Help with wiring fault

[Dave]

Hi All

I have a puzzle with the wiring of the hall/landing lights in a house I have just moved into.

The hall/landing has three light switches, one ouside the bathroom, one at the other end of the landing outside the bedroom and one besides the front door.

If I switch the lights on using the bathroom switch then try and switch the lights out at the bedroom they don't go out, they just flicker as the switch is operated.

If I go down stairs and attempt to switch them off at the front door, same thing happens, lights stay on just flicker as switch is operated.

If I now go back upstairs nether switch will work so I can't switch the lights off. I have to go back downstairs and reverse the front door switch before the bathroom switch will again switch the lights off.

There are further combinations, but I am confused enough already.

TIA

Dave

[bigcat]

Oh dear. Either 2 wires have shorted, or more likely someone wired them wrong. You need:

a 2 way switch at each end a crossover switch half way and 3 core & earth wire running between them

Then youll have every switch able to switch them on or off

Look for a diagram of 3 way switching.

NT

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Sounds like you've got a faulty switch. You could remove them one by one and test with a DVM.

There are two types of switch in a three way switched circuit - 2 x 2-way at the ends of the circuit and an intermediate in the 'middle'.

If you know the circuit once worked properly, then a wiring fault is probably ruled out, so if you haven't got a DVM then buy one new two-way switch (the cheapest) and try and sort the fault by substitution. If this doesn't fix it then it's likely the intermediate.

I've included the circuit below for reference.

L1 L1 0===========0 0===========0============= Line | \ / | C 0================================O C \ / \ / 0===========0 0===========0============= Switch return L2 Optional L2 Intermediate

[Dave]

Thanks

Problem solved, wire wrongly connected in landing switch..

[Dave]

Thanks

Fault found to be incorrectly wired landing switch