I have a 3 way switch wired with what appears to be the appropriate 14/3 wire. The switch controls the exterior floods and is located on the main level. It turns ’em on, and it turns ’em off. Hunky dory….however I am not certain where its mate is.
In the basement (roughed in but unfinished walkout) I have a mystery 3way switch. It also appears to be properly wired, but I am not sure, as the switch does nothing whatsoever. This switch is in a 3 gang box, and the electrician’s notes on the stud mention “flood”.
The wiring for the mystery switch heads up into a wall cavity very quickly…so tracking wire is not possible.
Is it possible for one of the two 3way switches to work and the other to do nothing? I thought if one did not work, the whole thing was shot. If I am wrong, then these two might indeed be mates, and I just have a bad switch in the basement.
Help?
Replies
Physically tracking it may not be possible, but if you turn off the power to the house (since you don't know which breaker the "mystery switch" is on), disconnect the mystery switch, and twist its' leads together you can then use a continuity tester on the lines at the other switch to see if it is the same line.
As for your real question about can a switch be broken and still have a 3-way work, I would think the answer is no, but it's worth the check above anyway.
d-
It is possible that the switch is bad. Does it "feel" normal when you switch it back and forth?
Is there any other cables in either box that connect to the switch? That will gives some clues to how it is wired?
Are the boxes for the flood easily accessed?
How old is the house and does it appear that there has been much remodeling?
Is there a logical reason for a switch in the basement for the floods (a walkout basement on that side or exterior stairs)?
The basement switch is next to the sliding glass door for the walkout...so yes, it would make sense to have it there.
It 'feels' normal.
House is 4 years old; although we're not the original owners I am positive it's the same as the day the electrician left before initial occupancy.
Floods are not easy to access, but there are four sets of them all controlled by the one switch on the main level.
Lots of other cables...not sure I can describe well enough to help there.
If there is only one cable (14-3) that is connected to the switch in the basement then that means that is is a switch leg and it is (should be) connected to the other parts of the circuit at either the 1st floor switch box or at one the floodlight boxes (or possible a juntion box in the attic).
Possible that it was not hooked up, either by accident or there was a problem with that run and no one wanted to spend the time to fix it.
>> Possible that it was not hooked up ...
That's my guess. Where the other switch was intended to be, one of the hot legs from the known switch is connected to the conductor that goes to the lights, and the other one is stubbed off (hopefully with no copper exposed). So the known switch is acting as a normal SPST switch instead of an SPDT as designed.