3 Way Switches

[Chevelle_Nut]

My Brother and Sister In Law are redoing a house. Their 17 year old son flipped a light switch, it was only working on one switch. He questioned my BIL and was tasked with figuring out the problem. With help from Google and drawing it out he learned how 3 way switches work.

 

[L78fanatic]

Thanks for that! I’ll check it out. We had a house fire in Jan 2008, and we have this one lamp that hasn’t been the same since. I think it’s moisture damage maybe, but it looks and works but the 3-way switch just doesn’t work right! Hopefully I can fix it!

 

[bikeron]

My Brother and Sister In Law are redoing a house. Their 17 year old son flipped a light switch, it was only working on one switch. He questioned my BIL and was tasked with figuring out the problem. With help from Google and drawing it out he learned how 3 way switches work.

Can you post the link(s) that he used?

 

[Chevelle_Nut]

I will have to ask him... BUT his father told me because he was proud his son was figuring it out.

3 way switches are not bad, they have a traveler wire between then, you should be able to find an easy diagram to view. Now 4 way switches.......

 

[kmakar]

I will have to ask him... BUT his father told me because he was proud his son was figuring it out.

3 way switches are not bad, they have a traveler wire between then, you should be able to find an easy diagram to view. Now 4 way switches.......

Easy as pie....

 

[bikeron]

Easy as pie....

View attachment 1572

Love your use of 12AWG. None if that 14 gauge rubbish!

 

[kmakar]

Love your use of 12AWG. None if that 14 gauge rubbish!

So many contractors save a little money putting in 14/2 or 14/3 and then want to add high power lighting only to find out a 15 amp circuit can't handle it. Stupid. Just do the 12/2 or 12/3 for a couple bucks more and do it right.

Like Ron Popiel (Ronco guy) used to say, "Set it and forget it". I'm a big proponent of doing it right the first time.

I once had a client who had 5 doorways into a kitchen, and told me after the rock was done he wanted a switch at every door to turn the kitchen light on.... that cost him big.

 

[1971Chevelle]

So many contractors save a little money putting in 14/2 or 14/3 and then want to add high power lighting only to find out a 15 amp circuit can't handle it. Stupid. Just do the 12/2 or 12/3 for a couple bucks more and do it right.

Like Ron Popiel (Ronco guy) used to say, "Set it and forget it". I'm a big proponent of doing it right the first time.

I once had a client who had 5 doorways into a kitchen, and told me after the rock was done he wanted a switch at every door to turn the kitchen light on.... that cost him big.

If they are having problems with breakers tripping, then they do not know how to circuit a house. I have done several over the years with #14 AWG and never had an issue - even back in the days of halogen bulbs. The last house I wired was for my cousin - close to 7,200 square feet. That one I did in all #12 for the lighting & receptacle circuits, mainly due to distance. I like the way it all turned out. Here are some pics of the two panels in the garage (he also has a 125 amp panel in the basement, plus a 125 amp panel in his solar shack/carport - the property has a 600 amp service from Sun Valley, along with a 17,280 watt solar grid tie setup).





The service has three 200 amp breakers (one for a future shop/guest house), along with two 125 amp breakers, and a 70 amp breaker for the solar setup.


The picture below is one of the garage panels with the feeders installed.


This is the basement panel . They lived in the basement for about a year before they built the rest of the house above it. Going through
an Arizona summer with a concrete roof over your head is not a pleasant experience.



Here is what I did on the AC side of the solar setup:








I also had to do a lot of pipe work for the panels themselves.








As for figuring out three way switches, if you have a three way switch setup that only works one way, just swap the travelers on one switch - it should work fine after that (unless someone mixed up a traveler with a common).

 

[Chevelle_Nut]

If they are having problems with breakers tripping, then they do not know how to circuit a house. I have done several over the years with #14 AWG and never had an issue - even back in the days of halogen bulbs. The last house I wired was for my cousin - close to 7,200 square feet. That one I did in all #12 for the lighting & receptacle circuits, mainly due to distance. I like the way it all turned out. Here are some pics of the two panels in the garage (he also has a 125 amp panel in the basement, plus a 125 amp panel in his solar shack/carport - the property has a 600 amp service from Sun Valley, along with a 17,280 watt solar grid tie setup).

View attachment 1820

View attachment 1821

The service has three 200 amp breakers (one for a future shop/guest house), along with two 125 amp breakers, and a 70 amp breaker for the solar setup.
View attachment 1822

The picture below is one of the garage panels with the feeders installed.
View attachment 1823

This is the basement panel . They lived in the basement for about a year before they built the rest of the house above it. Going through
an Arizona summer with a concrete roof over your head is not a pleasant experience.
View attachment 1824


Here is what I did on the AC side of the solar setup:


View attachment 1825

View attachment 1826

View attachment 1827

I also had to do a lot of pipe work for the panels themselves.
View attachment 1828


View attachment 1829




As for figuring out three way switches, if you have a three way switch setup that only works one way, just swap the travelers on one switch - it should work fine after that (unless someone mixed up a traveler with a common).

Very nice work, very clean.

 

[kmakar]

If they are having problems with breakers tripping, then they do not know how to circuit a house. I have done several over the years with #14 AWG and never had an issue - even back in the days of halogen bulbs. The last house I wired was for my cousin - close to 7,200 square feet. That one I did in all #12 for the lighting & receptacle circuits, mainly due to distance. I like the way it all turned out. Here are some pics of the two panels in the garage (he also has a 125 amp panel in the basement, plus a 125 amp panel in his solar shack/carport - the property has a 600 amp service from Sun Valley, along with a 17,280 watt solar grid tie setup).

View attachment 1820

View attachment 1821

The service has three 200 amp breakers (one for a future shop/guest house), along with two 125 amp breakers, and a 70 amp breaker for the solar setup.
View attachment 1822

The picture below is one of the garage panels with the feeders installed.
View attachment 1823

This is the basement panel . They lived in the basement for about a year before they built the rest of the house above it. Going through
an Arizona summer with a concrete roof over your head is not a pleasant experience.
View attachment 1824


Here is what I did on the AC side of the solar setup:


View attachment 1825

View attachment 1826

View attachment 1827

I also had to do a lot of pipe work for the panels themselves.
View attachment 1828


View attachment 1829




As for figuring out three way switches, if you have a three way switch setup that only works one way, just swap the travelers on one switch - it should work fine after that (unless someone mixed up a traveler with a common).

This wasn't your first rodeo. Nice job. My son Paul will have his Journeyman's card this year. He's had the OJT hours completed since early 2021, but since he's in a certified program (national certification which takes much more time), he has to wait until his 4th year of schooling is finished (May 2022). Then he'll have to wait 2 more years to get his Unlimited license (used to be called master electrician). He's 24 and the youngest project manager and foreman at the company he works for.