3 way switch issue


  #1  
Old 05-17-19, 01:41 PM
P
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: usa
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
3 way switch issue

Hello everyone, im new here...so i have an older home built 1959 with no red wires, just black and white. In my living room i have a ceiling light that is on a 3 way switch. Each switch, one near kitchen and one near rear patio slider will turn the light off and on but if i turn the switch on at one end, i can not turn it off with the switch on the other end. I replaced both switches thinking perhaps they may be faulty but i get the same results with them. What i did notice was that one of the bundles in each box, the white wire on the switch going to the light in question was not tied up with the rest of the white wires. Instead this white wire was attached to the 3 way light switch, the same was noted on the other box. I have tried all kinds of different things to no avail. Ive rigged the wires in many configurations and still nothing. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Box 1 No bundles coming in from the bottom. This box has a dimmer switch on the left side it works fine. The 3 way is on the right.
Name:  IMG_5262.JPG
Views: 161
Size:  130.2 KB

Box 2 Has 1 bundle coming in from the bottom. dont know why the picture came out small
Name:  image1.jpg
Views: 108
Size:  10.5 KB

(Image above enlarged:
 
Attached Images  

Last edited by ray2047; 05-17-19 at 02:06 PM.
  #2  
Old 05-17-19, 01:59 PM
ray2047's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 29,711
Upvotes: 0
Received 15 Upvotes on 13 Posts
the white wire on the switch going to the light in question was not tied up with the rest of the white wires. Instead this white wire was attached to the 3 way light switch,
Was it connected to the common screw?
 
  #3  
Old 05-17-19, 02:00 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,939
Received 3,951 Upvotes on 3,544 Posts
Welcome to the forums.

I'm just passing thru and will be back but look at the boxes..... the traveler wires will be white and black and travel in one sheath. Those two wires go on the brass screws. The remaining wire will come from a different source and be the common and go on the dark/black colored screw.
 
  #4  
Old 05-17-19, 02:04 PM
P
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: usa
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
the white wire was not connected to the common. It was connected on the traveler side. When i left the white wires unconnected in both boxes it made no difference. Each switch would only turn on and off the living room light.

as an aside: in one of the many configs i had it wired up, the lights would stay on no matter what. I was unable to turn off the lights. Neither switch would turn them off. Im no light guru so i dont exactly know what that means, just thought i would throw that out there
 

Last edited by pitbull62; 05-17-19 at 02:06 PM. Reason: err
  #5  
Old 05-17-19, 02:09 PM
J
Member
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: welland ontario
Posts: 8,038
Received 515 Upvotes on 420 Posts
At the top switch it appears there is a black wire also connected to another switch. That would be the wire to put on the COMMON(black) screw. The other two wires from the original switch go on the brass screws.
I can't make out the wiring in the bottom switch too well. It appears there may be a black wire for the switch that has white from the same cable attached some other whites. That would be the wire for the COMMON screw.
 
  #6  
Old 05-17-19, 02:13 PM
P
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: usa
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
before i began, i removed all switches and tested for the hot wires in each box. The hot wire(black 1) i attached to the common(black) screw. The other remaining black wire(black 2) was attached to the brass screw(traveler side) just above the common screw. The white wire was attached to the brass screw opposite the second black wire(traveler side)
 
  #7  
Old 05-17-19, 02:17 PM
P
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: usa
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
the hots are coming from the white oversprayed acorn nut in box 1
 
  #8  
Old 05-17-19, 02:25 PM
P
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: usa
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Welcome to the forums.

I'm just passing thru and will be back but look at the boxes..... the traveler wires will be white and black and travel in one sheath. Those two wires go on the brass screws. The remaining wire will come from a different source and be the common and go on the dark/black colored screw.
Thank you! Now that im getting a closer look it appears there are 4 bundles dropping in from the top on box 1. Each bundel dropping in has a bare copper with it? would there be a copper included in that traveler sheath you speak of?
 

Last edited by ray2047; 05-17-19 at 03:07 PM. Reason: Correct BBC.
  #9  
Old 05-17-19, 03:06 PM
ray2047's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 29,711
Upvotes: 0
Received 15 Upvotes on 13 Posts
would there be a copper included in that traveler sheath you speak of?
If it is a cable with ground but the bare should not be carrying any power. It is ground only. If they used it for the switch circuit that is wrong.
 
  #10  
Old 05-17-19, 03:37 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,939
Received 3,951 Upvotes on 3,544 Posts
10-4 on the 4 cables (bundles). One of those cables is the traveler cable to the other switch.
The white and black wires in THAT cable are your travelers.
 
 

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