Incorrectly wired a three way switch?

[miamicuse]

I had a hallway with a light switch on each end. The light fixture is physically located in the middle of the hallway.

The original three way light switches worked fine, but because I am switching all the outlets and switches to the same look I am replacing those too. Unfortunately the old switch and the new ones (Leviton) do not have the screws in the same places, so I think I made a mistake in putting them back.

Originally I can turn on or off the light from either end. Does not matter if it's toggled up or down, I flip it and it will turn on if it's off or turn off if it's on.

Now that I have replaced the switch...not anymore. Now switch 1 is the master. If it's turned on, then switch 2 on the other side will turn on when in the UP position, and turn off in the DOWN position. If I turn off (DOWN) switch 1, then it behaves as if switch 2 is disabled. So either I wired it wrong, or the new Leviton three way switch has some built in feature that makes it work this way? When I turn ON switch 1, switch 2's toggle will be faintly lit.

So I took the switches out and examined them. This is the way they are wired NOW.

Switch 1: Three wires come out of the box. Two brown wires and one blue wire. One brown wire is connected to the black common screw (top left), the other brown wire to the gold screw on bottom left, and the blue wire to the gold screw on the right.

Switch 2: Three wires come out of the box. Two brown wires and one black wire. I attached the black wire to the common screw (top left), and one brown wire to the bottom left, the other to the right side.

I thought these wires are supposed to be black, white and red, but they are not, so I am not sure what is what. There is also no green wire for ground.

Is it possible to tell from my description what is wired incorrectly?

Thanks in advance,

MC

[Ken]

[Doug]

"miamicuse" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

The problem is most likely at switch 1. I'd move the blue wire to the common terminal and the brown wires to the brass (traveller) terminals. One of the blue or black wires brings power to the circuit. The other connects to the light. The 2 browns go between the switches.

They are odd colors for a house but OK assuming actual building wiring is being used.

Doug

[RBM]

Remove all six wires from switches. With power on one wire at one location will be hot. It is the common at that location. The two other wires are travelers-connect them. Now with power on at the second location one wire will be hot. It is a traveler, connect it to the switch. Go back to switch one and flip switch. Go back to location two and find a different wire is now hot. It is your second traveler, connect it to switch. The last wire is the common for location two. Done

[miamicuse]

Doug:

Thanks for the help. You are right after I moved the blue wire to the common screw and the brown to the brass it worked like it used to now. Perfect!

The only question now I have is that one of the two toggle switches is always dimmly lit which is nice at night at finding the switch. The only question is why only one and not both? The other 3 way switch is not lit. But they both function and work.

MC

[miamicuse]

RBM Thanks for the advise I will keep this in mind. But I am not too good with the power on and finding which one is hot when kids are running around so I tried the other suggestion first and I was lucky it worked. But thanks and this is very useful information.

MC

[Rich Greenberg]

My first guess would be that the lit switch is an illuminated model and the dark one is a non-illuminated model. Buy an illuminated 3 way switch and replace the dark one if you wish.

[Goedjn]

[miamicuse]

Owner:Chinook-L

Owner:Sibernet-L

That is not the case, the are the same model and I bought them at the same time. Strange? Unless one of them is defective?

MC