3-way kitchen switch
#1
09-01-03, 05:08 PM
3-way kitchen switch
Okay I have a light in the middle of a 3-way switch circuit. I decided to change the old light switches out to the new lighted switches. I now have one three way switch that works and one that doesn't. The one that works is in a switch box with my outside light switch. The common for the 3-way switch is wire nutted (?) to the black wires going to the outside light. If I tie all of my commons together the switch for the light does not work at all. The second switch doesn't work no matter what. I can get the internal light of the switch to work but not the switch itself. Both of the switches are 3-way.
On the light that I can get to work the set up is that I have 2 sets of wiring coming into the box from the breaker, then the set of wiring that goes out to the outside light and lastly the bundle that is for the overhead light. All of these bundles are white/black/ground. I have white/red/black/ground on the 3-way switch. The ground is tied in with the grounds for the other wiring. On the breaker side I have the black going into one of the push connections on the 3-way switch. On the light side (red/black/white/red) I have the black on one of the push connections and the red on the other. The white for the light as mentioned before is wire nutted to the black wire on the breaker side of the outside switch. If I tie all the commons together the light doesn't work at all. Any ideas? Thanks
On the light that I can get to work the set up is that I have 2 sets of wiring coming into the box from the breaker, then the set of wiring that goes out to the outside light and lastly the bundle that is for the overhead light. All of these bundles are white/black/ground. I have white/red/black/ground on the 3-way switch. The ground is tied in with the grounds for the other wiring. On the breaker side I have the black going into one of the push connections on the 3-way switch. On the light side (red/black/white/red) I have the black on one of the push connections and the red on the other. The white for the light as mentioned before is wire nutted to the black wire on the breaker side of the outside switch. If I tie all the commons together the light doesn't work at all. Any ideas? Thanks
#2
09-01-03, 05:43 PM
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TSDOFFEK:
I've moved your post over to where our electrical experts reside.
Come back and see us if your furnace breaks.
I've moved your post over to where our electrical experts reside.
Come back and see us if your furnace breaks.
#3
09-03-03, 07:07 PM
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I have read this several times and still can not makes head or tales of what you have.
Most likely, you misswired the new switches. The best place to start is checking that you have the correct wire connected to the screw on the 3 way switch marked as "common". This screw must either have the incoming power attached to it, or the wire feeding the light. If I assume that the unswitched power comes into one switch box and the wires to the light are in the other switch box, then, there should be black wires on both common screws.
If you need more help, it would be best to tell us exactly what wires (colors) are in each switch box, and what wires are in the light swtich box. Also if you can identify which wires are the power and which are feeding the light, that would help out tremendously.
Most likely, you misswired the new switches. The best place to start is checking that you have the correct wire connected to the screw on the 3 way switch marked as "common". This screw must either have the incoming power attached to it, or the wire feeding the light. If I assume that the unswitched power comes into one switch box and the wires to the light are in the other switch box, then, there should be black wires on both common screws.
If you need more help, it would be best to tell us exactly what wires (colors) are in each switch box, and what wires are in the light swtich box. Also if you can identify which wires are the power and which are feeding the light, that would help out tremendously.
