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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Which way round?

30 replies

whiskyowl · 05/01/2018 13:12

You have a hallway in your house. If you opened the front door and walked in, you would find a light switch immediately on your left hand side. It has two switches. One turns on the downstairs lights. The other turns on the landing lights upstairs.

Which switch turns on the DOWNSTAIRS lights, one or two?

Which way round?
OP posts:
Whichschool2020 · 05/01/2018 13:15

Left I would say!

Whichschool2020 · 05/01/2018 13:15

As in 1

PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon · 05/01/2018 13:17

Our house has this. It’s wired for 1 as upstairs and 2 as downstairs. DPs theory for this was that you want the first one by the front door to be the one you need immediately!

Singlebutmarried · 05/01/2018 13:17

1

MyBrilliantDisguise · 05/01/2018 13:18

In my house the one nearest the front door (2) lights the downstairs hall while (1) lights upstairs, but mine is on the right side. As yours are on the left it would be (1) lights the hall downstairs.

cornflakegirl · 05/01/2018 13:19

1
2 is closer to the upstairs, so would be for them
(Although you'd get used to them either way, and visitors would cope - my Mum has a bunch of switches in her new kitchen that I just fiddle with until an appropriate light switches on!)

Bellamuerte · 05/01/2018 13:20

Depends where the switch is located. The switch closest to the door should be for downstairs. The switch closest to the stairs should be for upstairs.

LivingDeadGirlUK · 05/01/2018 13:21

Does it matter? Genuine question, I'm a designer and no one has ever commented on the position of switches on a multi gang plate.

Barbie222 · 05/01/2018 13:22

We moved into a house which had a sinilar switch but which was wired counter-intuitively. You’d think it would be an easy thing to sort, but it wasn’t!!!

Glumglowworm · 05/01/2018 13:23

I would think 1 for downstairs and 2 for upstairs

I have three light switches just inside my front door (1 bedroom flat!) the first one is for the bathroom which is the first room you come to, then the others are for the two sets of hall lights

Then at the end of the hallway (maybe 12 feet away?) is two more switches for the two sets of hallway lights. It’s a bit excessive

ACurlyWurly · 05/01/2018 13:33

nearest the door for downstairs nearest the stairs for upstairs.

mine are 'backwards' and this weekend I am swapping them over as after more than 2 years i still use the wrong one for downstairs every time!

Original poster
whiskyowl · 05/01/2018 13:52

It doesn't matter at all! It's just that my electrician says that the switch nearest the stairs (switch 2 in my case) should light downstairs, and the switch nearest the front door (switch 1 in my case) should light upstairs. To me, this feels the wrong way round. And I was wondering if others agreed!

OP posts:
Newtothis2017 · 05/01/2018 13:55

1 for downstairs and 2 for upstairs

amusedbush · 05/01/2018 13:59

I lived in my family home until I was 21 and I still couldn't tell you which switch was which. My mum often told me off when I faffed about trying to put the right light on: "it's like a bloody disco in here!"

AdaColeman · 05/01/2018 14:03

1 for the downstairs hall
2 for upstairs landing

RavingRoo · 05/01/2018 14:04

I have 3 switches: one nearest to front door lights downstairs, middle lights porch, and right is upstairs only

Schroedingerscatagain · 05/01/2018 14:05

We have a triple switch, nearest the door is external light, middle is hall light, right hand switch is upstairs landing light

incogKNEEto · 05/01/2018 14:08

2 for downstairs and 1 for upstairs. The switch should be nearest the area to be lit imo.

incogKNEEto · 05/01/2018 14:09

Sorry just seen your update, so in your house the opposite way around!

UrsulaPandress · 05/01/2018 14:10

I still don't know with ours.

Nor how to turn the telly on. I just try every button until I achieve the desired effect. Although with the lights sometimes it means the outside security light has been turned on then that affects the wai it works.

meredintofpandiculation · 05/01/2018 14:10

Mine is like RavingRoo - nearest door: downstairs, middle: porch, farthest from door: upstairs

HuskyMcClusky · 05/01/2018 14:12

The switch closest to the door should be for downstairs. The switch closest to the stairs should be for upstairs.

Agree. The switch you come to first as you feel along with your hand should be for the closest light.

In other words, your electrician is wrong.

BlueFleece · 05/01/2018 15:02

1 for downstairs, 2 for upstairs. Not only is it what I would expect, but we have this exact setup and electricians recently required it this way (without input!).

LivingDeadGirlUK · 05/01/2018 19:50

If there are two approaches to the switch then I guess there are too right answers. Do you want closest to you entering the front door or say closest when you come into the hall from other downstairs rooms. It's personal choice and easy for the sparky to swap round.

Notreallyarsed · 05/01/2018 19:52

I’m with you OP. The switches in our new house were the wrong way round in a few places, just felt odd. So DP changed them over (he’s a sparkie)

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