another 3 way switch quetion

Hi. I'll try to make this brief. My intention is to pull power from adjacent 2 pole switch. I've created the pigtail and plugged into 3 way switch dark screw.
At this same switch, is where my lighting lead runs down (to the 3 ways switch) This has the white and black wire. Ok, now from the other side of the room, I ran the 4 conductor wire with the red, with the switch at that end.
I need help getting these wires hooked up properly. I was under the impression I could hook all the white from both switches (the one I got the power from) together...uh but no way as they are seperate circuits. So with my black hot wire plugged into the back of the dark screw, now I'm lost. I did connect the neutrals seperate on the 3 way switch. I don't think this is right. I'm not able to get the light to power at all. Greg

 

Do you mean 3-conductor cable, red black, white plus ground? (4-conductor cable* is red, black, blue, white, plus ground).

If you have a true hot cable at the first switch and a 2-conductor cable from the light the whites of those two would be tied together (along with any other neutral feeds).

The white of the 3-conductor between the switches is relabeled on both ends with some color other then white, green, or gray, such as black and connected to the black of the cable to the light.

At the other 3-way switch the relabeled white is connected to the common (dark screw). Red and black to traveler terminals on both ends.

*Note if you did use 4-conductor cable because you are on 2011 NEC code cycle substitute blue for white on the cable between the switches and cap off the white.

 

3, red white black. It is true hot, as I metered it on bottow pole, with that switch (2 pole) in either direction. I had connected all the whites from both the 2 and 3 way switch and that had caused the breaker to trip. If you're saying they can all be connected, then I was doing something wrong. Please tell me which terminal i put the hot pig tail into of the 3 way. And...which termial on the 3 way, do I put the black wire coming from the lamp? Again, this set up does "not" have the lamp in the middle of the 3 conductor wire. Thank you and I'll work a little with what you already told me.

 

What colors were the wires on the single pole switch?

 

Meter readings must be taken with the wires disconnected. You don't measure across a switch. If you have a white and black connected to the switch it is a switch loop not an always on cable. Lets leave this question till we are sure you have a hot at the first switch. Do you have a cable that with both black and white disconnected measure 120 volts? Your last posts sounds like you don't.

 

Yes, i disconnected and 120 from white to black. This hot cable is coming directly from the 15 amp breaker, straight to this 2 pole switch. Wires are black and white 14/2. I had lawn to mow, so I could not respond directly...sorry and I do apprec. the help.

 

You should now have three wires connected to each switch. If so, the second box is complete. You can fold the wires into the box, mount the switch, and cover it.

In the first box, you should have two wires left to deal with -- the relabeled white coming from the second switch and the black going to the light. Splice those two wires together. Fold the wires into the box, mount the switch, and cover that box. Turn the power back on.

 

Got it and THANK YOU! I knew there was a white to black...just unsure which. My diagram isn't publicized on net. Only happens to me when I'm looking for something. Greg

 

Except is really isn't black to white. The white must be remarked another color. You did do that didn't you? As I originally said in post #2

 

Glad it worked for you, and thank you for the feedback.

In this case, it may also be about the NEC. Beginning with the 2011 cycle, the code now requires that there be a neutral at every switch, so that it will be available for the many new switches that require one, including a lot of the energy-saving control devices such as digital timers.

What you just installed, successfully, is sometimes called a "dead-end 3-way," where the line and load feeds are both in the same box and the only thing in the second box is the second switch. There's nothing wrong with doing that, but it requires one more item to make it compliant with current code, i.e., the neutral in the second box.

The easiest way to do that is to run a 4-conductor cable between the two boxes. This is what it originally sounded like you had done, and Ray started to address that in post #2. When a 4-conductor cable is used, with black, red, blue and white wires, plus a ground, the blue wire is used to do what the redesignated white wire** is doing in your installation - carry ungrounded current from switch 2 to the load (or to carry the ungrounded line feed to switch 2). The white wire in the 4-conductor cable can then be left white and spliced to the other white wires in the line/load box to provide the required grounded conductor - neutral - in box 2.

Anyway, enjoy!

**The white wire is marked on both ends in your installation, right?