Change the switch with two keys. How to change the switch if you are not an electrician? Switches are divided according to the method of mounting on the wall

Typically, a light switch will last up to 10-12 years, but there are times when it needs to be replaced sooner. The reasons may be different - mechanical damage, breakdown of the internal mechanism or obsolescence and unsightly appearance. For an experienced electrician, replacing a circuit breaker is a matter of five minutes. For a non-specialist, this time may increase to 10–15 minutes, but in any case, before starting to disassemble the switch, it is useful to familiarize yourself with its internal structure.

Replacing an old switch with a new one

Switches are three types: with one key, two or three. To figure out how to replace, consider the example of removing and installing the simplest single-gang switch.

Photo gallery: types of electrical switches

All types of switches, including single-gang ones, can be designed for flush or outdoor wiring. With a two-gang switch, two lines can be independently controlled lighting fixtures Three-gang switches are used relatively rarely, because they are needed in cases where it is required to turn on three different lighting devices from one point

Repair, dismantling and replacement of the circuit breaker is only allowed when the power is off.

The circuit breakers on the switchboard must be turned off (check box at the bottom).

In order to ensure your own safety during work, you must turn off the electricity by lowering the corresponding box circuit breaker

To finally make sure that there is no voltage on the switch contacts, it is recommended to use a household voltage indicator by setting metal leg for each contact in turn. A direct confirmation of the disconnection of the network is also the fact that the working lamp of the lamp does not light up when the switch is turned on (button up).

When there is voltage inside the transparent plastic case, the LED lights up.

How to remove an old switch

First of all, you need to conduct a visual inspection. There are many types of switches, and they differ in the way they are assembled. In some, the outer cover is fixed with screws, in others it is held on by plastic latches.

To remove this antique switch, you need to unscrew the two bolts and remove the decorative cover.

First, the top protective cover is removed. If it is fixed on screws, they need to be unscrewed. To do this, use a screwdriver with straight slots. If the fastening is made by latches, then before removing the cover, you need to remove the key. This is done using the same screwdriver, gently inserting it into the gap between the case and the key. If there are several keys, then each of them is removed independently.

The key is gently pry off with a screwdriver inserted into the slot, and removed with a screwdriver.
When the key is removed, the entire internal structure of the switch becomes available for disassembly. If the wiring device is hidden, the switch is recessed into the depth of the wall and is attached to the socket using sliding legs. They must be released by unscrewing the two screw bolts counterclockwise. You need to rotate them until the base falls out of the socket. If the wiring is external, the mount is slightly different. There are no sliding legs and a socket box, the switch body is fixed directly to the wall.
The built-in switch is dismantled after unscrewing the two screws securing to the socket
By unscrewing two screws, you can get a base, inside of which there is a contact pair that opens the circuit for supplying current to the lamp.
After unscrewing the bolts, the switch is freely removed from the socket
On the last step dismantling the switch, the wires are disconnected from it. They are inserted into special terminal blocks and fastened to them with screw clamps. By loosening the screws one and a half to two turns, you can easily pull the wires out of the sockets. They should not be completely unscrewed, as in some switches the fastening is designed in such a way that the cable is clamped between the screw and the square nut. If the nut comes off the thread, it will be difficult to reinstall it later.
After loosening the wire fastening bolts, the switch body will remain in your hands

Video: how to disassemble the switch

Installing a new switch

Assembly is done in reverse order.

The wires are connected in place.
The base is inserted into the socket and secured with spacer legs.
A plastic case is screwed on top.
A key is inserted into the grooves.

In this case, it is important to install the switch so that the lamp turns on when the button is pressed up. The assembly of the switch for external wiring is carried out identically, with the difference that after fixing the cable contacts, the base is screwed to the wall, then the case is attached to it, and the key is installed last.

The switch is installed in the reverse order of removing the old device.

How to move the switch to another location

Sometimes there is a desire (or need) to move the switch to another location. For example, when the children in the family grow up, but still cannot reach the switch. The rules for installing electrical appliances allow the switch to be moved to a convenient place for the user. It is allowed to install the switch at a height of 80 to 160 cm from the floor. In order to make such a move, you must first determine the new location. It is considered optimal to install a switch located 15–20 cm from the edge door jamb(right or left - it does not matter, but it is more common to install it on the right).

The switch is installed 15–20 cm from the door on either side

If the reinstallation is carried out within 1 m of the original location down or up, a strobe is made in the wall. Its depth should be approximately 1.5 times the thickness of the cable (or cables) laid in the corrugation. The wire should lie freely inside the groove without looking out. The strobe can be made with a puncher or a strobe cutter.
To do concealed wiring, a strobe is made in the wall with a volume approximately 1.5 times larger than the size of the cable in the corrugated hose
In the place of the new position of the switch, a hole for the socket is drilled. This can be done with a perforator using diamond crown. The depth of the hole should be no more than 5 cm in concrete and brick houses and 4.5 cm - in panel. As a rule, a crown with a diameter of 68 mm is used. However, there are various situations, and the crown is selected based on them. On this preparatory work are running out.
The hole for the socket is drilled using a diamond core bit with a diameter of 68 mm
The next step is to turn off the power to the mains of the house (apartment) and completely disassemble the switch, described above. In addition to the switch itself, the socket box is also carefully removed from the wall. This can be done with a puncher or a simple chisel with a hammer. Socket boxes in concrete and brick walls are attached to gypsum, which, when exposed to blows, crumbles and collapses. It is important not to break the plastic housing of the socket itself, it can be reused.
The socket box can be removed by carefully knocking out its edges and crumbling adhesive layer gypsum
After that, the cable is extended to the desired length. It is best to connect the wires using a terminal block or a regular Wago block, but if this is not possible, you can make a simple twist, while insulating it well with a dielectric tape. According to the rules for laying cables in strobes, the cable must be placed in the corrugation. Minimum size corrugated plastic sleeve is (outer diameter) 16 mm. The metal corrugation may be 9.8 mm across. The junction of the old and new corrugations must also be insulated. The size of the stackable cable is selected in such a way that there is a margin of 5–10 cm.
If there are no terminal connectors at hand, you can do the usual twist, carefully insulating all open areas
After that, a socket is installed in a new place. The easiest and fastest way is to fix it on alabaster, a quick-setting electrical plaster. The solution is diluted in the ratio of 1 part alabaster to 1 part water by volume. Since the gypsum hardens very quickly, the socket box is first installed in the hole in the wall, the corrugated cable is inserted into it, and only then the solution is prepared.
Alabaster must be diluted in water in a ratio of 1: 1 and quickly applied to the necessary places, because it hardens very quickly
After the alabaster is brought to the consistency of thick sour cream, it fills the strobe with the cable and the empty space around the socket. After 25–30 minutes, the solution will harden and it will be impossible to change the position of the wiring, so everything must be done within 5–7 minutes. Later, with a different solution, the strobe is completely puttied and leveled in the plane of the wall. Former location the location of the socket box is also completely filled with putty. For the final leveling of all voids, ordinary gypsum is used, which sets only after 25–30 minutes (and some up to an hour), which gives enough time to work. After the putty has completely dried (24 hours), the surface is polished with sandpaper.
The strobe must be filled with mortar and carefully leveled, and after the alabaster has dried, sanded with sandpaper
The installation and connection of the switch is carried out after the strobe and the socket box are completely dry. The connection procedure is described above.

Sometimes (more often this happens in panel houses old building) you can come across a switch that is fixed in a recess without using a socket. This practice was characteristic of the buildings of the end of the previous century. The panels were poured at the factory, they provided for the installation of switches and sockets directly in concrete holes. For some (short) time, such switches served properly, but the sockets were the first to fail and fell out of their sockets when the cord was pulled out. Therefore, if there is no socket under the switch, the task will only be simplified.

In the case when the switch is moved over a considerable distance, it is possible to connect it to another junction box. But it makes no sense to describe this process without reference to specific situation. In this case best solution there will be a consultation with an experienced electrician directly on site.

Much easier and faster to reset the circuit breaker when outdoor wiring cables. Obviously, in this case there is no need to ditch the walls, it is enough to stretch the cable channel or even just the cable in the corrugation to a new location.

Outdoor wiring is most often carried out in plastic boxes.

For corrugated sleeves, special brackets are available for sale to help fix them on the wall.

It is more convenient to fasten a corrugated hose with a cable inserted into it using plastic clips

Often such wiring is done in garages, warehouses and other office space. Its clear advantage is high degree accessibility during repairs or preventive work. In addition, in cable channel you can always install additional conductors as needed.

Video: how to move the switch

Switch repair

Not always the old switch needs to be thrown away and replaced with a new one. Sometimes it is enough to repair it. The switch device is quite simple and can be repaired in case of a breakdown without much difficulty. If you carefully examine the disassembled switch, you can understand that the main function in it is performed by a contact pair, which by force mechanical impact moves from one position to another. In one position electrical circuit connects, in the other - disconnects.

Necessary tools and materials

To disassemble and assemble the switch, you will need only one tool - a flat-blade screwdriver, the size of which is 3–5 mm. A piece is needed to strip the contacts sandpaper with fine grain or needle file.

Disassembly of the circuit breaker is carried out using a conventional flat-blade screwdriver.

How to disassemble the switch

The process of disassembling the switch has been described above. For convenience, we present it here again.

Modern switches consist of a non-separable base, which simply changes in case of damage.

Contact cleaning

If the switch is unstable (it turns on, then does not turn on the lamp), most likely the reason lies in burnt contacts. Upon closer inspection, such contacts may turn out to be slightly charred or even melted. This happens because the wire is not firmly fixed in the terminal block. Another reason may be a power surge in the network at the time of switching on. lamp too high power can also cause damage to the contacts over time. Be that as it may, contact must be restored, then it will continue to serve properly. To do this, it is cleaned with fine sandpaper until a uniform metallic color.

Fine sandpaper is used to clean the contacts.

Sometimes the conductor may be tinned, i.e. treated with tin. Then instead of sandpaper it is better to use a small file - a needle file.

How to assemble a switch

Assembly is in reverse order. If the repair is carried out for the first time, you can lay out the parts on the table in the order of disassembly or take pictures in stages. When repairing a single-gang switch, the location of the wires does not matter. But if there are two or three keys in it, then in order to avoid confusion, it is better to immediately mark the incoming core with a marker. They can also mark the place of its connection.

When installing a two-gang switch, it is necessary to correctly connect the lead wire (phase), which is best marked during disassembly

You can check the result of the repair after installing the base in the socket. To do this, turn on the mains power on the shield and test the switch. If it works normally, you can complete the assembly, install the protective case and the key.

Video: repair and replacement of the switch

Getting started on replacing the lighting switch, you need to take care of safety measures. It must be remembered that electricity can cause damage to health and pose a danger to life. It is necessary to observe the main rule of health protection, which is that installation should only take place when the devices are disconnected from the mains.

It is easy to change the switch to the same number of contacts and type of installation. Switches according to the type of installation are for outdoor and internal wiring. Switches differ greatly from each other in the number of disconnected contacts, and in order to replace a single-key switch with a two- or three-key switch, one or two additional wires will need to be laid from it, respectively, to the lamp.

Find the right tool.

Pockets should contain:

voltage indicator, do not use it as a screwdriver this tool is very fragile;
three screwdrivers - one with a Phillips sting, and two of different sizes with a flat one;
pliers or wire cutters;
stationery knife;
insulating tape;
A flashlight is always handy.

Take precautions for safety when working with electricity.

Shoes with thick insulating soles must be worn. Go to the electrical panel and turn off the electricity supply to your apartment, near the electricity meter. It's as simple as unscrewing the fuses, turning off the circuit breaker, or turning the handle of the batch switch.

Protect yourself, warn all household members about your work. Write and hang on the electrical panel a piece of paper with the inscription "Do not turn on! Work in progress" . This is especially important if you turn off the electricity on the common landing.

For additional security, you can lay a rug from insulating material. This will especially save you if the apartment has a bare concrete floor.

Remove the old switch.

Open the switch. Remove the keys by prying them with a wide screwdriver and pulling them towards you with the other hand, and also take out the decorative overlay.

Make sure that there is no voltage on the contacts to which the wires are connected. A must for everyone! Use a simple voltage indicator for this.

Unscrew the screws on the two sides where the wires do not fit. If they hold the circuit breaker body to the mounting frame, then unscrew them completely. The screws on the expanding legs should not be unscrewed completely, it is enough to loosen them and the inside of the switch will be released.

Take out inner part device. Pull it out as far as the length of the free wires allows.

Install a new switch.

Inspect the ends of the wires for signs of overheating or oxidation. Cut off damaged ends before good insulation begins. If you need to lengthen short wires, then do it with a piece of wire of the same material and no less thickness. Be sure to solder the junction, for excellent contact, and insulate well.

The insulation on the wires should be removed by about 6 - 7 mm., For fastening without bends, and stripped by 18 - 21 mm., When twisting with a ring. It is convenient to bend the ring of wires along the screw with which it will be pressed.

The most important thing is to find the phase wire. Run bare wires away from different sides and make sure they don't sag or touch the wall. Temporarily turn on the voltage. Use the indicator to find the wire on which there is voltage, and mark it.

Connect wires correctly. There are switches with marks where you need to connect the phase, this “L” mark is located on the base of the device. The icons "1", "2" or an arrow indicate the attachment points to which the outgoing wires are connected to the lamp.

There are no symbols, then we connect the phase wiring to the central contact, in the middle between the other two wires. In a single-gang switch, the phase must be fed to the fixed bottom contact, although this rule is not strictly enforced.

Clamp the wires with screws, and check that the wires are secure by pulling them out of the clamps.

Make sure that the bare part of the wire does not protrude from the contact by more than 2 - 3 mm.

Install the switch in place. Pay attention to the correct fixing of the switch. The keys should turn on when they are pressed up.

Align the switch horizontally and secure. Screw the mounting frame to installation box or fix the switch with spreader lugs. If you can’t securely fasten it with your paws, then put a plastic ring cut out of a bottle, pipe, or whatever else into the nest.

Finish your work. Fix the decorative trim first. Don't be stupid, put it right if it says "ON", "OFF" or other. Lay the keys flat against the trim, and push them into place.

Circuit breaker failure can occur different reasons: from short circuit until the banal wear of the box. In order to replace it, you can call an electrician, but if you wish, this work can be done independently. There is nothing difficult in this operation, and any adult, even without special knowledge, will cope with it in no more than half an hour. However, it should be remembered that since this work involves electricity, you need to take care of safety measures. In this article you will find a detailed answer to the question of how to change the switch with your own hands.

Preparation for work

Before proceeding with the replacement of the switch, you need to make sure that the reason is in it. Often the “culprit” is the cartridge, so you should first check it with a probe or multimeter, after unscrewing the lamp.

Also make sure that other rooms have light.

After making sure that it is the switch that is faulty, it must be dismantled. It should be remembered that the light switch is replaced in a de-energized apartment, so it is necessary to turn off the voltage that is supplied to the room with a knife switch. Warn all households that you are working with electricity and at this time they should not turn on any electrical appliances, and even more so, touch the switch.

Let's figure out first how to change the switch with one button.

Removing the switch

To dismantle a faulty device, you must first remove its protective cover, made of plastic or carbolite. To do this, you need to unscrew the 2 fastening screws.

The switch mechanism with one key is fixed inside the socket box with spacer tabs. It has a pair of screw terminals with cable cores connected to it. The position of the legs can be adjusted if necessary using the screws on the left and right sides.

Before removing the mechanism, it is necessary to determine which core the phase is suitable for. To do this, we need a screwdriver-probe. Touching her contacts one by one, we check the presence of voltage. Then the device key should be switched to another position, and then re-check.

The supply phase cable is the one on the contact of which the probe indicates the presence of voltage; at the same time, it is absent on the second contact. The zero core should go to the lighting device.

Phase detection is performed on a circuit breaker that is energized, so you must be extremely careful when performing this procedure. Only after its completion, the room must be de-energized by turning off the breaker or removing the plugs.

Having de-energized the apartment, you need to make sure that there is no voltage on the switch, and then continue to dismantle it. In this case, you need to act as follows:

Remove the mechanism from the socket, after unscrewing the screws of the spacer legs.
After that, you need to separate the wires, starting with the phase. Loosen the contact screw, pull out the cable and mark it with electrical tape.
Disconnect the second cable from the mechanism.
Straighten the wires.

This completes the dismantling.

Preparing to connect

Before you connect a new device, you need to prepare it for installation. The procedure for this is as follows:

Remove the key using a flathead screwdriver.
Unscrew the screws to gain access to the mechanism. The execution of these devices is different, but they are connected according to the same principle and fixed to the socket by means of spacer legs. The movement of the latter is provided by screws.

To fix the wires, a pair of screw clamps and a pressure plate are provided. With their help, you can loosen the fastening, or, on the contrary, press the cores more strongly. One to two wires can be connected to each contact.

Installing a new switch

Having prepared the mechanism for installation, we proceed directly to its connection. In this case, you need to act in the following order:

Strip the ends of the wires from insulation by 1-1.5 cm with a knife.
Insert the cleaned core into the contact hole, making sure that there is no insulation in the clamp. It should be remembered that the phase conductor (red) must be mounted in the socket of the contact marked with the L1 symbol, and the neutral conductor (black or blue) in the socket L2.
If the end of the core sticks out more than 2 mm, trim the excess.
Tighten the contact screw.
Pull on the cable to make sure the contact is secure. The wire must remain motionless. If this is not the case, tighten the contact more tightly. But it is important not to overdo it - you can break the thread.
Strip and insert the next wire into the hole.
Fasten in the same way, make sure the fixation is good.

After that, the switch must be inserted inside the socket and secured with sliding strips. Then supply electricity to the room and check the operation of the device under voltage.

If the light turns off when the key is pressed up, you should swap the cables or simply turn the mechanism case over.

After making sure that everything is in order, replace the switch key and screw the cover. When installing the key, you need to make sure that the pins on it fit into the button grooves. This completes the switch replacement.

Let's move on to the question of how to properly change a switch with two or three buttons. The procedure for performing the procedure is almost identical to that observed when working with a one-button device, with the exception of a couple of nuances. When installing a switch with two buttons, the phase is connected to terminal L3, and the other two cables go to terminals L1 and L2. Switches for three keys are connected with four wires, one of which is phase, and each of the other three corresponds to its connection group.

Visually the whole process of replacing a two-gang switch on the video:

Conclusion

In the material presented, we tried to analyze in as much detail as possible how to replace the light switch. As you can see, this procedure does not present any particular difficulties, and our readers, after reading the article, will easily cope with such work on their own, without the help of a professional electrician.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and switches in the apartment, among other things, tend to fail. Of course, you can call an electrician, and he will replace him in a matter of minutes, but most often this simple procedure You could spend a whole day or more.

In principle, if there is a desire and some skill, then you can replace the switch with your own hands, and not wait for electricians.

It is not difficult to do this, and such a replacement will take a maximum of half an hour of free time.

How to replace the switch in the apartment.

The first thing to do turn off the electricity in the apartment. Now you can start dismantling the old switch. screwdriver needed pry the key switch, after that it should snap off, or simply unscrew the bolt on the cover of the switch. The design of the keys of old switches is different, but do not be afraid to break something, because you should already have a new switch.

By the way switches are different.. It all depends on the dimensions of the mounting boxes in the apartment. Now they mainly install the so-called "Euro-boxes", and earlier Soviet-style boxes were placed in our apartments. And if you don’t know what kind of boxes you have, then don’t buy the switch in advance, but simply remove the old one and take it with you to the store, the seller will always tell you which type you need, and you will only have to choose the color and design.

After the keys and the switch cover are removed, access to the fastener bolts will open. These bolts need to be unscrewed a little with a screwdriver until the switch comes out of the box. On euro-switches, sometimes you just need to unscrew the bolts that are screwed into the box.

Now you need to unscrew the wires. If the switch single-key, then there are two wires, if two-key(turns off two lamps), then three. Before replacing the switch, you need to align the bare ends of the wires, and if they are damaged, then it is better (if the wire supply allows) to bite off the end with wire cutters and clean it again. If there are three wires(in a two-gang switch), then you need to remember which wire is common (phase).

Usually, the common wire is connected from below, and the other two that go to the lamps are connected from above, or vice versa. You can also determine the phase wire using the indicator, if the wiring is done correctly, then phase must go through the switch. That is, when checking with an indicator, the wire on which the phase indicator lights up will be common, and the other two to the lamps. But even if you confuse something, then nothing terrible will happen, since there is no zero, then there will be no short circuit.

Now wires need to be fixed on the switch contacts. As a rule, the wire is inserted into the contact hole, and clamped with a bolt using a screwdriver. It is not necessary to clamp the wire too tightly, but also weakly, too.

When the wires are installed, you can carefully, without touching the conductors check switch operation, and at the same time determine the position of the keys when turned on. Sometimes it happens that the switch is already installed, and the keys in the switch turn the light up and turn it down, then you have to remove it and turn it over. So it's better to check everything in advance.

If everything works correctly, then you can put the switch in the box. With a screwdriver, you need to tighten the bolts along the edges of the switch until the fasteners rest against the box and the switch will hold securely. Euro-boxes have special holes for bolts, with which you can fix the switch. You also need to make sure that the switch is installed straight.

Light switches do not fail as often as sockets, although they are used several times a day. Typically, the service life of switches is 8-10 years. Circuit breaker failures can be divided into subcategories: mechanical failures and electrical failures. The first ones are associated with abrasion of parts, breakage of springs and plastic elements, means of attachment to the socket box. The second - with burning and destruction of contacts, relaxation of electrical clamps. If the failure cannot be repaired, a decision should be made to replace the entire product.

Varieties of light switches

The switch can be single-key and control one lamp. If it is a two-key one, then two options are possible: either two lighting devices are connected to the product, installed in different rooms(toilet, bathroom), or in a multi-lamp luminaire, two groups of lamps are separately controlled, for example, a chandelier. There are also more complex three-gang switches and combined switch blocks with a socket.

One-button light switch

Two-button light switch

Three-key light switch

Combination switch

combined block- switch plus socket

Replacing a faulty light switch

The repair or replacement of the circuit breaker will be most professionally and safely carried out by a licensed electrician. electrical work. In any case, the room where the replacement of the installation product is supposed to be carried out must be de-energized. Disassembly of the old-style switches is carried out by unscrewing the fastener holding the protective cover. With new European products, first of all, it is necessary to separate the key from the body, using a screwdriver inserted into middle part side gap.

After a visual inspection, it is determined from which side (top or bottom) the wires approach the current-carrying clamps. To not be unnecessary problems, the new circuit breaker must have a similar design. It may differ in that the terminals will be located on the other side, to reach which the wires will not be possible due to insufficient length. The product will have to be installed upside down, and this will change the usual standard of inclusion. To turn on the light, you will need to press the bottom of the key and vice versa. Small currents flow through the lighting conductors, so if you want to leave the usual standard: turning on / off the lighting, you can use spring terminals to build up wires that can easily fit in the box along with the switch.

For a single-gang switch, there will be no difference how to connect the wires. For the two-key and three-key versions, one wire must be common (supply), and the rest will feed the corresponding fixtures. For a three-gang switch, you need a four-wire conductor. common wire(supply) must not be interchanged with other conductors, otherwise the switch will not work correctly. In addition, the common (feeding) wire must be phase. That is, all switches in the house should work to break not the neutral conductor, but the phase of the mains voltage. Otherwise, when replacing electric lamps, a person may be shocked when touched at the same time, for example, a hot riser or cold water even if the switch is turned off. For complete safety when replacing lamps or repairing fixtures, it is correct to de-energize the line using a circuit breaker in electrical panel.

A specialist can check for the correct connection of the phase to electrical installations using a screwdriver indicator or using a multimeter.
switch - power supply control

The dismantling of a faulty switch is carried out by loosening the mounting clamps and removing it from the box. If required, strip the ends of the wiring and insulate dangerous places. The new product is installed in the reverse order, fixing the necessary fasteners. After applying voltage, check the clarity of operation of the product, the correctness of switching.

Replace broken one electric switch no more difficult than a socket. Power supply lines for lighting fixtures in apartment wiring have a lower maximum current value, are made of thinner wire, approximately 1.0-1.5 mm in diameter. This is enough to feed large chandelier in the hall, which has 5 light bulbs with a power of 75 W, and even more so a 100-watt lamp in the hallway or in the kitchen. If energy-saving lamps are used in the house, then the load on the lighting wiring will be even less.