110 Volt indicator light

[hjrose]

I have 3 110V light switch gang on our stairway going downstairs to our basement. The light switches are close to the kitchen and there is a landing to the back door before you turn the corner to go downstairs. The problem I have is the light to the basement always gets left on because you have to look down the stairs to see if the light is on.
Does anyone know how I could connect a pilot light to the switch to indicate when the switch is onand what I should be using? The switch is on a 2 way with the other switch in the basement.<p>[email protected]
Harvey Rose

[greg123]

You can purchase switches with the pilot light installed. They indicate when the switch is on and current is flowing.<p>greg<p>[ June 15, 2003: Message edited by: Greg ]</p>

[dave8976]

I have a similiar situation with my garage lights. I have a set of lights (4) mounted on oposite sides of the inside gargae wall. These lights are operated by two 3 way switches one located inside the gragre near the front garage door and other inside the garage beside the door entrance to the garage. These lights are also controlled by the garage door opener instead of using the light inside the opener. I was concern that the lights would be left on by accident so I purchased a electronic timer that comes in the same shape as a switch plate but a little thicker. Inside you can adjust the time that the lights are left on from 2 minutes to 15 minutes. This allows one turn the lights on inorder to car and drive out. Depending on the position of the switch the lights when turned off by the garage door opener will cycle through a 2 minute that is in addition to the timeout setting of the garage door opner.

[Chris Smith]

The best ones come with a tiny neon light in the switch it self, in the flip part of the switch, but adding a neon with resistor is also easy. The hard part is glueing it to the pannel after drilling a hole for it to be seen. Silicon rubber holds and insulates it fine. Power going out of the switch [to neon] to Ground assures it lights up when the other light had power.<p>[ June 16, 2003: Message edited by: Chris Smith ]</p>

[Will]

I doubt that a switch with a pilot light would help you because, at each switch, there is no one terminal which you can say is always energised when the light is on. You have to find the connection which goes from the common terminal ofone of the switches to the lamp.
The switches/lamps are wired in this way. A feed (Live/Line) is connected to the common terminal of one of the switches. Two wires (let us call them A & B)are then run from the two non-common terminals to the two non-common terminals of switch number two. The common terminal of switch number two is then connected to the lamps. It is this last terminal/wire to which you have to connect your pilot lamp.
If both the feed and the lamp wires are both connect to A or both to B then the lights are on. If one is connected to A and the other to B then the lights are off.
If the switch at the top of the stairs (Presumably you want the pilot light at the top of the stairs ?) is the one which is connected to the lights then you may be OK providing you can pick up a neutral for the pilot light) If the switch at the bottom of the stairs is the one connected to the lights then you have to run your pilot light connection from the switch at the bottom to the top of the stairs and you still will have to find a neutral connect for the pilot lamp. It is not necessary to have a neutral at the lamp switch but sometimes (Because of having to cut twin or three core cables) the neutral is joined at the switch location, without being connected to either switch.
It is fairly easy to determine which of the two switches has the lights/lamp connection, just take of the switch covers/plates and find out which switch has its common connection dead (Non-energised) when the lights are off.

[frhrwa]

I cheated all those 3way and 4way switches.. I took my lead off the light itself.. that way when the lights on so is my monitor light... brought it through the attic to the wall I wanted it on, drilled through the top plate, pushed the romex down the wall... went down and cut an opening for one of those blue plastic wall receptacle boxes, reached in and got my romex and connected it to my neons.. I'm using two so it shows if my computer room light is on (on the other side of the garage) and if my garage light is on..