Many owners of large living quarters have encountered a problem when you need to go through a dark room to turn on the lights. Such a nuisance can be solved by a special through-type switch. It will be discussed in the article.
Why do we need transition switches?
The circuit breaker double switch serves to control the light source from two positions located from each other at a certain distance. Such electrical equipment works on the principle of a conventional switch. Thus, it is no longer necessary to return to the first device to turn off the lighting. Light can be dimmed from a convenient location.
Such walk-through switches in stores are presented in three types: single-key, two-and three-key.
The design differs depending on the number of lighting lamps connected to the device. In addition to key management, there are also more advanced models with touch disabling.
Cross circuit breakers
Cross switches are used to create comfortable conditions for the use of electric lighting in residential premises. Also, when using such special switches, you can save money on electricity that goes to lighting common areas in high-rise buildings. For example, in a residential building with several apartments, as well as in student dormitories, and in other buildings where rather long corridors with many doors to rooms are designed, residents turn on the light when they enter the building from the street. In the case of installing a cross switch, the guest has the opportunity to turn off the light in the corridor in his room. Thus, a significant part of the energy for lighting corridors is saved.
All switches connected to one light source, except the first and last, are transitional. Their difference from the walk-throughs is that the former have much fewer contacts inside the case. A crossover switch with one key has four contacts instead of three.
Two-gang switch type through passage
The main difference between the double-circuit breaker circuit breaker from the usual one is that the first device is connected immediately to the three wires. The principle of its operation is to direct the voltage from one contact to another. The lighting device will start working when the keys of both through-type switches are in the same position, the light turns off when one of the keys changes its position on either of the two devices.
A single light fixture can be controlled not only by two switches. Any number of switches can be connected to the electrical circuit.
The one-key switch of the transitional type is equipped with three terminals. Two-key switches contain 5 terminals in their case at once. Two pairs are needed to connect to other switches, and the fifth terminal is common.
With a three-key switch, the internal device is much more complicated, but with the internal circuitry of this device on hand, it’s not difficult to figure out how it works.
Installation of passage switches
The circuit breaker double switch is not very different from the installation of classic light switches. However, three electrical cables are connected to the casing at the through-passage electrical appliances. Two of them are necessary for the jumper between the switches, and the third is used to receive electric current from the distribution panel. To connect two or more transition type switches, you must additionally purchase a junction box where the wires are connected.
To install electrical appliances according to the circuit breaker double switch with two control points, you will need a large amount of cable. Six conductors of an electric cable are brought to each device. The fundamental difference between a classic two-key switch and a walk-through switch is that the latter does not have a common terminal. The switch-type switch housing consists of two independent switches. The connection diagram of such a device is carried out in stages:
- First, podrozetniki are installed in the hole in the wall, previously cut with a perforator. Three-wire wires are connected to it through the gates.
- For each lighting device, a zero phase cable should be made, as well as grounding. Then you should connect the devices to the wires.
- In the junction box, the phase wires must be connected to two contacts from the first switch. To the second light switch, you must connect the wires from the light fixture.
- The zero wire from the lighting device must be connected to a specially designated place in the switchboard of the building.
During the switching of contacts in the circuit of double pass-through switches to two bulbs, their common circuits are disconnected in pairs and connected. Thus, the normal functioning of the lamp is ensured.
Switching Connection Process
In order to correctly connect the devices according to the double-circuit breaker circuit breaker, it is necessary to free one centimeter of each wire from insulation to connect them to the connection blocks and to the switch housing. In the box, you must connect the phase wire to the input contact of the first switch. Two output wires are connected to the input of the first switch. The output contacts should be connected to the same wires extending from the second device. The input contact from the second switch should be connected with a lamp. The zero phase from the lighting electrical appliance must be connected to zero electrical panel.
Connection of the through switch on two lamps
Consider the connection scheme of a double pass-through switch to two light sources at once. First you need to decide what tasks are necessary for the correct operation of such an electrical circuit:
- High voltage wiring.
- Determining where the switches will be installed.
- Selection of a place for mounting a junction box.
In order to carry out the correct connection of the double pass-through circuit breaker from two places for controlling electric lamps in the house, you should place a distribution board, two switches at a certain distance from each other in a suitable place, and also install an electrical box.
After that, it is necessary to connect the cables to all devices in the electrical circuit. The wires should be laid in protective cable ducts or corrugations.
For the circuit to work correctly, it is necessary to connect the wires connected to the light source and the switches in the junction box. The phase from the box must be connected to the input of the switch. Two outputs must be connected with wires from the output of the second switch. The input common output of the second switch should be connected to the output of the light source.
The other output in the circuit for connecting two double pass-through switches from the light device must be connected to the neutral wire in the box. The cross section of the cable used should be selected depending on the power of the electrical equipment.
The fixtures are connected in parallel. This method will allow to continue the work of the bulbs if one of them burns out.
Lighting connection with three passage switches
For the correct connection of the Legrand double-pass circuit breaker circuit, the same devices are used as with two circuit breakers. Cross switches are used as an additional element. Such devices have four inputs at once: two input and two output. All these conclusions are simultaneously switched elements. Wiring in such a scheme should be four-wire.
In this case, conventional loop-type switches should be used at the start and end points of the light control. In the remaining places, cross-connects must be connected. In this scheme, you can use any number of switches, while the installation procedure will be complicated. In order not to get confused in a large number of wires that require connection to the equipment, they should be marked with different colors.
The two output contacts of the first switch must be connected to the outputs of the next cross-type switch. Then you need to connect to the subsequent switch, in which one common output is connected to the output of the light source.
The phase wire should be connected to the input contact of the first switch, the second wire extending from the lamp should be connected to the zero phase in the junction box.
All feed-through circuit breakers are powered with three-phase cables, cross-circuit breakers with four wire wires.
Connection of a two-key cross-over switch
The premises also use the electric circuit of the double-circuit-breaker “Legrand” in combination with a transitional light switch, also with two keys. This connection option makes it possible to control the light from three or four points. Between the switches, a cross two-gang switch is installed. It is necessary to connect 8 wires to it (4 from each switch).
For mounting so many wires, it is recommended to use boxes for more convenient phase distribution. It should be noted that a standard box with a diameter of 60 mm will not accommodate more than 4 wires in its housing. To connect a large number of cables, you should buy a box with a diameter of at least 100 mm.
Price of passage and cross switches
Prices for passage switches of the most budgetary models start at 150 rubles apiece. Cross-switches are twice as expensive, the cheapest device costs 350 rubles. The maximum cost of the device reaches 1000 rubles.
Pass-through and cross-type light switches gradually become obsolete, giving way to new devices that are equipped with automatic sensors. They automatically turn on when the sensor detects movement in a given radius.