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3-way switch

I replaced the 3-way light switches in my house with newer ones. I was careful to put the wires in the corresponding connector on the new switches but it is not working correctly. The two switches operate one light.

With the old switches, I could turn on and off the light from either wall plate which would give me 4 different combinations. On/Off from each wall plate. Now with the new switches, one works On/Off but the second won't work unless the first one is in a certain position. If it is then the second switch will work On/Off.

It seems like one is trumping the power over the other one depending on the On/Off position but it should work the same as before.

There is a Common wire which I plugged into the Common connector on both switches. There is a Red wire which I plugged into the top of both switches. There is a Black wire which I plugged into the bottom of both switches.

Does this sound right?

Thanks!

Paul

Reply to
dexteroc
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Reply to
pheeh.zero

The common comes in the 1st and out the 2nd. The other pair (like NO/ NC) feed back-and-forth. The common that is always hot is the feed-the 2nd switch common goes to the light.

Reply to
pheeh.zero

Clearly you mistook either the common terminal location on the new switches, or the old ones. Check them carefully again. You can't determine which is common by it's physical position, comparing one switch to another. The common terminal should be marked as such, or have a different color screw than the other two. Some types of switches, like Leviton "Decora", it's very misleading as to which is the common terminal

Reply to
RBM

No. You should have examined the old switches and removed the wires from them and put the wires on the corresponding terminals on the new switches. Now you need to identify the function of each of the wires. I explained how this is done in this newsgroup several months ago as did others. Do a Google search and you should get enough info to proceed.

Reply to
John Grabowski

you got the common in the wrong spot on one of them.

Reply to
Steve Barker

It sounds like you didn't, but you may have relied on the position on the swtich to match the position on the new switch. Some are arranged differently from others.

Another problem is that you say you plugged in the wires. It's better to wrap the wires around the screws than relying on the plugging in to work. You can use a little screwdriver in the hole next to the wire to release the grip, to remove the wire.

OTOH, I'm guessing it might not be gripping even a little and that would be the reason it's not working. In that case you might be able to pull the bad wire out. If that works, you can wrap the wire around the screw. If it starts to pull out but won't go all the way, you will probably have made it make contact well enough to work after all. Most people here will tell you that it's still best to removed all back-stabbed wires, but they're not as lazy or lethargic as I am.

Reply to
mm

Do all the lights have working bulbs?

If you mess up a 3way what commonly happens is one switch works and the other doesn't.

Reply to
Terry

fixing it? At this point I'm not sure which wire goes where. There is no ground wire. there are two black wires and one red one. If I start trying different combinations, will I start a fire? I guess I will start with the switch that only works part of the time. the other switch always works...

Reply to
dexteroc

The easiest way is to turn the power off and take loose both switches. Only one wire of the 6 will be hot when you turn the power back on. (This is the switch leg feed)

Turn the power back off, and tie this wire to the screw terminal of the switch that is marked black. Connect the other two wires to the remaining two screws.

Turn the power back on and check the 3 wires at the other switch box. Two of these wires will be hot depending on the position of the other switch. When you find these two, the wire that never energized when you flipped the switch is the "return"

Turn the power back off and tie the "return" to the black colored screw of the switch. Then connect the other two wires to the other two terminals on the switch.

Reply to
Terry

I like the 1st part, but I would assume the color of the hot wire that was common on the 1st switch will be the same on the 2nd that feeds the fixture.

Reply to
pheeh.zero

Why assume anything. Terry's instructions are perfectly adequate to get it right

Reply to
RBM

Not necessarily a correct assumption. Terry's procedure is simple, straightforward, and guaranteed to work as long as there's a ground available in each box.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Guaranteed to work! By whom...? Logic only works when you think the same. Some people get stuck with words...or going a wrong way. I was offering a thought to maybe make it simpler.

Reply to
pheeh.zero

I'll be happy to guarantee it. Correctly followed and applied, that procedure will identify the correct wires every time, without fail.

Logic works all the time, and it works the same way every time. But it's just like any other tool: if you don't know how to use it, you can't make it work, but that doesn't mean the tool is broken. :-)

Trouble is, that's really only a little better than guessing. There simply isn't any guarantee at all that the colors of the wires are the same at the two switches. Or that the colors will be distinct -- ever seen a three-way switch wired with two 14/2 cables instead of one 14/3? Which of the two black wires (or the two white wires) is which?

Testing with a voltmeter, as Terry described, is quick, easy, and sure.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Example: "Turn the power back on and check the 3 wires at the other switch box. Two of these wires will be hot depending on the position of the other switch. When you find these two, the wire that never energized when you flipped the switch is the "return" "

At face value this statement is not true. One wire at-a-time will be hot...depending on the 1st switch position.(It sounds like 2 wires at the same time) It does depend on whether you have the same mind-set as the poster. I understand what Terry is saying...and it IS logical to me.

Terry, I mean no disrespect.

Reply to
pheeh.zero

May be true. It depends on how the circuit is wired. I have one here where that is not true, each box has:

  1. hot
  2. neutral
  3. connected only to light

It's #3 that is connected to the common terminal of the switch.

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

If that wasn't already clear from examining the many drawings of three-way switch wiring available in books and online, it should become immediately clear as soon as one begins the testing.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Post a diagram somewhere. That circuit's not wired the way you think it is.

Reply to
Doug Miller

What neutral? We are talking about switches. He said he had two working switches. He changed them and they are no longer working.

If they working originally, he has a hot and two travelers at one switch, and a return and two travelers at the other switch.

Reply to
Terry

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