3 Gang 2 Way Light Switch - Midnight Blue

Deep midnight blue across a flat screwless plate, with three chrome rockers set into the front. The plate hides its own fixings, so the face reads as an unbroken block of colour broken only by the rockers, and the whole thing sits close to the wall. Each gang is wired two way, so it can work on its own or as one half of a pair, and it is rated 10AX for household lighting.

Three gangs on one plate suit the spots where more than one circuit is worked from the same place: a kitchen with pendants, downlights and an under cupboard run, a sitting room with wall lights and a switched lamp circuit, or the head of a stair. The colour earns its keep on a darker scheme, against inky paint, panelling or a papered hallway, where a white plate tends to jump forward. We reach for this one when a client has gone to the trouble of a strong wall colour and does not want the switching to interrupt it.

The plate is moulded polycarbonate in a solid colour rather than a thin coating, so the blue does not wear pale at the edges where fingers land, and the chrome inserts give it the lift. It is double insulated and meant for dry indoor rooms on domestic lighting circuits, not for bathrooms or outbuildings. For cleaning, switch the lighting off at the consumer unit, wipe the plate with a barely damp cloth and dry it straight away, keeping polish, cream cleaners and anything solvent based well clear of the moulding. It carries a ten year warranty. Used along a hallway or a landing, it is the sort of detail that reads as part of the wall rather than something applied to it.

What size is the plate?

It is a square plate, 88mm by 88mm, so it sits in the same footprint as a standard three gang switch plate.

What does two way mean on a three gang switch?

Each of the three gangs can be used on its own to control a light, or paired with a second switch elsewhere so the same light can be turned on and off from either position.

What is the plate made of?

Moulded polycarbonate in midnight blue, with chrome rockers. The colour runs through the material rather than sitting on top of it as a lacquer.

Is it suitable for a bathroom?

No. It is rated IP20, which is an indoor, dry room rating, so keep it to hallways, bedrooms, kitchens and living spaces.

What load will it take?

It is rated 10AX, which covers normal domestic lighting circuits, including inductive loads such as transformers.

How should I clean it without marking the finish?

A soft cloth, slightly damp with plain water, then dry it off. Avoid metal polish, abrasive cream and solvent wipes, as these can dull both the blue moulding and the chrome rockers.