For this who are trying it for the first time, take few photos once you remove the outer cover but before detaching the wires. On the whole, a very informative video!
Thanks for the video, very useful. Only suggestion would be to include both the old and new electricial wiring colours for the UK. I had brown and blue cables (new system) rather than the red and black cables (old system) you mentioned. Wasn't a huge problem as can easily find this information online, but for anyone else reading this in future and confused: LIVE: Red (old) = Brown (new) NEUTRAL: Black (old) = Blue (new) EARTH: Yellow & Green (both old and new) So Red or Brown wire into COM and Black or Blue wire into L1
Thank you so much for the information! I was quoted £90 - 105 + vat and parts (+ £25). Decided to give it a try after watching your video. Took exactly 6 minutes and cost just £5.50!
You are most welcome :) I'm pleased that you found my video useful. Thank you for taking the time to provide me with the feedback. Kind regards Steve :)
@@MrRapez Confirm that each wire is in a different screw terminal on the existing switch. If there are markings on the existing switch showing C and L1 then mark one of the cables so that you can copy it on the new switch. Kind regards Steve :)
Cannot thank you enough! Managed to break light switch - found this - bought new fitting for £2.62 and have just managed to fit it following your instructions! Didn't dare call an electrician as I've been shielding for so long and am high risk. I am so happy!! PS I can hear you - you're softly spoken admittedly but just listen folks...
THANK YOU! Been waiting for an electrician to come and fix a light switch for weeks. Watched your crystal clear instructions and bingo!! I fixed it myself saving 80 quid
I’m so pleased that my video was able to help you. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience. It’s very much appreciated. Kind regards Steve 🥰👍🏼
Fab video Steve, just fitted my pull string light in the bathroom. I Wouldn't normally touch electrics, as a single woman I would usually call someone in. You made it look quite simple so I gave it a go. All 4 spot lights and the fan came on. 💃 So thank you very much indeed.😊
Hi Denise, I'm sorry I missed your comment. I do try to reply to as many as possible but unfortunately it's not always possible. Thank you for taking the time to let me know how it went. I'm pleased my video was of use to you. Kind regards Steve :)
For anyone caught out by closed shops, but desperate for a fix, the switch can be dismantled and cleaned. It's not a difficult job, and can get you out of trouble. Ultimately, a new switch will be required and it's great to see videos like this giving confidence to laymen. I've taken my "broken" switches apart many times. You'll see a little plastic plate with a couple of screws holding it in place in the centre of the switch plate. This houses the mechanism, essentially a spring and a two-piece locking/turning device, which sticks when dirty. Remove this, but don't cut the cord as this keeps the parts from going astray. Let the pieces fall away from each other and use a tissue or cotton bud(I sprayed some glasses cleaner on mine!) to clean the parts inside and out. Put them back together again and, with luck, the switch will continue working for some time. Generally it is just dust, grease and grime that makes the switch stick. takes about fifteen minutes to do the job from start to finish. And it's eco friendly.
One of the best things about RU-vid is finding experts and specialists who have a lifetime of knowledge they are willing to share for free. It's men like you who the future will appreciate more than you know.
Fitted a new one cause the old cord came out and putting it back together looked a nightmare. However the builder we had to install new broom, kitchen, radiators and boiler cut a gap in the live wire sleeve when he fitted the switch so when I put the wires in the new switch it touched the ground which had no sleeve and shorted and tripped the light circuit breaker. Stripped the cables all back, luckily had lots of excess cable, rewired following your inst, all sorted. Thx a lot, life saver. This is the 5th time I've had to fix a problem he created, goodness knows how the heating still works but have had the boiler serviced every year so that helps I guess.
Thanks so much wife pulled cord out in garage and as a result light was permanently ‘on’🤕, £3.25 new fitting cost and this video was a lifesaver!! Only snag was I had 3 Red wires and an earth when all stripped back!- but looked on a post on web✅
Quality video tutorial. Just finished installing a new pull string switch with the help of this guy. Major confidence booster. Seriously, watch this and similar videos. These things really are straightforward. Just had to make sure I got the circuits isolated. Oh, and have my brother remind me where the black and red wires went. Anxiety induced amnesia.
Peter Randall It was a pleasure to be of assistance today. Your phone call made my day because it just proved to me that there are real people out there watching my videos and getting benefit from doing so. Your wiring was slightly different to that shown in my video because the main feed had been taken to the pull cord switch rather than the more usual method of taking the feed to the light. I’m so grateful that you realised this and got in touch with me and it was fantastic being able to explain to you on the phone what to do. Thank you for taking the time to call me and also comment on my video. I’d be very happy to speak with you in the future if you have any other questions or concerns. Kind regards Steve ☺️
Just got my pull switch repaired by my son following this video. At last! Saved this tutorial a couple of years ago and very happy with the result. Many thanks.
Sorry I missed your comment until now. I'm so pleased that you found my video useful and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Kind regards Steve :)
Thank you so much for this! I replaced mine today where the spring had snapped, and this video a. worked, b. I didn’t get electrocuted, and c. I didn’t need to call and electrician.
Thanks for this video. I have 2 cables sticking out under my stairs. I'll have to order a pull cord light for it. This gives me a bit more confidence to take on the job. Of course I'll take safety precautions
Thank you so much! I thought I was going to have to get an electrician as a different video said use L1 and L2 and that didn't work! Com and L1 does. Thanks 👍
Cheers pal, just changed mine. Would have done it ages ago if I’d known how easy and cheap it is to replace. One thing I checked was to see where the wires were going and into which terminal before undoing them.
excellent help, thank you! I wasn't quite sure ho to knock out the blanks for the wires but other than that perfect and I'm verry happy with my new, working light pull! much appreciated
thank you so much! Without this helpful video will be waiting for weeks to get it to fix. But luckily I managed to see this. My husband was able to fix our toilet light. Yeah!!!
Ben, thank you for letting me know. It’s great when you hear somebody has got use out of the video but to have it confirmed twice by the same person, that is amazing 🙂👍🏼
Haha, I’m so pleased that this worked out for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and send nice you have now subscribed and turned the notifications on, I’m going to start thinking of my next video 🙂👍🏼
I successfully changed my cord switch watching your video. Thanks a million. May be use a collar mic next time so that your voice is louder and audible. All the best. 5 stars ✨ for you.
Sorry to have missed your comment until now. I'm pleased that you found my video useful. I'm not quite sure what the issue is with the sound but I have had a few comments suggesting the same issue. I have taken this comment onboard and will look to resolve it in future videos. Thank you for your feedback. Kind regards Steve :)
Awesome. Thanks for taking the time to let me know Darren. It’s comments like these that really make it worth taking the time to create the videos. Kind regards Steve :)
That’s great news Rob, I’m so pleased it was useful to you. Out of interest, I’ve had a few comments regarding the sound being really low. Was this case for you also? Kind regards Steve :)
Rob Hastings Thank You for the confirmation, I may have to look into this. Please do keep an eye out for future videos as I’d love to hear feedback on what is of interest and what isn’t. That way, I can try to create more videos that people like. Thanks again for posting your comments. Kind regards Steve :)
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. It’s really, very much appreciated. I’m so pleased that you found my video useful. Kind regards Steve :)
Your instructions were very helpful thank you. I seem to have to pull the cord 3 times before light comes on. Do u think I will need to replace the whole thing? Thank u.
Shamini Sathiya Thank You for taking the time to comment. I’m really pleased that you found my video useful. With regards to your light switch. It sounds like the mechanism inside is slipping. I have seen this numerous occasions and if this is what has happened to yours then a replacement will be required. Kind regards Steve :)
Thank you for your guidance though I only had two red wires to screw L1/Com not sure what was going on with the green/yellow wire completed it on my first try!!
perhaps "the most important thing" could be 1. note which cables go into which holes before removing the screws, 2. turn the mains power off before opening the thing
Great video but I seem to have old wiring and there are three red and three black wires plus earth. I removed the old switch as you did but I am left with more wires than yours shows. I connected the earth ok but where do the three red and three black wires go?
Very helpful thanks. Just one question. I have a pull switch that connects the fan and the light. There is a separate isolation switch for the fan outside the bathroom. There are 3 reds (one from fan, light and also the isolation switch outside} 2 blues (currently tied together.. One from light and fan} and one black and grey (coming from the isolation switch and tied together). The 2.way pull switch has L1, L2 and com..The 3 earth wires are correctly and safely in the back plate. Its the grey wire throwing me. Thanks :)
Hi Tim, thank you for taking the time to comment. I'm pleased that you have found the video useful. Unfortunately there is a discrepancy with the information that you have provided. For this reason, it would be very irresponsible for me to try to advise you further. I hope you understand that it is more than my reputation is worth to try to advise on how to proceed with only a description. Kind regards Steve :)
You said to put the red wire in the common but when I opened up my pull cord socket it showed black in common and red in 'way' and the green and yellow in earth?
Thank you for your comment. It will still work the same on a pull cord light switch. If you did the same thing on a standard rocker switch then the light would be on when in the off position and off when the switch is on the position. Some people will just unscrew the light switch from the wall and turn it upside down to rectify this issue. The correct way is Live to Common, switched live to L1. I hope this reply is useful. kind regards Steve :)
My rope snapped at the top so I purchased a new fitting when I took the old off fitting all the wires were red not the usual blue,brown and green. I thought I had memorised where to screw them into the new fitting..put it all together and then turned on the electric by the mains and pulled the bathroom cord. I was relieved and happy that the light had came on. When I was going to put my daughter to bed I realized that her bedroom light, our bedroom and the landing is not work. I read that that it was something to do with a loop the lights are on but kind of confused me. My question is it's dark upstairs now and I've had to leave the bathroom light on for light and especially if my kids need the bathroom during the night because all the other lights now don't work. Will me leaving it on as it's been on for two hours cause a fire or Dangerous? I'm so paranoid now but it's to dark to do anything about it now. Can anyone please advise me.
Hi Pete, did you get any further with this? My video only makes reference to the single cable coming into the switch which is the more common application. When advising with regards to this method people can easily get in a muddle and if they don’t have the correct equipment then it can be difficult to prove what has been done. If you still need help, perhaps we can arrange a video call to discuss what has happened. Kind regards Steve 🙂👍🏼
Hello, I need to change my extractor fan pull cord. I have 2 Sets of the colours that fed into the original pull cord. Do I have to put both of these cables into the corresponding positions. Many Thanks
Really great video, helped a lot! would you mind sharing how do i find out how many amp is needed for my pull cord switch? i saw many different ones online... thanks a lot!!
I'm sorry that I missed your comment until now. It's sometimes very difficult to reply to all of the comments. In the UK, our lighting circuits are usually supplied by a 3, 5, 6 or 10 amp circuit from fuse box. The higher rated ones such as 45 or 50amp ones are for shower circuits that require a lot more power. Kind regards Steve :)
Hello, i changed the pull chord switch following your advice with no electrical training and my house has burned down, my insurance company requires your insurance details please.
Hi Anna, thank you for your question. Can you email a photo of the wiring at the switch please? The easiest way to do this is to go through my website contact form. Kind regards Steve :)
Hi Aiden, thanks for taking the time to comment. This video is for a light switch. The on/off toggle is usually found on shower isolators or even extractor fan isolators. Do you have a link that you can add so that I can confirm the item is correct please? Kind regards Steve :)
