Hello,

I’m in the process of installing wireless switches in our 3 bedrooms. The existing 3 way wall switches control receptacles.

I’ll be completing removing the wired 3 way switches. How to I make sure the receptacles are constantly powered after the switch removal?

Let me know if you need photos and if each room might be treated differently.

I’d read that a first step is finding where the power is coming from...switch 1, switch 2, the receptacle?

Other than checking with a tester, are there visual clues as to where power is entering? I found some diagrams on another site, but there were 9 options!

Thanks

 

What kind of tester? A non contact tester can't be used.

 

Here’s room one with switch one, switch 2 and receptacle.

 

Switch 1 is a dead end three way switch. That three wire cable goes from switch 1 to switch 2.
At switch 2 you have an additional two wire cable that goes to the receptacle.
Basically you have a three way switch loop.

At the receptacle just disconnect that two wire cable. The white of the cable is taped black in the picture. Replace the receptacle with the bridge not removed.

 

So I’m removing the white taped wire and leaving the other white and black as is?

 

So I disconnect wire #5. Do I leave 4 and 6 attached? Do I need to disconnect the black wire that is part of #5 (presumably # 1 or #3) or can it stay bundled together as it is now? Thanks!

 

You remove the white wire that was taped black. Find the black wire that is part of that cable with the white wire. It should go into the hot splice. Disconnect that. Now you'll have the two wire cable that goes to the switches as capped off. Looks like 3 and 5 are the two to be disconnected.

 

Took 10 minutes and tried what you said. Removed the taped white wire and the corresponding black wire. Do I need to wire them together? I left them separate. Flipped the breaker on and there’s no power in any of the receptacles in that room.

 

Hard to see from the picture. Is/was the white taped wire on the neutral/silver screw side of the receptacle ?
It shouldn't be. I see a white wire in the #2 splice. Theoretically that white wire should be the one that feeds the switch and the black of that cable should be the switched receptacle line.

 

Yes, the taped white was on the neutral side, along with the other white wire. What should I do now? Were the taped white wire and corresponding black that I removed supposed to be joined together or left separate? Thanks again for your help.

 

Not sure why they taped the white wire with black. Put the taped white wire back on the neutral side. Reconnect the black wire where it was originally. The white wire in the hot splice is the one that needs to be disconnected along with it's black wire which is probably on the receptacle.

 

k I’ll try that. Thanks again.

 

Ok. Here’s where I’m at.

1. Put the taped white wire back on the neutral side
2. Reconnected the original black wire to the hot.
3. Disconnected the white wire in the splice. The corresponding black wire is the one that is attached to the hot side receptacle as described in point # 2 above.

Receptacles in the room have power, but this receptacle doesn’t.

I’m basically at the original setup except for the white wire being removed from the splice. See original photo in the earlier posts.

 

Can there be some re-wiring in either of the switch boxes to replicate the action of the switch, so that there is power in the receptacle?

 

Got it working. Found where power was coming in and went from there.