The receptacle is for a series connected dimmer for the hardwired light.
Connect one traveler to the hot side of the receptacle and the other traveler to the neutral side of the receptacle. Now when the hardwired light is "off" its brightness will be controlled by this inefficient dimmer.
BTW, that was supposed to be funny but maybe they actually used dimmers like that once.
Well, now that makes sense. not good sense mind you, but it does explain the situation that the OP must have. I pity the fool that plugs the vacuum into that outlet
Something is missing from your description here if you connect both travelers to a load you would have connected them to each other and the light would be on all of the time.
A lot of people say "both" when they mean "each". Connecting to EACH traveler wouldn't cause the same problem.
Connecting the *same*thing* to each certainly will -- and connecting each traveler to opposite sides of a receptacle results in a receptacle that never works.
Panels and breakers have been "class CTL" (circuit limiting) for a long time. Half width breakers have a feature that limits the positions where they can be installed, which limits the maximum number of half sized breakers. There are still non-class CTL breakers available for older panels that fit in CTL panels that can allow more than the intended number of poles in the panel, so "as many as will fit" is not entirely right. Non-class CTL breakers will not be among those listed as acceptable on the panel label, making their installation a code violation.
Panels are designed and tested by UL for a maximum number of poles. Class CTL enforces the maximum number of poles that the panel was designed and tested for. I think the issue is heating in the panel.
Last I heard the 42 pole limit on panels is being eliminated in the 2008 NEC. UL will still have to change their standard and panels will have to be tested before panels with more than 42 poles appear.
-- bud--
How does that differ from the normal method of wiring a 3-way switch?
That's stupid, when the hot can be switched just as easily.
Think about it. You have a 3-way switch in the house to control a light at the garage. You also have a receptacle in the garage. (the other 3 way is at the garage) You can have the light and receptacle work with 3 wires.
You can not have that work if you switch the hot.
If it is so stupid, then you figure it out.
I know you will say....why not use 4 wires?
I agree. That is better, but I have seen people use 2 wires to go to
3-way swithches and use the bare as a traveler.
A true California three way switches both so the light is off when connected between two hots or two neutrals. (the hots and neutrals are connected to the 3 way switch traveler terminals-the commons of each switch run to the light socket).
er.....never mind. Again! I kind of left the receptacle out of my first message.
I have learned to like crow.
Maybe you're thinking of a "Carter" three way system?
Of course you can. What makes you think it won't work?
I already have... but I think you're missing something.
I've seen lots of dangerous practices. Never that particular one, though.
Sorry, it's not clear to me exactly what you mean by that. Can you post a drawing (even if it's just "ASCII Art" in a text post here)?
Here's a diagram of the Carter three way. I'm sure they only call it California, on the left coast:
That depends on how the 3-way circuit is wired. The receptacle could work fine.
The standard way to do this would run 4 wires (plus ground) to the garage: neutral, unswitched hot, and 2 alternately-switch hots from the
3-way switch. But it takes 4 wires. Without the hot that bypasses the 3-way switch in the house, you don't have an unswitched hot for the receptacle (unless you use something like a relay to always feed the receptacle from the hot one of the two switched wires, which has other problems).The system being described feeds the garage hot, neutral, and a traveler that is switched between hot and neutral. So feeding the outlet is no problem, but you can end up with both bulb contacts hot when the lamp is off.
Dave
I think that is what I was talking about. Each switch has both hot and neutral connected to it. The screw shell may or may not be hot depending on the positions of the switches.
I solved that one, with the possibility the OP meant EACH rather than BOTH (that is, a wire on each (2 wires) rather than a wire on both (the same wire)). One traveler connected to each side of the receptacle. Travelers are never connected together unless the receptacle is shorted.
Some things make much more sense with diagrams. How about this (fixed font for reading, of course):
#1 SW1 SW2 O+----------------O (hot) |
--------------------O| |O----light---\\ | | O----------------+O | (neutral) | |
---------------------------------------------------/
#2
(hot) SW1 SW2
--------------------O+---------------------------O | O+----------light------------O| (neutral) |
--------------------O----------------------------O|
This is what I think the OP may be describing:
(hot) SW1 SW2
--------------------O+---------------------------O--------\\ | | O+----------light------------O| receptacle (neutral) | |
--------------------O----------------------------O+-------/
I just posted some ASCII drawings. What's being described seems to be like my #2.
How can one connect something to each traveler without connecting to both?
There's a three-way switch at one end fo the travelers, and the specifiec connection at the other, right?
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