How to choose a passage switch: device and purpose of various types + marking

To control lighting devices on a staircase or in a long corridor, a conventional circuit with a single on / off device is not suitable. To turn off the light in such a situation, you have to go back to the only switch in the room. Not too convenient, agree?

By installing a walk-through switch that allows you to control bulbs from two places, you will significantly increase the level of comfort in your home or office. We will talk about how to choose the right device and how to install it correctly. In the article we proposed, popular connection options are considered.

Choice of devices: switches vs switches

Before you go to the lighting store for the necessary materials, you first need to understand the terminology and various electricity switching devices.

For most beginner electricians, that switch, that switch is the same thing. However, they are only superficially similar to each other. According to the principle of action, these devices differ dramatically.

Household switches as well as switches for light look the same and have uniform housings, but are designed for fundamentally different connection schemes

The usual “SWITCH” is the simplest key to open / close the electric circuit. It has one input and one output wire. Plus there are two- and three-key devices with a large number of contacts. However, these are simply two or three assembled together in a single switch case.

A “SWITCH” is a switching device in which one input circuit is switched to one of several output circuits. Often, such a device is also called a "rocker switch", since it has a key for switching contacts from one position to another.

At a minimum, in this single-key device there are three contacts (one input and a pair of output).If there are two keys, then there are already six terminals (a pair at the input and four at the output).

The term “PASS-CIRCUIT BREAKER” refers to several switches connected to each other in a specific pattern. Such a switch is designed to turn on / off a single light source from several points at once in a room or fenced area with lighting.

It’s impossible to make a “walk-through” device from classic switches in order to save on purchase, for this it is necessary to use only switches

As a result, a two-contact switch is designed to break one electrical circuit with a phase by which a light bulb is energized. A three-pin switch is used to create new individual power circuits.

The first option is needed to stop the current supply through any circuit, and the second - to switch between circuits. Externally, both devices look exactly the same. This is a case with one or more keys. In this case, the switch can be used in the switch mode, but not vice versa.

It is impossible to make a three-pin device out of a two-pin device. But to exclude the use of one of the circuits is quite acceptable. But to organize light control from several points, you only need to buy switching devices with three or more contacts.

Types of household switching devices

Switches are pushbutton, keyboard and rotary. The first option is usually used only as a bell at the front door. It is not suitable for controlling lighting.

But the second type for turning on / off the light in a residential building is just what you need. The swivel variety is more suitable for production and utility rooms. Such products do not have a very presentable appearance.

By the number of keys, the switches are:

• single-key;
• two-key;
• three keys.

They are divided into ordinary (walk-through), combined and cross (intermediate). The first have three contacts. For the second, this triple of terminals is increased by multiplying by the number of keys. And the third entrances and exits have two. The latter are intended for circuits not with two, but with several points of inclusion of light.

According to the type of control in private houses, lighting switches are usually used standard keyboard, but there are also models with sensors and remote control

According to the wire supply circuit breakers are for open (overhead products) and hidden (built-in analogues) wiring. The former are mounted on the wall with dowel-screws, and the latter are fixed in the socket with the help of bursting legs.

When choosing the switches for connection according to the pass-through switch scheme, it is necessary to correctly select the number of keys (one for each connected group). If there are two control points in the plans, then only a couple of ordinary three-pin devices will be needed.

If these points are needed more, then for each such place for inclusion in a single system will have to additionally take an intermediate crossover device.

In the vast majority of cases, the household switch key has two positions to close one of the circuits. But there are also modifications with a zero middle state. In this position, both circuits are broken.

Marking on the switch housing

On the part of the switch where the contacts are located, there is usually a special marking indicating the characteristics of the switching product. At a minimum, these are rated voltage and current, as well as IP degree of protection and designations of clips for wires.

If the switch is selected for circuits with fluorescent lamps, then the letters “X” or “AX” must be present in its marking (on ordinary ones there is only “A”)

When the light is turned on in fluorescent lamps in the circuit, a sharp surge in the starting current occurs.If LED bulbs or incandescent bulbs are used, then this jump does not come out so big.

Otherwise, the circuit breaker must be designed for such high loads, otherwise there is a risk of burning contacts in its terminals. That is why it is so important for fluorescent light bulbs to choose special switches.

For installation in a bedroom or a corridor, a switch with IP03 is quite suitable. For bathrooms, the second digit is better to raise to 4 or 5. And if the switching product is installed on the street, then the degree of protection should not be lower than IP55.

Contact clamps for electrical wires on the switch can be:

• screw with a clamping plate and without it;
• screwless spring.

The former are more reliable, and the latter greatly simplify wiring. Moreover, the most optimal option is screw clamps with an addition in the form of a pressure plate. When tightened, they do not destroy the wire core with the tip of the screw.

According to GOST requirements, if the conductor has a cross section of up to 1.5 mm, then it is unacceptable to use a screw clamp to connect it to the switch, in which the end of the screw rotates through the core

Also in the marking of the switches there are terminal designations:

1. "N" - for the zero working conductor.
2. "L" - for a conductor with a phase.
3. "EARTH" - for a protective earth conductor zero for grounding.

Plus, usually with the help of “I” and “O” the position of the key in the “ON” and “OFF” modes is indicated. Also on the case may be the manufacturer's logos and product names.

Lighting control from multiple locations

There are several switch mounting schemes for switching on the light from different ends of the corridor. The simplest of them implies the presence of switch keys in two remote from each other places of the room and one power supply line of the fixtures.

If you need to make more than two lighting switching points, then the wiring of the wires will come out somewhat more complicated. But there is nothing much wise here either.

If you follow the presented connection diagrams of the switches, then there will not be any special problems with the organization of control of the lamp from several points - you just need to not mix up the wires

If it is planned to apply voltage to a chandelier with two or three separate sets of bulbs using a passage switch, the circuit will become somewhat more complicated. Here you will have to mount switches with several keys, and there are much more terminals for wires.

Scheme # 1: to turn on the light from two points

The easiest way to organize the control of the lighting device from two different places in the room. To do this, you need only a couple of standard switches and a few meters of electrical wiring.

Plus, you will need to follow the simplest rules for wiring in order to exclude electric shocks and guarantee the safe operation of the entire system in the future.

The “walk-through corridor switch" scheme with two switches is the most popular; it is used everywhere in corridors and bedrooms, as well as on stairs and porches

Upon implementation connection schemes from several places the outputs of both switches are connected by a pair of cores to obtain two separate supply circuits. Then, a phase wire is connected to the input of one switching product, and a tap to the bulb is connected to the input of the second.

As a result, for any position of both keys, the common power circuit of the “pass-through switch" will either be broken or connected. The light can be turned on and off from two different points.

This solution allows you to energize the lighting device when you turn on only any one key. The second, on the other side of the room, always commutes one of the existing lines.

Scheme # 2: for two fixtures

The first scheme is the simplest and cheapest to implement. It is used most often.However, if there are several luminaires in the room or the lamps in the chandelier are divided into two groups, then this option of the passage switch will not work.

If you need to supply power to two separate lines of lighting lamps, you will have to resort to the installation of two-key switches with six contacts each

According to the installation technology and the devices used, this scheme practically repeats the first basic version. Only wires in this case will have to lay more.

And in order to save even a little on them, it is recommended to make the supply wire to the first switch in the circuit with a jumper. Pulling a pair of individual cores from the junction box will be too expensive.

If there are three lines with lamps, then two-key switches change to three-key analogs. In all other respects, the wiring diagram remains the same, only their number increases.

Scheme # 3: for multiple switches

With two points of inclusion of light and one or several lighting groups, everything is quite simple. They need wiring and a couple of switches. But if necessary, organize control from several places will have to purchase another type of switching devices.

If there are several switches for one luminaire, you can not do without a cross switch. In this device, one of the circuits is a transit

In such wiring diagram the extreme switches are set to normal pass-throughs, as in the first case. And between them then a cross analog is mounted with four terminals for wiring.

When a key is pressed in such a switching device, the connected contacts open and immediately cross-circuit them into a new supply circuit. In addition to single-key cross switches, there are devices with a large number of keys. They are designed for circuits with several groups of bulbs.

However, in this case, the wires to the terminals will have to be connected much more. And here it is extremely important not to confuse anything. The correct electrical installation with such wiring must be monitored very carefully.

If you need one more point “on / off”, then set another crosshair with a series connection of wires to existing

Electricians recommend connecting the switches to each other through a junction box. However, it is much easier to do this directly using a two-wire cable. Practice shows that such a connection is more appropriate and does not violate electrical standards. And the consumption of electrical wires with it is seriously reduced.

Proven cross-circuit wiring diagrams are given in next article, the contents of which we advise you to read.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

There are few nuances of connecting switches so that lighting can be controlled from several points. But they are. And you cannot miss them out of ignorance of their appearance during installation. To make it easier for you to understand all the intricacies of the above schemes, we recommend that you definitely watch the videos below.

All about passage switches - principles of operation and installation:

How to connect a two-key switch:

Connection diagram of passage (cross over) switches through a junction box:

Using walk-through switches greatly simplifies the control of lighting in a large room, making this process more convenient. To independently mount such a system of several switches and wires is not difficult. It is only necessary to choose the right set of necessary switching devices.

And how did you choose the passage switch for installation in a country house, office or apartment? What was the decisive argument for you in choosing a device? Please write comments in the block below, post pictures on the topic of the article, share useful information and ask questions.