3-Way Light Switch Problem

Greetings,

Need some assistance troubleshooting a hall ceiling light controlled by two switches (top & bottom of stairs) and also a switch in the crawl space.

I have found voltages at both switches and the ceiling light itself where the bulb gets screwed in; also attempted several bulbs but the light will not turn on. I believe the switches work because when pushing the switches up or down there is a decrease in voltage or no voltage at all. Since the hall ceiling light has gone out I can not get the light in the crawl space to work either, they must somehow be on the same circuit.

This is very strange and I can not figure out how to determine what the issue may be. Resetting the circuit breaker does nothing. I replaced the light housing just for GP but still get the same results. Is it possible the switches (3 of them) are bad?

Please help!

Thanks,

Adell

 

As I so often do, I'm going to ask for history. Did this work perfectly one night when you went to bed and not work the next morning? Or did it stop working when something happened or when you did something? If so, what? Or has it never worked for as long as you've lived there?

 

John,

This is a finished basement which was finished in 2000. Everything has worked fine up until about two months ago. I do not recall doing anything but noticed the light switch did not work for ceiling light that leads to the basement, about a week or so I realized the switch in the crawl space did not work either. I am at a loss trying to figure out what is wrong or what went wrong. We layed hardwood floors upstairs but did not have to mess with anything electrical. This is really driving me mad. Any suggestions in troubleshooting.



As I so often do, I'm going to ask for history. Did this work perfectly one night when you went to bed and not work the next morning? Or did it stop working when something happened or when you did something? If so, what? Or has it never worked for as long as you've lived there?

 

Nailing in the harwood flooring could have caused a loose connection to fail. Check the switches themselves and check every other outlet on the circuit. I bet you will find a failed connection.

 

Nailing the hardware floor (if indeed it was nailed or stapled) may have also pierced a cable. Hardwood flooring, like roofing, is nailed such that the fasteners penetrate through the underlying material. Theoretically, when finishing the basement, no one should have put cables that close to the subfloor, but practice and theory differ.

 

Don't think I hit any of the wiring since the hard wood floors were not installed over any of this surface. Please forgive me because I did not recall having posted this message and posted another.