Installing a 3 way switch. Scott first gives an explanation of the three way switch two switches that control one light fixture.
Hm 3682 3 Way Switch Troubleshooting Schematic Wiring
3 way light switch troubleshooting. Locate a bad 3 way switch toggle each switch until the light come on. How to troubleshoot an improperly wired 3 way switch step 1. The two travelers are in the same cable with each other. If it does it is a good switch and the other is bad. There are many ways that a three way switch can be wired but usually power or the light fixture connect to the load. Now using your multimeter you are going to determine which of the three colored wires is.
Any pair of switch screws or dimmers wires that are the same color as each other are for a traveler pair. A person intending to do any troubleshooting should be able to identify what theyre dealing with since the wiring is very different for each one. The most common household switches are the single pole switch the three way switch and the double pole switch. 3 install the first. Identifying the common wires. Disconnect all three wires or four if the outlet is grounded.
Its not as simple as you think finding the common wire. In this step you will be turning the power back on do not touch any of the wires previously removed with. If it does it is. Single pole light switches. Remember three things while doing 3 way switch troubleshooting. 1 turn off the power to the circuit at the main panel.
2 turn the power back on. Toggle the other switch to see if it turns the light on and off. Fixing a 3 way switch tips use a voltage tester to help with this job you just need to identify the continuous hot wire and the wire that goes to the light fixture watch the easy videos below be careful working with energized conductors click here to get tims free funny newsletter. At the first 3 way switch the black wire that leads up to the light fixture is connected to the black wire of the 3 wire cable. Grounding the 3way switches the ground wires are all bonded together and one of the ground wires is attached to the ground screw found on each 3 way switch frame. In this case the traveler wire and load wire were swapped and.
Youll also need to locate the ground wire and connect it to the switch too. Common problems with 3way switches and how to fix them. Toggle one switch to see if it turns the light on and off. Turn off the power at the circuit breaker remove the 3 wires from each of the switches and make sure that none. When wiring a 3 way light switch youll need to find the common wire and connect it to the.
Gallery of 3 Way Light Switch Troubleshooting
