3-Way Switch and Single Pole Switch Wiring


  #1  
Old 01-12-14, 11:56 AM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Question 3-Way Switch and Single Pole Switch Wiring

I just moved into an older home (1996) and I am replacing the toggle switches with Rocker Switches. The living room light switches pop(arcing) every time you turn the light on. I removed the plate and it looks like it's not wired correctly and the behavior is inconsistent with the lights.

Scenario: The living room wall has 2 switches, one is a single pole and the other is a 3-way switch. If you turn both of the switches on the lights come on. If I turn the switch off on the kitchen wall the light turns off(Normal). If I turn one of the switches off on the Living Room wall the lights will turn off and no other switch will turn the light back on.

Kitchen Wall Wiring

The kitchenwall has a 3-way switch with a Black Wire going to the Common Screw (Black),a White Wire on the same side as the (Black) and a Red Wire going to the Opposite side of the switch for power.

Living Room Wall Wiring

The 3-Way Switch has 2 Red Wires connected on the side of the common screw(Black), and 1 White Wire on the opposite side.

The Single Pole Switch has 2 Black Wires connected, one on the top and one on the bottom.

NOTE
No Ground Wires are connected to the switches.

Question
How do I rewire this to stop the arcing and only allow one switch to act as the 3-Way.

Name:  3WaySwitch.jpg
Views: 5095
Size:  38.0 KB
 
  #2  
Old 01-12-14, 12:08 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,976
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
Both switches should be able to control the light. It sounds like a wire is transposed on a terminal. You are going to need to figure out where the power is on the switch and the wiring method used. Three ways can be wired several different ways depending on how the cables were run.

Turning switches on or off slowly will cause the arcing.
 
  #3  
Old 01-12-14, 12:17 PM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
The single pole switch has to be on in order to turn the light on from the Living Room Wall. If the 3 way switch is turned on and the Single is turned off, nothing happens. If I turn the Single on the lights come on, even if the kitchen wall switch is off.
 
  #4  
Old 01-12-14, 12:17 PM
chandler's Avatar
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 36,607
Upvotes: 0
Received 9 Upvotes on 8 Posts
Welcome to the forums! Are these cables or individual wires in conduit? I assume cable with a plastic box. You'll need to first find your "Line" or hot wire on one switch. Generally "Line" and "Load" will go to your black screws on the respective switches.
 
  #5  
Old 01-12-14, 12:41 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,976
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
If the single pole controls the three way the hot is connected to the switched hot instead of the constant hot.
 
  #6  
Old 01-12-14, 01:06 PM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thanks for the replies. I swtiched the wires on the Single and it only changed the behavior of the switch on/off position. So I would need to move the Black wire that has the constant over to the 3-Way Black Common screw, and move the Red over to the Single Switch?
 
  #7  
Old 01-12-14, 02:04 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,976
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
It would be better to pigtail the hot to feed both switches.
 
  #8  
Old 01-12-14, 03:14 PM
Mr.Awesome's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Canada
Posts: 511
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
The arcing I think you hear isn't something that will go away. That is just how the switch functions internally.
 
  #9  
Old 01-12-14, 03:59 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,976
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
You should not be hearing a switch arcing constantly.
 
  #10  
Old 01-12-14, 11:50 PM
B
Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 189
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
3-way Switch and Single Pole Switch

As mentioned if the the single pole switch needs to be on in order to turn on the kitchen lights then it is feeding the three-way switch. I see two red wires on your three-way switch so one of them does not belong on the three-way unless you have conduit and two reds were pulled as travelers. I think you have romex and in the kitchen you have a single three-way switch with a blk, red and white. The black should be on the common and the red and white would be the travelers. Also as mentioned you should find the hot coming into the box and use two pig tails, one for the single pole switch and one for the common on the three-way. I can't see into the box enough to see how many cables you have so am still confused a bit on where the lone red wire would go or if the cables going to the lights in the kitchen and living room are both two conductor.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: