet. Renovation of a combined bathroom with a toilet ideas, guide

Conventional switches that are installed in our house are able to turn the lighting on and off from one place. Agree that the chandelier, which is in the bedroom, can only be turned on by the switch, which is located there.

But what if you need to control one lamp from different rooms simultaneously. Using conventional switches, such a circuit is difficult to assemble. Pass-through switches, or as they are also called switches, will come to the rescue.

Such switches are used to organize the control of luminaires independently from several places. The proposed switching scheme is not only very convenient, but also allows you to quite significantly save electricity.

Let's consider in this article how it is going to in the distribution box.

Especially relevant is the use of walk-through switches to control the lighting of flights of stairs. Often, circuits using time relays are used for this purpose, but it should be recognized that they are not so convenient to use, less reliable and economical.

Everyone moves up the stairs at different speeds, and you yourself can climb light today, and tomorrow with a heavy suitcase. Setting large time delays, taking into account the margin, means reducing the savings.

The proposed scheme allows you to turn on the lights below with one switch, and after climbing the stairs, turn off the other. If you need to go down, you use the walk-through switch upstairs to turn on the light and downstairs to turn it off. It is also convenient to use a similar scheme for lighting long corridors.

However, walk-through switches will be useful not only for owners of long corridors and multi-storey buildings. They are very useful for the inhabitants of small apartments. Typical situation. Your apartment has a walk-through room, at the entrance to which you turn on the light, then go to the next room, turn on the light in it, and turn off the lighting in the walk-through room that has become unnecessary with a pass-through switch. Agree - very convenient. Eliminates unnecessary walking and saves electricity.

One more example. You go into the bedroom and turn on the light at the door. When you go to bed, turn on a table lamp or wall lamp to read a book before bed, but now you have to get up again, go to the door and turn off the chandelier! And you can not do this if you have previously installed a pass-through switch at the head of the bed.

To implement such a control scheme, so-called "through switches" are used, which, strictly speaking, are actually switches. Unlike conventional switches, they have not two, but three contacts and can switch the “phase” from the first contact to the second or third.

Any type of lamps can be used as a source of illumination in such a scheme - from conventional incandescent lamps to fluorescent, energy-saving and LED lamps. However, according to the same scheme, you can connect not only lamps, but also any other load that you need to control the inclusion of from several places.

How to connect a pass switch - 2-place luminaire control circuit

The procedure for connecting a pass-through switch is not much different from connecting a conventional switch. The difference is only in the number of contact terminals and wires. The switch has three of them.

Please note in advance that you need to stretch a three-wire wire from the junction box to such a switch.

Pass-through switch wiring diagram - luminaire control from 2 places

The circuit uses two feed-through switches and a junction box, into which wires from a controlled lamp and three-wire wires from switches are connected.

The phase wire from the junction box is connected to the common input contact of the first pass-through switch. The other two (output) contacts are connected to the wires coming from the analogous contacts of the second switch. And the common (input) contact of the second switch is connected to the wire coming from the lamp.

The second wire from the lamp is directly connected to the zero of the junction box.

The cross section of the three-wire wire supplied to the pass-through switches must be selected in accordance with the power of the controlled luminaire.

How to connect a pass-through switch - 3-place luminaire control circuit

In certain cases, it becomes necessary to provide not two, but more lighting control points. For example, the light on the stairs of a multi-storey building should turn on and off on each floor. The same situation with a long corridor into which the doors of several rooms open.

It is possible to implement such a scheme, but in addition to simple pass-through switches, you will also need cross switches. In such switches there are no longer three, but four contacts - two input and two output, which are two pairs of simultaneously switched contacts. Accordingly, a four-wire wire must be connected to such switches.

Pass-through switch wiring diagram - luminaire control from 3 places

In such a control scheme, ordinary walk-through switches are used at the first and last control points for luminaires and cross switches at all the others.

The number of control points is not limited, only the complexity of switching in the junction box increases due to the large number of wires supplied to it. And here you can not do without competent marking of wires when laying them, otherwise you will simply get confused in them.

The principle of connection is as follows - the output pair of contacts of the first pass-through switch is connected to the wires going to the input pair of the next cross switch and so on, up to the last pass-through switch, the common contact of which is connected to the wire going to the lamp. The phase wire is connected to the input contact of the first switch, and the second wire from the lamp is connected to the zero of the junction box.

We stretch a three-wire wire to each pass-through switch, and a four-wire wire to each cross switch.

The presented diagram shows the connection of three luminaire control points, consisting of one cross and two through switches.

A little clarification on the wiring diagrams

Let's take a look at how it works. In the presented schemes, the following elements are used: a junction box, a lamp, pass-through switches and connecting wires, which, during the installation process, use cables of various designs.

The first of the proposed schemes is the connection of a pass-through switch, in which control is carried out from two different locations, this type of scheme is considered quite simple in execution.

With this type of connection, one wire, which is zero, is directed from the source of electricity to the lamp through the junction box. The second, which is phase, is also directed through the junction box to the contact of the switch.

Thus, two pairs of switch contacts are interconnected. To light the lamp, the phase is supplied to the lamp from the common contact of the second pass-through switch.

The second diagram shows the connection of walk-through switches together with a toggle or crossover. With such a scheme, it is possible to control lighting from three different places.

We figured out the connection diagram, now more about its installation. It consists in installing walk-through switches and further laying three-core cables from them. Also installed, connected in parallel, lamps, from which a two-core cable departs.

At the same time, we also mount the junction box, where we lay cables from: switches, lamps, and a power source, to connect them together, in accordance with the above diagram. At the same time, attention should be paid to the selection of a suitable mounting location for the junction box, taking into account the length of the cables used.

I hope this article "" helped you deal with all connection issues, if you have any questions or suggestions, ask them in the comments, I will be happy to answer.

The pass-through switch significantly expands the possibilities for users to control lighting fixtures. The design and connection diagram of the pass-through switch allow you to control one lighting fixture or a group of fixtures from several places. It is widely used in buildings, individual rooms and facilities for various purposes with large areas.

Using walk-through switches in the house

Having walk-through switches at different ends of the stadium, concert hall or other large facilities, you can turn on all the lights at the entrance. If you need to leave the building on the opposite side, you do not need to return to the switch that turned on the light - there is the same pass-through switch at the other exit. Feed-through switch circuitry allows lighting to be controlled from several different locations.

It is very convenient to use such electrical circuits in underground passages, tunnels, more and more circuits with walk-through switches are used in private homes and on flights of stairs at the entrances of multi-storey buildings.

Design and principle of operation

The walk-through switch in appearance is no different from conventional products. A significant difference is in the design of the contact group, which is hidden inside the case. A simple switch closes and opens an electrical circuit on a single wire. The wiring diagram of the pass switch, when the position of the keys is changed, opens one circuit and immediately closes the other. The principle of switching the contacts of the circuit ensures that the switches work in pairs to control the same light source. According to the technical solution, such an element in the circuit would be correctly called not a pass-through switch, but a switch. Professional terminology has already taken shape, and changes can only bring more confusion, so everything remains as it is.

When the contacts of the pass-through switch are flipped, one section of the lighting circuit is opened, and another is closed. The wiring diagram of the pass switch is changed so that any of the switches is ready to turn the light on or off. The pass switch can only be used in conjunction with another. In practice, it is possible to connect a pass-through switch to the circuit so that it works as a simple one, but then the meaning of all elements of its design is lost.

Kinds

Like conventional switches, walk-through switches are divided depending on the type of wiring: for external wiring, for hidden wiring.

According to the design of the contact terminals: terminals with screw clamps, spring clamp terminals.

By number of keys:

single-key;
two-key;
three-key.

They have everything like ordinary switches, the difference is in the design and operation of the contact group. The principle of a single-gang pass-through switch is to switch the input contact to one of the two output contacts. Two-gang pass-through switches, like three-gang ones, in their case contain 2 or 3 designs of the contact group of a single-gang switch.

Connecting the pass-through switch is simple, you can do everything yourself. The number of contacts, keys, sizes of switches change, the principle of operation remains the same.

Scheme of the structure of one-, two-, and three-gang switches

a single-key switch has one input terminal and two output terminals;
two-key switch - two input terminals and four output terminals;
three-key switch - three input terminals and six output terminals.

Lighting control from 2 places

One luminaire or a group of luminaires can be controlled from two places: it can be sconces in the corridor or lampposts along garden path. You will need the usual circuit for connecting a pass-through switch, more precisely with two pass-throughs single-gang switches because they only work in pairs. In this example, it is easiest to understand how pass-through switches work. The figure below shows how to connect a feed-through switch to the circuit.

Scheme of switching on pass-through switches

The phase from the 220 V network is connected to the input terminal of one of the feed-through switches, its output terminals are connected to the output of the second one. There remains a free input terminal of the second switch, it is connected to the lighting fixture. The second contact of the lighting device is connected to the neutral wire of the network. The diagram shows that the lamp is in the off state, when the position of the group of contacts of any switch changes, current is supplied to it. The next switch on one of the two switches breaks the circuit, the lamp goes out.

Closer to real conditions, the installation diagram shows a picture of the connection of cables and wires in the junction box. According to the requirements of the PUE (Electrical Installation Rules), in this case, a cable with three copper cores is used:

red - phase;
blue - 0;
yellow-green - ground wire.

Disconnection of cables and wires in the junction box

The circuit is divided into four sections of the circuit:

cable from the 220 V power supply: from the circuit breaker in the switchboard to the box;
cable from one feed-through switch to the junction box;
cable from another feed-through switch to the switch box;
cable from the lighting fixture to the junction box.

There are four cables in the box.

The requirements for the color of the wires according to the functional purpose are fully achievable only in two sections. From the switchboard and the luminaire to the box, when the contacts of the feed-through switches are disconnected, they are partially performed. It is allowed to use wires of any color. If you are confused, check with a multimeter in dialing mode or other measuring device. A phase (red) wire must be connected to the input contacts of the switches.

To control two lighting groups, a two-button switch is used. If a person understands how single-key pass-through switches are connected, he will figure out how to connect a triple switch.

Wiring diagram for a two-gang pass-through switch

Lighting control from 3 places

To control the lighting from three places, you will need a cross-through switch. You can install it in any place convenient for use. In the circuit, a cross switch is connected between conventional feed-through switches. They can be used on flights of stairs, for lighting courtyards and other objects, at the request of the customer.

The cross switch is easy to do with your own hands, for this you need to slightly alter the two-gang pass-through switch. Two jumpers are placed on the output contacts, and two keys are combined into one, you can simply glue one to the other. It is necessary to glue so that the mounting holes on the keys coincide with the pins on the switch. The gap between the keys can be compensated for with a cardboard pad, to which plastic strips must be glued on both sides.

There are ready-made products in stores, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just buy and deliver.

Lighting control scheme from 3 places

Diagrams A1 and A2 (below) show different variants connection, but the functionality remains the same - the principle of pairing of contacts is observed.

Cross switch connection options

In cases where the lighting element is a large chandelier with two groups of light bulbs or just two rows of sconces along a long corridor, two-button walk-through and cross switches should be used. The circuit is a little more complicated, but it can be seen that the same principle of switching contacts works. When the light source is turned off by one switch, the contacts close the circuits of other switches.

The circuit is in such a state that when you press any key of this group of lamps, the current passes to the lamp contacts. Based on these schemes, lighting control can be made from four or more places by inserting additional cross switches.

Wiring diagram for four switches

Usage example

For a situation where you need to go through a dark courtyard to the house, a circuit with walk-through switches in two places is ideal. In a private house, it is easy to implement this project with your own hands. In the hallway next to the switchboard, you need to install a junction box and one pass-through switch. The second - you need to put with inside on the fence near the gate, lampposts installed along the path can be used as lighting fixtures. Large electrical stores have many options with original decorative finishes.

The connection should be made as described above. Cables from the street switch and between the poles are recommended to be laid underground in plastic pipes. It is not necessary to dig deep, 30-40 cm will be enough to protect against mechanical damage. It makes no sense to take into account the freezing depth in each region, this is not a water pipe, copper wires will not freeze.

How to connect. Video

How to connect a pass-through switch according to all the rules can be found in this video.

Having studied the principles of operation of a circuit with two single-gang switches and having assembled it with your own hands, you can start installing more complex circuits with two-gang switches in three places or three-gang switches in two places, if necessary, without outside help.

Proper control of lighting fixtures will help and simplify their operation. If you install a pass-through switch without errors, the 2-point wiring diagram will perform its functions flawlessly. This article discusses the selection of suitable products and installation work. Having studied this information, you can independently implement the project at a convenient time and at a reasonable cost.

After training, it will not be difficult to create a lighting control scheme that is convenient for you.

If the house has a flight of stairs, then it is convenient to control its lighting from two places. Automatically turning off the light when leaving a certain area can be arranged using timers, or sensors that detect movement. But such electronic devices are expensive. They are more complex and less durable. They can be damaged by vibrations, high levels of humidity.

The circuit of the pass-through switch from two places is simpler and cheaper. Any zealous owner will love the following features:

High reliability and low cost of a typical product.
Easy to install and no complicated settings.
Immediate power off when needed and optimal power consumption.
Ability to do it yourself repair work and no costs for the services of experienced professionals.

Such solutions are useful in big houses and small apartments. Light control devices are placed in the corridor, near the entrance and the bed in the bedroom, in different places in the living room. You should start by accurately identifying user needs and creating an appropriate to-do list.

How the pass switch works: 2-point wiring diagram

With a conventional switch, they break and connect the electrical circuit of the phase wire, which is indicated by the Latin letter “L”, or “F”. By this action, power is supplied to the connected device. The second conductor (neutral, "N") is needed to create a closed loop through which current flows. The third wire (special designation "Earth") of the instrument case is connected to. This connection prevents damage electric shock in case of short circuits and ensures timely operation of circuit breakers.

The principle of operation of transitional type devices can be studied in the following picture.

In this position, the contacts are closed. Current flows through the circuit and lights up. If a person moves to another switch and presses a key, the key will move to position "3". The circuit will be broken, the lamp will go out. Now it is enough to turn on the key on either side to apply voltage again.

Preparation for project implementation

For laying you need a cable. Its parameters are selected taking into account the maximum power. With a copper conductor cross section of 1.5 mm and a 220V power supply, it is permissible to connect lamps with a total consumption of up to 4 kW. Smaller sizes are not recommended in order to maintain high mechanical strength and provide a good load margin.

In order to connect the pass-through switch according to the scheme from two places without causing unnecessary difficulties, you should purchase wires with different color markings:

Grounding - a combination of green and yellow. It is connected to a special bus, which is installed in the central switchboard of a private house, apartment.
shell of blue color used when choosing a "zero" wire.
There are no special requirements for the color of the phase wire. But it is better if it does not change in different sections of the wiring.

Suitable wires combined in a single cable with double insulated. As a rule, solid conductors are used. In modern products of this type, the outer layers are made of polymers with special additives. The following designations in abbreviations confirm the special properties of shells:

NG - not combustible;
FR - increased resistance to open flame;
LS - low smoke emission during combustion.

This table shows the characteristics of the feed-through switches for a 2-point connection:

Trademark, series	Peculiarities	price, rub.
IEC QUARTA	Beige color, set with frame, body and frame made of ABS plastic.	90-95
ABB Decento	Champagne, framed.	864
Legrand Etika	White, frameless, with reinforced structure and cable fixing with screw connection.	120-130
Legrand Etika	An analogue of the previous version, but in the performance of "ivory".	130-140
ABB Cosmo	Built-in backlight.	150-160
Schneider Electric GLOSSA	aluminum color	155-165
Legrand Quteo	For outdoor mounting. Waterproof device in accordance with the requirements of class IP44.	220-240

Important! From the reference data it is clear that the cost depends on the brand, aesthetic and functional parameters. All products shown are rated for 10A.

To perform work operations you will need:

Screwdrivers with Phillips and flat slots.
Knife and side cutters.
Building level, tape measure.
Screwdriver probe with built-in phase indicator.

Tool and expendable materials for laying channels is chosen depending on the characteristics of the structure. The hardest thing to work with wooden houses. To prevent accidents, the following methods are used here:

installation of cables in steel or copper pipes;
open installation.

Hiding conductors in corrugated polymer and metal tubes is prohibited. Such engineering systems must comply with the norms of PUE and PTEEP. In non-combustible brick and concrete structures, special channels are created. Depending on the material, the appropriate tool and nozzles are selected.

Related article:

A competent choice of electrical equipment guarantees safety, reliability and aesthetics of use. Let's look at existing brands and models.

Step-by-step installation of the wiring diagram of the pass-through switch from 2 places

The following instructions will help you perform all operations correctly:

remove wallpaper, cladding panels and others decorative coatings. Apply markings for future lines.

The strobes are laid starting from the shield. A free distance of at least 50% of the cable diameter is left to the walls of the upper edge of the channel.

Horizontal lines should be on the same level.

Cable laying is done carefully. The necessary fixing with nails of suitable dimensions before plastering is permissible without damaging the protective shells.
Switches and junction boxes are installed. The conductors are connected to the appropriate terminals.
The assembled products are inserted into plastic mounting boxes. With the help of built-in mechanisms, pointed elements are put forward, providing a secure fit.

System functioning is checked. If there are no comments, the channels are closed cement mortar. The frames are installed after the restoration of the wall decoration.

Solving other problems

Below are examples of how to connect a pass-through switch using other connection schemes. Having understood the principles of work, it will not be difficult to modify the project yourself, taking into account personal requirements.

Control of two lamps

If necessary, you can organize independent control of two lamps. The corresponding connection of the lamps is shown here. Please note that you will need to purchase two-gang switches.

Dual lamp control

Turning lights on and off from multiple locations

The following pictures show how the devices are connected if the standard wiring diagram for a two-gang pass-through switch is not suitable.

In order to use the pass switch correctly, the 2-point wiring diagram is created based on the needs of future users. The plan includes expenditure, construction and Decoration Materials, tools and fixtures. The exact choice of channeling technology is important. The electrical parameters of certified switches are identical. But appearance and additional features of these devices have a significant impact on the cost.

How to connect a pass switch (video)

You may also be interested in:

Sockets and switches: top brands from selection to installation

The current electricity prices make you think about saving where you didn’t even think about it before. For example, the lighting on the stairs. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a private or high-rise building, you still need to pay. Before, they just left the lights on. Today you think about turning it off, but running up / down is also joyless. It turns out there is a solution. So that the light does not burn constantly, there are schemes for controlling lamps from several places. That is, one or more lamps can be switched on and off from several points. Switches for this need special. They are called walkways. Sometimes there are names "duplicate" or "flip". All this is one type of electrical equipment. They differ from the usual ones in a large number of contacts. Accordingly, the connection diagram of the pass-through switch is more complicated. However, you can figure it out.

What does a switch look like and how does it work?

If we talk about the front side, then the only difference is a barely noticeable arrow on the up and down key.

If we talk about the electrical circuit, everything is also simple: in ordinary switches there are only two contacts, in the feed-through (also called changeover) three contacts, two of which are common. There are always two or more such devices in the circuit, and with the help of these common wires they are switched.

The difference is in the number of contacts

The principle of operation is simple. By changing the position of the key, the input is connected to one of the outputs. That is, these devices have only two working positions:

input connected to output 1;
input connected to output 2.

There are no other intermediate provisions. Thanks to this, everything works. Since the contact switches from one position to another, electricians believe that it is more correct to call them "switches". So the pass switch is also this device.

In order not to rely on the presence or absence of arrows on the keys, you need to inspect the contact part. Branded products should have a diagram that allows you to understand what type of equipment you have in your hands. It is definitely on the products of Lezard (Lezard), Legrand (Legrand), Viko (Viko). They are often absent on Chinese copies.

If there is no such circuit, look at the terminals (copper contacts in the holes): there should be three of them. But not always on inexpensive specimens, the terminal that costs one is the entrance. Often they are confused. To find where the common contact is located, you need to ring the contacts among themselves at different key positions. This must be done, otherwise nothing will work, and the device itself may burn out.

You will need a tester or multimeter. If you have a multimeter, set it to sound mode - it beeps when there is a contact. If you have a pointer tester, call for a short circuit. Put the probe on one of the contacts, find which of the two it rings with (the device beeps or the arrow shows a short circuit - it deviates to the right until it stops). Without changing the position of the probes, change the position of the key. If the short circuit is missing, one of these two is common. Now it remains to check which. Without switching the key, move one of the probes to another contact. If there is a short circuit, then the contact from which the probe was not moved is the common one (this is the input).

It may become clearer if you watch a video on how to find the input (common contact) for the pass-through switch.

Scheme of connecting a pass-through switch from two places

This scheme is useful for two-story house on the stairs, in the passage room, in the long corridor. You can also apply it in the bedroom - turn off the overhead light at the entrance and near the bed (how many times did you have to get up to turn it on / off?).

Zero and earth (if any) start up immediately on the lamp. The phase is fed to the output of the first switch, the input of the second is connected to the free wire of the lamp, the outputs of the two devices are connected to each other.

Looking at this diagram, it is easy to understand how the pass-through switch works. In the position shown in the figure, the lamp is on. By pressing the key of any of the devices, the circuit is broken. In the same way, when the position is off, by moving any of them to another position, we will close the circuit through one of the jumpers and the lamp will light up.

To make it clearer what and with what to connect, how to lay wires, here are a few images.

If we talk about the room, then you need to lay the wires approximately as in the photo below. By modern rules all of them should be at a distance of 15 cm from the ceiling. They can be stacked in mounting boxes or trays, the ends of the wires are brought into mounting boxes. This is convenient: if necessary, you can replace the broken wire. Also, according to the latest standards, all connections occur only in junction boxes and with the help of contactors. If you make twists, then it is better to solder them, and wrap them well with electrical tape on top.

The return wire of the lamp is connected to the output of the second switch. White indicates the wires connecting the outputs of both devices.

How to connect everything in the terminal box is described in the video.

3 point scheme

To be able to turn on / off the light from three places, you need to buy a cross (cross) switch for two switches. It differs from those described earlier by the presence of two inputs and two outputs. It switches a couple of contacts at once. How everything should be organized, see the picture. If you figured out what is above, this one is easy to understand.

How to assemble such a scheme? Here is the procedure:

Zero (and grounding, if any) starts immediately on the lamp.
The phase is connected to the input of one of the pass-through switches (with three inputs).
The input of the second is fed to the free wire of the lamp.
The two outputs of one three-contact device are connected to the input of a cross switch (with four inputs).
The two outputs of the second three-contact device lead to the second pair of contacts of the switch with four inputs.

The same scheme, but from a different angle - where to connect the wires on the cases.

And here's how to breed around the room.

If you need a circuit for four, five or more points, then it differs only in the number of cross switches (for four inputs / outputs). There are always two switches (with three inputs / outputs) in any circuit - at the very beginning and at the very end of the circuit. All other elements are cross devices.

Remove one "crosshair", get a control scheme of four points. Add more - there will already be a scheme for 6 control places.

To finally put everything in your head, watch this video.

Two-gang pass-through switch: wiring diagram

In order to control the lighting of two lamps (or groups of lamps) from several places from one switch, there are two-button walk-through switches. They have six contacts. If necessary, find common wires according to the same principle as in a conventional device of this type, only you will have to ring more wires.

The connection diagram of a 2-key pass-through switch differs only in that there will be more wires: the phase must be supplied to both inputs of the first switch, as well as from the two inputs of the second switch, it must go to two lamps (or two groups of lamps, if we are talking about a multi-track chandelier ).

If you need to organize the control of two light sources from three or more points, you will have to put two cross switches at each point: there are simply no two-button switches. In this case, one pair of contacts is connected to one crosshair, the second to the other. And then, if necessary, they are interconnected. The last two-gang transitional switch in the circuit is connected to the outputs of both crossbars.

How to organize control of two lamps from four places

If you think about it, everything is not so complicated, and the wiring diagram for a 2-point pass-through switch is generally simple. Lots of wires...

⚡ Walk-through switches allow you to control lighting from two or more different places at once. The article presents detailed diagram connecting a pass-through switch, as well as a step-by-step photo instruction.

You are invited to familiarize yourself with the features of the operation of the feed-through switches, the main options for their connection and the installation instructions directly.

Why are pass switches needed?

Most often, such switches are used in the following places:

on the stairs. You can install switches on the 1st and 2nd floors. At the bottom we turn on the light, go up the stairs, turn it off at the top. For houses with a height of more than two floors, additional switches can be added to the circuit;
in the bedrooms. We install a switch at the entrance to the room, and one or even two near the bed. They entered the bedroom, turned on the light, got ready for bed, lay down and turned off the lighting with a device installed near the bed;
in the corridors. We install on the switch at the beginning and at the end of the corridor. We go in, turn on the light, reach the end, turn it off.

The list can be continued for a very long time, because for almost every situation there is a variant of using the system of pass-through switches.

Advantages and disadvantages

Energy saving;
Ease of use in long corridors, bedrooms.

Electrical skills required;
Pass-through switches are much more expensive than conventional switches.

Switch Installation Diagrams

There are several options for connecting the devices in question. We bring to your attention the most popular and successful of them.

The system is assembled from two single-type pass-through switches.

Each of these devices has one contact at the input and a pair of contacts at the output.

Feed-through switch prices

through switch

From the source of electricity through the distribution box, a "zero" wire is connected to the lighting fixture. The phase cable, also passing through the box, is connected to the common contact of the first switch. The output contacts of this switch are connected by means of a box to the output contacts of the next device.

Finally, the wire from the common contact of the 2nd switch is connected to the lighting fixture through a junction box.

There is an option that allows you to control different groups of lighting fixtures from two places. For example, we need to organize the ability to control the lighting in a room directly from the room itself and from the adjacent corridor. There is a chandelier with 5 lights. We can install a pass-through switch system to turn on and off the two groups of light bulbs in our chandelier.

The diagram shows the option of dividing the light bulbs into 2 groups. In one of them there are 3, in the second - 2. The number of lighting fixtures in groups may vary at the discretion of the owner.

To equip such a system, we also use 2 pass-through switches, but they must be of a double type, and not single, as in the previous version.

The double switch design has 2 contacts at the input and 4 at the output. Otherwise, the connection procedure remains similar to the previous method, only the number of cables and controlled lighting devices changes.

Find out what it looks like and also check out step by step instructions on connection, in our article.

This connection method differs from the previous options only in that a cross switch is added to the circuit. This device has 2 contacts at the input and a similar number of contacts at the output.

You have familiarized yourself with the most popular schemes for installing walk-through switches. However, the number of such devices does not necessarily have to be limited to two or three. If necessary, the circuit can be expanded to include the required number of devices. The principle of operation remains the same for all cases: at the beginning and at the end of the circuit, a single through switch with three contacts is installed, and cross devices with four contacts are used as intermediate elements.

We install switches to control lighting from three different places

If there are usually no problems with arranging a system for controlling lighting from two different places, because circuit has simplest form, then the installation of three switches may cause certain difficulties for an unprepared installer.

We will consider the installation procedure for a system of two feed-through and one cross switch. By analogy, you can assemble a chain from more appliances.

Before proceeding with any further work, turn off the electricity supply.

To do this, find the appropriate switch in the house electrical panel or in the shield on the site (for apartment owners). Additionally, check that there is no voltage in the switch wires using a special indicator screwdriver. Also carry out a similar check at the installation sites of the devices.

Work set

Flat and Phillips screwdrivers.
Wire stripping tool. Can be replaced with a regular knife.
Side cutters or pliers.
Level.
indicator screwdriver.
Perforator.
Roulette.

To install, we must first prepare the strobes in the wall for laying electrical cables, power the wires and reach them to the locations of the installed devices.

Prices for Legrand switches

Switch Legrand

For chasing concrete walls It is best to use a perforator. If the partitions are made of limestone, it is better to make recesses with a chisel, because. in such a material, a too wide and deep strobe will remain from the perforator, which will make fixing the wire difficult and require more cement or plaster in the future.

Scheme of connecting the pass-through switch
for lighting control from 4 places

It is not recommended to use a perforator for chasing brick walls - you can split the masonry. In such a situation, the only safe solution is laying in previously adapted joints between the masonry elements.

Wooden walls are not chipped - the wires are laid in special protective boxes. Most often, the cable is pulled under the plinth and output directly under the switch installation site.

First step. We begin work by connecting the wires to the electrical panel. There should not be any difficulties at this stage - modern devices allow you to start up to 8 or more wires at once.

First you need to determine the optimal cable cross-section. Domestic power grids can hardly be called stable. The current strength in them constantly jumps, and at moments of overload it even increases to dangerous values. To avoid wiring problems, we use copper wires with a cross section of 2.5 mm 2 or more.

Second step. We choose a convenient installation height for the switches. At this point, we focus entirely on our preferences.

Third step. Having decided on the installation height of the switches, we proceed to the gating. We make the strobe 1.5 times the diameter of the wire in width and depth.

Important point! The wires are brought to the switches from below, so we equip the gate 5-10 cm below the installation points of the switches. This requirement is relevant purely from a practical point of view, because in such conditions, working with cables is easier and more convenient.

Fourth step. We lay the wires in the strobes. We fix the wiring elements with small nails. We drive nails into the wall so that they support the cable and prevent it from falling out. Before attaching the wires, we need to bring them under the switch (installation box). We will consider this point in the main section of the instruction. We will plaster the strobes after installing all the switches, making sure that the system is working.

Nom. current, A	Cable section, mm2	Permissible cable current, A	Cable outer diameter, mm
16	2x1.5	20	13
16	3x1.5	18	13,6
40	2x2.5	27	14,6
40	3x4	32	17,6
63	1x10	75	13,2
63	2x10	60	21,6
63	3x16	70	24,9
100, 160	1x16	100	14,2
100, 160	2x25	100	27
100, 160	3x25	118	31,2

Fifth step. We make holes for installing switches according to the size of the devices used.

We pass to the main stage of work.

Installing switches

First step. We start under the switch. Cut the cables so that mounting box about 100 mm of their length remained. Side cutters or pliers will help us with this. We remove about 1-1.5 cm of insulation from the ends of the wires.

Second step. Install the pass switch. The phase cable (in our example it is white) is connected to the terminal marked with the letter L. The remaining two cables are connected to the terminals marked with arrows.

In your case, the color of the cables may differ. Do not know how the laying and connection of wires in the junction box is made? Then do the following. Turn off the electricity and find the phase. An indicator screwdriver will help you. The phase is the live cable. It is he who is connected to the terminal with the letter L, and the remaining wires are arbitrarily connected to the terminals marked with arrows.

Third step. We carry out the installation of the cross switch. It has 4 wires going to it. We have a pair of cables, each of which has blue and white cores.

We understand the order of marking the terminals on the switch. At the top we see a pair of arrows directed "inside" the device, at the bottom they rush "away from" it.

To the terminals at the top, we connect the first pair of cables from the previously installed walk-through switch. The remaining two cables are connected to the terminals below.

To find live cables, we turn on the electricity and find the phases one by one. First, we determine the first one, changing the position of the key of the first pass-through switch for this. The next phase is found on the cables of the cross switch. Next, we just have to connect the remaining cores to the terminals below.

Fourth step. We proceed to connect the last switch. We need to find the cables in it through which the voltage from the cross switch goes. We have these cables have blue and yellow. We connect them to the terminals marked with arrows. There is a white cable. We connect it to the terminal marked with the letter L.

Prices for two-gang switches

two-gang switches

We already know the procedure for determining live cables. In the case of the second switch, we need to connect a wire to the L-terminal that will not have voltage.

Fifth step. Carefully insert the mechanisms of the devices into the mounting boxes. We carefully bend the wires to the base. Fixing devices. This will help us with fasteners in the mounting box or the “feet” of clamping mechanisms.