Our bathroom contains two three-way switches that control two sets of lights in the room. The other day I was there for a couple of hours with the lights on continuously when all of a sudden the lights flickered and went out. When I went to the one switch that was "on" and turned it on and off, nothing happened. However, when I went to the other switch, the lights came back on fine. So I assumed the first switch had gone bad. However, the next day, when I inadvertantly tried the first switch again, it worked! Although, only for a few minutes, so I assumed it was still bad. I replaced it with an identical 3-way, and that worked fine...for a few minutes. Then the lights went out again...and this time they would not come back on from this switch. However, they still continue to work fine from the other switch. Any thoughts??????

 

Two words: thermal cutoff.

Are you sure that you are using the correct wattage bulb as specified by the fixture manufacturer? It sounds like a thermal cutoff in the fixture itself is cutting off power. When it cools back down, it allows the light to come back on.

I know this may not fit the symptoms you described exactly, but could this explanation possibly be correct?

 

I considered that, but it was not a matter of an hour or so that the first switch came back on, but over a period of several hours...and the new switch has not come back on at all...plus if it was in the light fixture, why would it work just fine with the second switch?

 

Shut off the breaker. Open up the switch and light boxes and remake the connections. Move any wires backstabbed into a hole in the back of the switch to the adjacent screw. If there is already a wire there, use a wire nut and pigtail (so you don't have to put two wires under the same screw).