Can I add a 3 way switch?


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Old 10-11-14, 11:55 AM
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Can I add a 3 way switch?

Hi guys thanks in advance and I'm not sure if this can work so I'm going to explain what's existing and what I would like.

There is a light and a switch at the top of the steps, a switch at the bottom, 2 lights and another switch at the back of the room. All of these switches control the lights. The room that the third switch in is now an apartment so I would like to remove this switch all together as the lights are on the other side of the apartment. I removed one of the lights bc it was in the way of where the new door went. I would like to put a switch on the other side of the new door (basically move the one from the back of the room, here), since I still have the wall open and excess to the wires from the old light that was removed.

My issue is the wires from the old light are 12/2. The wires going to the switch 3way switch are 12/3. So I'm not sure how I would be able to use the wires I have access to. And what wires I can tie together on the switch I would like to remove, there's a blk, red, neutral and ground.
Thanks as always for the help
 
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Old 10-11-14, 01:13 PM
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I would like to remove, there's a blk, red, neutral and ground.
Ground can be ignored. The so called neutral though may be a white ungrounded conductor not neutral if there are only three wires in the box. A 3-wat switch has two travelers (usually brass) and a common (usually dark gray). To which terminals are these wires connected.
 
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Old 10-15-14, 06:57 PM
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Yes the switch is like that with the brass terminal and the white wire isn't a neutral I don't know why I wrote that. I forget exactly what wire is going into what terminal I'll have to pull the switch out but the white is deff not neutral...

I know I can probably figure this out reading my handy dandy book that was recommended from the pros on here but and clue if I can add a 3 way switch with the wires that I have access to? I don't think it can but I wanted to check first before closing up the wall. The wires I have access to is a hot black and white and another black and white that feed into another light. I can still add a light where I removed it if it helps, Im guessing if I can do it i would be wiring the 3 wire cable into the hot in some how and into a light then off the light I can connect the. 2 wire cable that feeds into the other light. I havent really done any work putting in mulitply switches that control multiply lights so I haven't really put my homework into it.
Thanks in advance
 
 

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