Wiring help needed with three-way switches and multiple lights
#1
11-14-13, 10:00 AM
Wiring help needed with three-way switches and multiple lights
Hello,
I'm hoping that someone out there can help me out with an electrical question. I'd like to install two three way switches (one at the top of the stairs and the other at the bottom of the stairs) to control 8 lights in basement and one light at the top of the stairs. The current wiring (not connected yet) is as follows: the switch box at the bottom of the stairs has coming into it a 2-wire homerun from panel, 2 wire from the basement lights which are all connected together, and a 3-wire which goes to the switch box at the top of the stairs. The switch box at top of stairs has the 3-wire coming into it from the switch box at the bottom of the stairs and a separate two-wire from the light at the top of stairs (which is not connected to any of the other lights). Does anyone know how I would connect all of this up to make it work? -Matt
I'm hoping that someone out there can help me out with an electrical question. I'd like to install two three way switches (one at the top of the stairs and the other at the bottom of the stairs) to control 8 lights in basement and one light at the top of the stairs. The current wiring (not connected yet) is as follows: the switch box at the bottom of the stairs has coming into it a 2-wire homerun from panel, 2 wire from the basement lights which are all connected together, and a 3-wire which goes to the switch box at the top of the stairs. The switch box at top of stairs has the 3-wire coming into it from the switch box at the bottom of the stairs and a separate two-wire from the light at the top of stairs (which is not connected to any of the other lights). Does anyone know how I would connect all of this up to make it work? -Matt
#2
11-14-13, 10:35 AM
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As cabled it will not work. The lights all need to be fed from one switch or the other, not both.
#3
11-14-13, 12:36 PM
OK. What if I added a single pole switch next to the 3-way switch in the double gang box at the bottom of the stairs. Could I use the single pole to control the 8 basement lights and the two three-ways to control just the light at the top of the stairs with the existing cabling?
#4
11-14-13, 01:03 PM
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Yes --- that's pretty much how it's currently laid out.
The black & red of the 14/3 will be the travellers between the up & down switches --- the white from the 14/3 will connect with the 14/2 white going to the upstairs light.
The black of the 14/2 ( going to the light ) will connect to the common terminal of the upper 3 way switch.
The black & red of the 14/3 will be the travellers between the up & down switches --- the white from the 14/3 will connect with the 14/2 white going to the upstairs light.
The black of the 14/2 ( going to the light ) will connect to the common terminal of the upper 3 way switch.
#5
11-15-13, 06:13 AM
OK so far. Do I splice the black from the panel and run two pig tails, one to common of three-way at bottom of stairs and other pig tail to single pole? Also, is it okay to wire nut all the whites together in the 2 gang box at the bottom of the stairs?
#7
11-15-13, 08:20 AM
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OK so far. Do I splice the black from the panel and run two pig tails, one to common of three-way at bottom of stairs and other pig tail to single pole?
Also, is it okay to wire nut all the whites together in the 2 gang box at the bottom of the stairs?
Sorry about that --- I assumed this part was straight forward.
