Switch box mess
#1
09-26-16, 01:34 PM
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Switch box mess
I opened a 2 gang switch box to see if it can be moved a few inches along the wall. When I got inside, I found a mess that has me confused.
The switch on the left is a standard 2 way. On the right is a 3 way.
The green wire is actually a hot white.
Both traveler wires are hot.
Only 2 lights are controlled by the 4 cables in the box.
For extra fun, the red wire has a break in the insulation and seems to be shorting out on a ground.
Help?
The switch on the left is a standard 2 way. On the right is a 3 way.
The green wire is actually a hot white.
Both traveler wires are hot.
Only 2 lights are controlled by the 4 cables in the box.
For extra fun, the red wire has a break in the insulation and seems to be shorting out on a ground.
Help?
#2
09-26-16, 01:51 PM
Terminology:
No 2-way switches in the U.S. That is what they call a 3-way in the UK. Call it SPST
Cables don't usually have green wires. Do you mean bare or is this conduit not cable.
We will also need to know the connections at the second 3-way switch and lights.
Do you have a multimeter. (A non contact tester won't work.)
The switch on the left is a standard 2 way.
The green wire is actually a hot white.
We will also need to know the connections at the second 3-way switch and lights.
Do you have a multimeter. (A non contact tester won't work.)
#3
09-26-16, 01:56 PM
The way I am trying to read this is the left cable goes to a light controlled by a single switch. The second cable is power in for all the switches. The third cable is the 14-3 going to your other 3 way switch. The 4th cable is load out to a light controlled by the three way switches.
Since you don't pose a question, I will confirm that the wiring is correct and not a "mess", but the break in the one wire needs to be addressed with possibly heat shrink tubing.
Since you don't pose a question, I will confirm that the wiring is correct and not a "mess", but the break in the one wire needs to be addressed with possibly heat shrink tubing.
#4
09-26-16, 01:59 PM
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The wire is white. I colored it green to signify that it was hot. Should I have gone blue?
I do not have a multimeter.
The light has one black and one white wire.
The other 3way switch has Black and Red connected to the travellers and white to the common.
I do not have a multimeter.
The light has one black and one white wire.
The other 3way switch has Black and Red connected to the travellers and white to the common.
Last edited by SoloChoneWookie; 09-26-16 at 02:14 PM.
#7
09-26-16, 02:33 PM
I seriously doubt you will be able to move the switch with any ease. Typically the cables are too short to be moved, unless they all feed from one direction that is the same as you want to move the box.
#8
09-26-16, 02:36 PM
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The wires all feed from the ceiling, so I should be okay on the move. It might have to go up an inch or two.
I think chandler has allowed me to understand the current wiring. Am I correct that it would not meet current code?
I think chandler has allowed me to understand the current wiring. Am I correct that it would not meet current code?
