help with moving two switches
#1
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help with moving two switches
Confused
OK folks, I need some help. I have posted here before, and I have always received excellent solutions. I also read often and learn a lot as well. Now I need more help. All I wanted to do was to move two light switches a few feet. I removed two studs from a basement wall (currently finishing off the basement) and I put it a decorative wood column to open the room up a bit more. I had to move the two light switches up the steps about 4 feet. So I document the current set up, disassembled the switches and re-assembled them. When I switch the breaker on, it immediately trips. So I have obviously made a large mistake somewhere----and I am assuming that it is in my original drawing. Here is what I documented:
Wall box has three cables in, two are 14/3 (cables 1 and 3) and one is 14/2 (cable 2).
Cable 1 (14/3) runs between two 3-way switches and on the end I took apart it is:
Black = traveler screw
White = traveler screw
Red = tied via wire nut to Black from cable 3
(I haven’t yet looked at the other 3-way switch to match up the wires)
Cable 2 (14/2) runs between the switch (3-way) and the light. There is also a light daisy-chained off of this light with a 14/2 wire.
Black = on the common screw on the 3-way switch
White = tied via a wire nut to white on cable 3
Cable 3 (14/3) runs between a single pole switch and 6 lights in the basement
Black = tied via wire nut to Red from cable 1 and then has a pig-tail to screw terminal on single-pole switch
Red = screw terminal on single pole switch
White = tied via wire nut to white from cable 2
Both sets of lights (2 lights on the 3-way switch and the 6 for the rest of the basement) are on the same circuit.
I believe that the source of power is cable 3—can’t see how the other could possibly obtain power. So I am thinking that either the black or red wire needs to come in contact with the common screw on the 3-way. But I am not sure since this looks to be a bit unusual of a wire diagram for a simple single family home.
So I need real help……
Oh, two more things:
All 5 grounds are properly tied together in the box—so I left that out on each wire above
I did have to extend each of the 14/3 wires. So I added a junction box on each wire and used 14/3 wire to extend the reach. I connected red – red, black – black and white to white (and the grounds in metal junction boxes). If I actually did diagram the original correctly, could my fault be somewhere along the new wires? I did a very careful visual analysis and I didn’t see and exposed or damaged wires.
Thanks a lot guys…..
OK folks, I need some help. I have posted here before, and I have always received excellent solutions. I also read often and learn a lot as well. Now I need more help. All I wanted to do was to move two light switches a few feet. I removed two studs from a basement wall (currently finishing off the basement) and I put it a decorative wood column to open the room up a bit more. I had to move the two light switches up the steps about 4 feet. So I document the current set up, disassembled the switches and re-assembled them. When I switch the breaker on, it immediately trips. So I have obviously made a large mistake somewhere----and I am assuming that it is in my original drawing. Here is what I documented:
Wall box has three cables in, two are 14/3 (cables 1 and 3) and one is 14/2 (cable 2).
Cable 1 (14/3) runs between two 3-way switches and on the end I took apart it is:
Black = traveler screw
White = traveler screw
Red = tied via wire nut to Black from cable 3
(I haven’t yet looked at the other 3-way switch to match up the wires)
Cable 2 (14/2) runs between the switch (3-way) and the light. There is also a light daisy-chained off of this light with a 14/2 wire.
Black = on the common screw on the 3-way switch
White = tied via a wire nut to white on cable 3
Cable 3 (14/3) runs between a single pole switch and 6 lights in the basement
Black = tied via wire nut to Red from cable 1 and then has a pig-tail to screw terminal on single-pole switch
Red = screw terminal on single pole switch
White = tied via wire nut to white from cable 2
Both sets of lights (2 lights on the 3-way switch and the 6 for the rest of the basement) are on the same circuit.
I believe that the source of power is cable 3—can’t see how the other could possibly obtain power. So I am thinking that either the black or red wire needs to come in contact with the common screw on the 3-way. But I am not sure since this looks to be a bit unusual of a wire diagram for a simple single family home.
So I need real help……
Oh, two more things:
All 5 grounds are properly tied together in the box—so I left that out on each wire above
I did have to extend each of the 14/3 wires. So I added a junction box on each wire and used 14/3 wire to extend the reach. I connected red – red, black – black and white to white (and the grounds in metal junction boxes). If I actually did diagram the original correctly, could my fault be somewhere along the new wires? I did a very careful visual analysis and I didn’t see and exposed or damaged wires.
Thanks a lot guys…..
#2
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Breaker trips
Check your work again to make sure a ground is not making contact with a hot when you placed the switches into the boxes.
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Double check the 2-3 wire cables. You stated one has the white to the traveler. Perhaps you mixed the 2-3 wires up.
When and if this is it, Identify (tape) the white that has power.
When and if this is it, Identify (tape) the white that has power.
#5
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Got it
Thanks for the help. I got it fixed.
The problem was in one of the junction boxes I added I clamped down on the 14/3 wire too much and exposed the wire to the metal clamp. Hidden to plain view, but after the two responses here I thought I had better check every inch of my wire----
Thanks again.
The problem was in one of the junction boxes I added I clamped down on the 14/3 wire too much and exposed the wire to the metal clamp. Hidden to plain view, but after the two responses here I thought I had better check every inch of my wire----
Thanks again.