I’m a contractor that has been enjoying living in and completely renovating an old schoolhouse near Charlottesville Va. It’s hard on family life as I’m sure everybody knows. I have run into a problem. I can do most all my own mechanical work, but I can’t seem to make a three-way switch work in the old stairway.
I roughed in 14-3 from switch to switch and 14-2 was roughed in at the top of the stairs for the feed. That wire goes to both the fixtures. I’ve never hooked up a three-way before, so I don’t understand the theory. Every time I hook up the switches the breaker flips. So we’re still in the dark. Please help.
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Here's one web site with pictures,
http://www.wfu.edu/~matthews/courses/p230/switches.html
There was a pretty lenghty discussion a few weeks ago on 3 way switches. If you search the archives, you might be able to come up with it. Lotsa good info.
If a lawyer and an IRS agent were drowning, and you could only save one, would you go to lunch or read the paper?
Sounds like you may have somewhere where the power is connected to either the ground or neutral. Generally a short to ground is what causes this.
The theory: Power goes to one switch (connect to darker screw). This switch directs the power to one of 2 screws for traveler wires. When you switch the switch, the power is redirected to the other screw (switches power from top screw to bottom screw for instance). There are 2 traveler wires connected to these two screws. These wires go to a 2nd 3-way switch. The 2 traveler wires connect to 2 screws on the 2nd 3-way switch. The lights are connected to the third screw (darker colored).
This switch works the same way, when you switch it it either makes a connection from the power screw to the top or bottom screw on the other side of the switch. When you switch it it changes which screw is connected to the power screw.
Let's say power goes into switch 1. It can then travel through the top traveler wire. If the power out screw (switch 2) is connected to the top traveler wire it allows power to travel through the circut and to the light. If either 3-way switch is flipped, it will turn the light off. If switch 1 is flipped then power is directed to the bottom traveler wire. Since the other switch is only allowing power to travel from the top traveler wire, the circuit is broken, and the light is off.
Confused?? Me to, so I drew a picture. Hope that helps more.
From what I understand, the power is coming in from the fixture, right? I just did this. So:
In the fixture box:
Connect the white of the power feed to the white of the two light fixtures.
Connect the black of the power feed to the black of ONE OF the 3 conductor cables.
Connect the black of the OTHER 3 conductor cable to the blacks of the two light fixtures
Tape the two whites of both the three conductor cables to indicate they're hot and tie them together
Tie the two reds together.
At each switch:
attach the black of each 3 conductor to the bottom lone screw
Attach the red and whites (again, tape the whites to indicate they're hot to the two upper screws - I don't think it matters which one.
Hope this helps!
Ben