The switch is the main device designed to control the lighting in the apartment. A few years ago, a triple switch was a rarity in homes, and now it is very popular among the population. There is a huge assortment of such devices that differ in design and modification. The practicality of its application is the ability to control three light sources from one control point. If there is a need for such devices, then you need to know how to properly connect the triple switch.
Areas of use
Interior designers are increasingly proposing to delimit light into groups. Multilevel ceilings, arches, niches require separate lighting. Modern studio apartments, divided into zones, provide slightly dim light in the recreation area, bright lighting in the functional area near the computer, bookcase, armchairs. Combined lights can be used in the living area, where there is a TV, sofa and dining table.
How to connect a triple light switch so that it is convenient to use? It will be appropriate:
- in the corridor to connect to the lighting of three rooms at once - a bathroom, a toilet and a kitchen, if they are close to each other;
- if the room has a multi-track chandelier or combined lighting (primary and secondary);
- when the ceiling is made in several levels;
- if the long corridor consists of three parts;
- if you want to control the lighting of three rooms from one point.
Pros of using
Why is it profitable to put a triple switch? How to connect it to get benefits?
- Ergonomics - one device instead of three looks prettier.
- Cost-effective cabling - less financial and labor costs.
- The need for one hole in the wall, instead of three.
- Efficiency in energy consumption, as full lighting with all bulbs is not always required, sometimes you can do with a part.
Types of Triple Switches
Before installing the switch, you need to decide what function is required of it, on the basis of this, choose the form:
- Normal.
- With a light indicator - serve as a beacon to search for a switch or signal in which rooms the light is on.
- With a socket - usually used in the corridor near the sanitary rooms.
- Concealed execution - for placement of the working part inside the wall.
- External execution - for placement of the case on a wall.
Criterias of choice
With all the variety of switches on the market, it is recommended to adhere to certain points:
- Models with self-locking terminals. A modern convenient way to fix the wires in the device.
- No external damage - scratches, cracks, chips.
- Reliable terminals that can firmly fix the wires.
- Clear operation of the keys with a distinctive click, without jamming.
- The presence on the back of the device is a diagram of how to connect a triple switch.
Switch device
The principle of operation of a triple switch is no different from a double and a single. Pressing the key to the "on" position makes the contact of the lighting circuit, the voltage appears on the lighting device, and the bulb lights up. Switch the key to the off position the contact opens and the light goes out. So on each of the three keys. The switch consists of:
- the protective part - keys and frames;
- the working part - the mechanism for fixing the wires and the housing.
Switch connection
According to electrical safety techniques, before working with wires, it is necessary to turn off the voltage by turning off the power switch. Before this, determine the wires with phase and zero using a voltage indicator.
If there is a flush-mounted switch, then first of all you need to drill a technical hole for the socket box with a drill with a special conical nozzle. A podrozetnik is inserted into this opening, for a more durable installation of which a solution of alabaster is used.
A four-core copper cable with a core cross section of 1.5 mm 2 is fed to this hole. The ends of the wires are recommended to be processed. First strip off the insulation with a sharp knife or stripper. Then put on the tips corresponding to the terminals on the electrical device and compress them with a special hand tool - a crimper. If the crimp is not at hand, you can do it with a soldering iron, twisting the fibers of the core with your fingers and irradiating them. The easiest option is to strip the stripped ends of the wires into the clamping devices of the triple switch.
How to connect? The first core is connected to the phase in the distribution panel on one side and to the common contact in the switch on the other end. Three other cores - to the three terminals of the switch located opposite the common contact at one end, and each lived on the phase terminal of its lighting device (one of three) from the other end of the cable. This can be seen in the connection diagram of the triple switch. How to connect, is visible here.
Three zero wires coming from the lighting fixtures are interconnected and with the zero coming from the power supply.
There should be eight wires in the junction box - three of them come from the power supply (phase, zero and ground). Zero and ground go further to the lighting fixtures, and the three phase wires connected to the three chandeliers are also connected to the three wires that came from the triple switch. How to connect - detailed on the diagram.
In old wiring, the twisting of zero wires was often carried out directly in the switch socket, behind the working device, and not in the junction box. Some electricians still practice this method to do without additional nodes in the circuit. Thus, there is no need to install the box, which is important to maintain the appearance of the room, especially with expensive wall decoration.
An important rule is that the switch must always open the phase.
Connecting a switch with a socket
How to connect a triple switch with a socket? The scheme is given below.
It is distinguished by the presence of another zero wire, going directly from the power supply and connecting directly to the outlet. Such a device is used in the corridor, next to plumbing rooms where a power outlet is needed, but making another technical hole separately for the connector is impractical. It is also used because the socket is rarely needed because the switch is usually mounted high from the floor, and the electrical connector is just above the baseboard. And how to connect a triple switch with a socket so that it is convenient to use both the connector and the keys? You can choose the optimal height for comfortable operation of the device individually.
The three-key switch is undoubtedly very convenient for controlling the light in the apartment. It is necessary to follow the rules of electrical safety when installing it, that is, before working, turn off the power switch and check the absence of voltage with an indicator. After work, check the connection according to the scheme again and only after that apply voltage to the network.