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Follow up on three way switch woes

I

IaLeo

Well-known Member
This forum is great and the folks here very helpful. Thank you all. Awhile back I was asking your advice on why my switches suddenly were not acting right. Well, the reason I found is making me mumble and my face red! Anyway, thanks and the two circuits are acting normal again. Leo
 
(quoted from post at 18:48:01 12/02/14) This forum is great and the folks here very helpful. Thank you all. Awhile back I was asking your advice on why my switches suddenly were not acting right. Well, the reason I found is making me mumble and my face red! Anyway, thanks and the two circuits are acting normal again. Leo
Click to expand...
e thankful enough to tell what you found/changed..............might help another soul.
 
Do not feel too bad , I went on a service call RE: 3ways tripping breaker. I found that "someone" replaced one of the three way switches with a single pole switch. Only 2 screws for the wires? No problem , just put the other wire on the "3rd screw, the ground screw". Result dead short. It was a conduit system so it was grounded. joe
 
Several of the wires. What I didn't recall was replacing those two switches at the location outside the bedroom door with new paddle type ones like the rest of the house. I had used older style three way switches but heard them arcing as they were operated...just temporary switches right? (temp. is 20 minutes or 20 years in my case). That was a year ago and when installing the new switches, the screws were not identical and dufus me did not pay attention. But the lights worked,I did not check both ends to see if they worked as they should. Eventually I came to be puzzled as to why the circuit could only be turned on where it was turned off, not either end any time. I still haven't pencilled out the diagram that must have been screwed up. But about 10-12 trips to the basement fuse panel and trying different combination of white wire, white wire with black tape wrapping and black wire, I found what worked. More than you wanted to know and not very helpful, I am afraid. Of course I have excuses to go with the red face. Thanks everyone.
Leo
 
I tried to replace a couple 3 way switches in a 3 gang box in house a while back, took off plate, pulled switch mounting screws, and there is not enough wire in box to pull switch out to get to terminal screws. Guy that installed them must of had hands about the size of a raccoons'. could not get more wire out of wall, and no access behind wall. Just gave up, old ones will have to do the job 'til I get the gumption to pull new wires.
 
(quoted from post at 20:12:45 12/02/14) Several of the wires. What I didn't recall was replacing those two switches at the location outside the bedroom door with new paddle type ones like the rest of the house. I had used older style three way switches but heard them arcing as they were operated...just temporary switches right? (temp. is 20 minutes or 20 years in my case). That was a year ago and when installing the new switches, the screws were not identical and dufus me did not pay attention. But the lights worked,I did not check both ends to see if they worked as they should. Eventually I came to be puzzled as to why the circuit could only be turned on where it was turned off, not either end any time. I still haven't pencilled out the diagram that must have been screwed up. But about 10-12 trips to the basement fuse panel and trying different combination of white wire, white wire with black tape wrapping and black wire, I found what worked. More than you wanted to know and not very helpful, I am afraid. Of course I have excuses to go with the red face. Thanks everyone.
Leo
Click to expand...
hank you.
 
One of the most difficult to troubleshoot for me was some years ago in a very old theater (1883) building. Wired in conduit by a previous frugal manager, repaired by a maintenance guy who "always switched in the neutral". They spliced wires in the conduit, never mind the color. Same wire might be red on one end, blue on the other. Then throw in 3 three way circuits in four gang boxes. Took a while to ring it all out and fix everything. I pity the guy who has to do it next time.
 
To wring out a confused three way one can plug an extension cord from another circuit onto each wire to ID the other ends.
 
Farmboy, you can get 'back wired' 3-way switches
that need a minimal amount of wire to connect. The
wires DON'T wrap around the terminal screws;
rather, they slide in from the back and the screws
tighten against the wires, much like a circuit
breaker. I have used these switches in several
situations where the original was wired, as you
said, by some mighty small hands. Simply pull the
old switch out, unscrew the wired terminals, and
straighten the wires that used to wrap around the
screws. You WILL smile when you're done.
 
(quoted from post at 11:18:02 12/03/14) Thanks Chris, I will have to go to Border (backorder) States electric supply and see if they have them.
Click to expand...

I have had people show me pictures on their cell phones of a double gang box with 9 wires or so in them and want me to just tell them how to hook everything back up from the picture.
 
2444, sounds simple enough, just wire nut all the blacks together, whites together, and bare wires together. something should come on or light up. LOL might even light up fuse panel for a second or so.
 
(quoted from post at 08:57:34 12/03/14) 2444, sounds simple enough, just wire nut all the blacks together, whites together, and bare wires together. something should come on or light up. LOL might even light up fuse panel for a second or so.
Click to expand...

Kind of like putting a 6 volt bulb in a 12 volt socket. It is incredibly bright, for an incredibly short amount of time.
 
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