I’ve watched many 3-way videos over the last several days and spent so many hours I’ve lost count. First 9 mins of your video and my problem was solved. No one talks about combining the black and white together for the switch. Saved my life. THANK YOU SO MUCH
Wanted to say thank you for demonstrating the many ways to wire a 3 way switch! All I could find before your video was a way how to basically wire a 3 way switch. THANK YOU!!!
I've never shared a comment on TH-cam until this, I had this same setup with a 4 wire in between the two 3 wire switches and every video until yours exclaimed a basic line-swtitch-switch-load scenario and I could not get it to work correctly until I watched your video and you explains the switch leg with the black-white on the load had to be spliced together and then just ticked away inside the box. Thank you so much for showing a less common method used to wire 3 way switches, it was immensely helpful.
I just successfully got power to a 3 way dimmer switch/3 way combination witch setup in my house that had HORRIBLY done 1950's electrical, thanks to this setup. Super super thankful for this video, excellently done. Life saver!!
Lived with incorrectly wired three way since I purchased this home. This video gave me the correction I needed to make it function correctly. Thank you.
Great explanation of how to wire a 3 way with power and light from the same box. The only thing I see that should also be done is to wrap the white wire that is hot with black tape in the switch boxes.
I'm the same as Scott down below, I'm so grateful for your video I thought I screwed up by not having hot wire on the other side. Your video got my lights on.
Super great .. Is what exactly I needed to know... I have inspection in 2 days and it's almost midnight and I'm watching all these videos and none of them explain this until I came across to your video.. You are a life saver.. Thanks a lot...👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💯
I have been looking for an explanation of this setup for a while. I have seen 3way switches wired this way in the field and I could not fully understand how you could be left with nothing but one 3 wire in one of the boxes. This video was excellent, thank you for making it.
@@aurvaroy6670 we still do them with feeds and sw legs in the same box, but my old company did it with splices on both sides but regardless i think the code we are still useing is the 2017 one because the 2020 one hasnt been accepted
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I was struggling for hours with a three way switch wired exactly like this. I was going to break down and hire someone until I found your video. Great video!
@@timpalmer-logstolumber1999 Right. Didn't know that back then. Still it's nice to have neutral in both boxes just in case you want an add-on smart switch.
Thank you so much. I thought this could be done but every other example did not show both the power coming in and the switch leg in the same box. I thought I really screwed this up - thank you!!
Video was super helpful! Only thing is our 3 way switches had the bronze screws diagonal from each other instead of across. We connected our black and red travel wires on the bronze screws diagonally on both switches, and that did the trick!
Great video and hard to find explanation on other TH-cam channels. The only other video I've seen is Electrician U "Three Ways 3-Ways Can Be (3way Switch Wiring - ILLEGAL AND LEGAL METHODS". According to Electrician U, this method is legal and is called a "dead end" three way switch because it can't be extended beyond the last three way switch because there is no neutral. It is a handy setup if you want to add a switch after the framing is done and it is more convenient to bypass the light and go directly to the switch. An example is as adding a switch at the other end of a hall or room addition where there is only a single pole switch on one end. But another disadvantage is many new "smart switches" require a neutral and won't work with this setup.
This was very informative. Should have said the 2 travel wires go on the brass screws. My 3 way switches had the brass screws diagonal from each other. Not straight across. Really helped me though.
Yes there are other switches that are not like the ones I use. You have to pay attention to the colors. Silver for neutral, brass for travelers, and black for Hot/switch leg.
Hey man. I normally never comment on videos, but I wanted to let you know that your video was very helpful and it worked beautifully. Thanks for making this easy to understand.
Literally ditto. Tim, you are the man! This helped me install a smart three-way in my old South Philly Home. I couldn't figure out how/why it was wired like this. This is the video I was looking for with an excellent explanation.
Not sure if you can answer but, I have an older home I'm renovating with switch loop wiring going into a J box powering basement light fixtures, and also 3 receptacles on the 1st flr. I want to add 3 way 14-3 wire going into two 3 way switches. I will remove the current single pole switch and use the same wiring on the switch onto the 3 way switch so that all fixtures and receptacles continue to work as before, plus add the 3 way wire running from switch to switch.
u can also tie your neutral in to your hot and use your black wire switch leg to the light for the common on your first switch and use the neutral that was tied into your hot for the common black terminal on the other switch
Depending on the switch, some have the screws in different locations. The swl/hot is a different color screw or marked common. Sorry for not mentioning that.
Great video! How do I install an outlet from a 3 way switch? I need an outlet to power a tv and the three way is the closest to it. Can it be done? thank you!!
If the switch box has power it can be used to power an outlet. Use a pop in box, run a wire from pop in box to switch box. Tie into power and neutral in switch box.
In this situation where you have a second, single pole switch in the first box, do you do two pigtails off the black hot wire, one to the bottom right screw of the three way switch and one pigtail to the gold screw of the single pole switch?
thank you for your video I used it to install 2 3 way switches in my house. However I can't figure out why the both lights on each individual 3 way switch flicker only when they come on. It does it for a second then is fine. It's a Led/incandescent switch with a incandescent bulb on it. I have the same light bulb and switch on the same circuit in another room and no flicker. I checked all the connections to rule out a loose connection and didn't see anything loose. Any ideas?
The box that has the white as the line wire with only one 12-3 in it has no neutral in it correct? So that box would be impossible to jumper off of to run a new switch and light out of correct? Cause the LED fixture has a hot and neutral wire to hook up to and without it, it just trips the breaker.
Correct, without a neutral there is no circuit and the light will not work. Besides, this method wouldn't actually work in todays world anyway. Code says there MUST be a neutral in EVERY switch box. No neutral = No pass. You would have to use 4 wire instead of 3 wire for the traveler to do what he did in this video. Even though this works, it simply would no longer pass inspection, but I'm not saying it won't work.
@@godmode3359 this is correct if the new code has been adopted in there area. Adoption usually lags behind a few years. Also DIYers working on there own house and not being inspected could still use it.
It should work with a dimmer. There are several things that may affect it. A couple of things that may affect it are you using only one dimmer or It may be the type of light bulbs being used. Not all light bulbs work with dimmers.
Hi Tim. Great video. This is how my house was wired. Question...is there a way to add an additional light to the system between the 2 switches or would it have to be off the existing light? Thanks!
Hello Tim. A great and easy way to add another light to the circuit is by "tapping" into the black/white/ground wires from your existing light. I do this often when I install recess lights around my house.. You can do this several ways, but the most convenient way I like is by using the wago lever nuts which allows you to grab the wires together.
I followed this video exactly (only difference is I used rocker switches), but my switches face opposite directions when the light is off. Is that expected?
Yeah, functionally I know it doesn’t matter, but I’ve got the switch in a 2-gang box with a 2-way switch, so the off positions aren’t matching. Should I just flip the red and black travelers on the right switch?
The wire could be yellow or white. It is called a homerun when it leaves the panel to the first item on the circuit. For light, recepts, disposal, dishwasher etc. it is a 2 wire (120volts). A 3 wire if it is for a dryer, stove, A/C etc. (220-240 volts)
problem with no neutral in remote switch, problem could be solved using a xx/4 wire Black, White, Red, Blue , then red and blue used as travelers, Black as the common, to be connected to black-switch, the white would be capped. Also no repurposing the White wire to a hot with black tape.
Does it actually matter which screw your travelers are on as long as they're on the traveler screws and not the common? So you made your red on the side with the screw by itself, but could the one switch have it like that but the other switch the red be on the screw side that the common was on. Or would it work the same as long as travelers are on traveler screws but not the common screw
@@timpalmer-logstolumber1999 Hi Tim, Great video on this. I have found that if you CROSS the traveler locations of 2 alike 3-way switches, the two 3-ways will still do the job as intended BUT when a 4-way switch is used between the two 3-ways to get THREE switching locations for a light it won't work unless you go back and UN-cross the 2 travelers from the 3-ways so they go to identical traveler terminals as you noted here.
@@bobrub working with high school kids I try to get them to do it the same way each time, they will make less mistakes. Then later I cover other ways because not all switches are the same. Especially from older houses.
No, it is weird though... it's a traveling bus 3-way that isn't traveling the bus... like it's a typical or standard 3-way except that he put the load on the first switch instead of the second. Not how most guys wire them but it is valid, just weird. It's generally considered best wiring practice to use the same wiring method as those around you so that it's kinda pseudo standardized and makes things easier for everyone.
The only wires that matter are the switch leg has to be under a black screw on one switch while the other black screw on the other switch holds the power wire. The travelers makes no difference to which screw they are under be it one side or the other.
Yes and No!! You forgot to mention the other end of the switch leg! That is the key to “switching on and off”. The other end of the switch leg MUST be joined with the black wire going directly ‘to the light’ -then the circuit is complete and turning on/off from both switches will work!
The box with just the 3 wire in it becomes the hot not the switchleg. You send the hot with the white on the 3 wire and the red and black send power back to the original box, where the switchleg still remains. At that point the white neutral in the light sends power straight back down to the white neutral on the hot 2 wire which then takes it back to the panel. To put it simply the box you add becomes the hot and the original box becomes the switchleg box and the traveller still jumps between them
does that leg box have a neutral? seems like it does not. I am trying to run an outlet off of a leg box like this and its not working because I do not think the white is a neutral
A 2 way switch is another name for a switch that turns a light on or off from one location, it has on and off on it. A 3 way switch is used to turn lights on and off from two locations, the switches are connected by a 3 wire.
Even tho you my have wired it correctly, You do NOT follow code as in you can NOT mix 12 Gage and 14 Gage wire, in the configuration you did that. I thinking you were just using scrap wire for that, You did NOT say it in your video, therefore you code was wrong.
You can use the white wire as the hot wire coming from the light to the switch box but it must be marked with black tape or some use a black sharpie. I have worked on older houses where you never know what you will come across, especially in places where there was minimal or no inspections. I show these different methods to my students as examples of what they can come across. An example, two years ago I rewired a house that had a 3 wire as a home run running two different circuits. In new construction you have to have neutral in the switch box so a 2 wire would not work. Some don't like the power in the light box because you have to take the light down to search for a problem, much easier in the switch box.
I’ve watched many 3-way videos over the last several days and spent so many hours I’ve lost count. First 9 mins of your video and my problem was solved. No one talks about combining the black and white together for the switch. Saved my life. THANK YOU SO MUCH
You are welcome, glad I could help
Same . Ty for the vid
Wanted to say thank you for demonstrating the many ways to wire a 3 way switch! All I could find before your video was a way how to basically wire a 3 way switch. THANK YOU!!!
I’ve been losing my mind for the past few hours trying to figure this out. THANK YOU!!!!
You absolutely crushed this video. I’ve spent 2 hours working on my 3-way and watched your video once and presto. Thank you very much.
Glad it was helpful
I wrestled w/ my 3way w/ the common and the power in the same box. I never thot of the common as the switch leg . Thank you so much. Up and running.
Brilliant! Thanks so much. I don’t know how many videos I’ve watched and it has never been explained so clearly and thoroughly. Thanks, thanks.
I've never shared a comment on TH-cam until this, I had this same setup with a 4 wire in between the two 3 wire switches and every video until yours exclaimed a basic line-swtitch-switch-load scenario and I could not get it to work correctly until I watched your video and you explains the switch leg with the black-white on the load had to be spliced together and then just ticked away inside the box. Thank you so much for showing a less common method used to wire 3 way switches, it was immensely helpful.
Best simple explanation for this set up I’ve ever seen thanks
I just successfully got power to a 3 way dimmer switch/3 way combination witch setup in my house that had HORRIBLY done 1950's electrical, thanks to this setup. Super super thankful for this video, excellently done. Life saver!!
I'm glad the video helped.
Lived with incorrectly wired three way since I purchased this home. This video gave me the correction I needed to make it function correctly. Thank you.
Great explanation of how to wire a 3 way with power and light from the same box. The only thing I see that should also be done is to wrap the white wire that is hot with black tape in the switch boxes.
I'm the same as Scott down below, I'm so grateful for your video
I thought I screwed up by not having hot wire on the other side. Your video got my lights on.
Very thankful for this video... I wouldn't have been able to figure out the wiring without it!
Exactly what I needed. No wasted time explaining other stuff. Thanks.
I like to break things down to easiest form, thanks.
Super great ..
Is what exactly I needed to know...
I have inspection in 2 days and it's almost midnight and I'm watching all these videos and none of them explain this until I came across to your video..
You are a life saver..
Thanks a lot...👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💯
This is exactly what I needed. Thank you so much!
Best description! Thank you!
FINALLY!!! I have been searching for this set up!!!
Very informative and well explained, I personally wasn't aware about the traveler's needed to be in the same location on each switch
I have been looking for an explanation of this setup for a while. I have seen 3way switches wired this way in the field and I could not fully understand how you could be left with nothing but one 3 wire in one of the boxes. This video was excellent, thank you for making it.
Thanks so much. Was looking for a way to run the second switch to a remote box. Very clearly demonstrated.
Thank you! This solved our lighting issue! Great video!
Thank you! That was the video I’ve been looking for!
Thanks for posting! This works perfectly when adding a new three-way location to a single pole switch.
Not quite. 2020 NEC requires all switch boxes to have neutral present. So instead of a 14/3, you'd need a 14/2/2
@@aurvaroy6670 we still do them with feeds and sw legs in the same box, but my old company did it with splices on both sides but regardless i think the code we are still useing is the 2017 one because the 2020 one hasnt been accepted
@@aurvaroy6670 codes usually run a few years behind and some places adopt faster than others
Thanks for this video I knew it was possible for switch leg and power in same box I couldn't grasp concept until I watched video
This is the set up I have thank you for your video helped me out greatly appreciated
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I was struggling for hours with a three way switch wired exactly like this. I was going to break down and hire someone until I found your video. Great video!
Thanks
Your the man Tim thank you for the video
Great explanation!! Just wired my house this way and was going to undo it to have power in one box and switch in other. You saved me a ton of time.
Well you'd be better off having power in one box and the switch leg in the other since NEC now requires neutrals to be present in all switch boxes
@@aurvaroy6670 YUP !!!
@@aurvaroy6670 only one box on a 3 way circuit needs to have a neutral 404.2(c)
@@timpalmer-logstolumber1999 Right. Didn't know that back then. Still it's nice to have neutral in both boxes just in case you want an add-on smart switch.
Thank you. Great job explaining
Thank you so much. I thought this could be done but every other example did not show both the power coming in and the switch leg in the same box. I thought I really screwed this up - thank you!!
Wathced 7 other videos that didn't explain it this easy. Thanks
What a helpful video..
I wud love to see your more videos coming in the future..
I have plans to do videos on different ways to wire 2 and 3 gang boxes.
Thanks , you explained that perfectly
Video was super helpful! Only thing is our 3 way switches had the bronze screws diagonal from each other instead of across. We connected our black and red travel wires on the bronze screws diagonally on both switches, and that did the trick!
love the setup and totorial thanks
Great video and hard to find explanation on other TH-cam channels. The only other video I've seen is Electrician U "Three Ways 3-Ways Can Be (3way Switch Wiring - ILLEGAL AND LEGAL METHODS". According to Electrician U, this method is legal and is called a "dead end" three way switch because it can't be extended beyond the last three way switch because there is no neutral. It is a handy setup if you want to add a switch after the framing is done and it is more convenient to bypass the light and go directly to the switch. An example is as adding a switch at the other end of a hall or room addition where there is only a single pole switch on one end. But another disadvantage is many new "smart switches" require a neutral and won't work with this setup.
Thank you sir. You helped me on my remodel
Awesome video- Absolutely solved my problems thank🤘🏻
Wow great video. This really helped me out.
Ur the best out of 100 videos I saw u were the only one the help me
Glad to be of service
Great video explanation!
Nice job buddy!! Thanks!!
Big help! Thank you, sir!
Glad it helped!
This is awesome. Thanks.
It worked ,,thank you brother
I will answer questions if you have them.
Thank you, Sir!
Beautiful bro I love it
GREAT EXPLANATION
This was very informative. Should have said the 2 travel wires go on the brass screws. My 3 way switches had the brass screws diagonal from each other. Not straight across. Really helped me though.
Yes there are other switches that are not like the ones I use. You have to pay attention to the colors. Silver for neutral, brass for travelers, and black for Hot/switch leg.
Thank you 🙏
Thank you so much
THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Man, thank you!
Hey man. I normally never comment on videos, but I wanted to let you know that your video was very helpful and it worked beautifully. Thanks for making this easy to understand.
Literally ditto. Tim, you are the man! This helped me install a smart three-way in my old South Philly Home. I couldn't figure out how/why it was wired like this. This is the video I was looking for with an excellent explanation.
Not sure if you can answer but, I have an older home I'm renovating with
switch loop wiring going into a J box powering basement light fixtures,
and also 3 receptacles on the 1st flr. I want to add 3 way 14-3 wire
going into two 3 way switches. I will remove the current single pole
switch and use the same wiring on the switch onto the 3 way switch so that all fixtures and
receptacles continue to work as before, plus add the 3 way wire running
from switch to switch.
It should work, the single pole switch should have power and switch leg, run 3 wire to second box
This set up should work for a smart switch? One as the master (line in) and the remote switch ( load). Thanks!
Thanks you so much
You da man !
Thank you
Hi , thanks for sharing! My question is is it possible to connect a 14awg wire to a 12awg wire for lighting ?
It is not recommended but you can as long as the circuit breaker is for the smaller wire. So you would have to use a 15 amp breaker.
Thanks
He seems to be figuring it out as he goes .
Great explanation. But how do we address the "every box needs a neutral" in the 2nd box?
The second box on a 3 way doesn't need a neutral
@@timpalmer-logstolumber1999 interesting! Thanks for the reply 😀😀
u can also tie your neutral in to your hot and use your black wire switch leg to the light for the common on your first switch and use the neutral that was tied into your hot for the common black terminal on the other switch
I would like to see that method, could you send me a diagram at 13husky18@gmail.com. Thanks
We put in a dimmer switch and followed your instructions but the black power has to be across from the red traveler.
Depending on the switch, some have the screws in different locations. The swl/hot is a different color screw or marked common. Sorry for not mentioning that.
Are the light switches with the toggle a special kind for a 3way light switch connection?
Yes, you have to use 3 way switch, these are the ones that don't have on/off on them. They have screws for three wires.
Great video! How do I install an outlet from a 3 way switch? I need an outlet to power a tv and the three way is the closest to it. Can it be done? thank you!!
If the switch box has power it can be used to power an outlet. Use a pop in box, run a wire from pop in box to switch box. Tie into power and neutral in switch box.
just what I needed for my project except I will have four way switch in the middle.
Is it possible to add a wire to control another light to the box that has only the switch leg wire? Thanks
Yes, if there is a neutral wire for that light. wirenut the switch leg wires together and then wire the neural wires together.
👍
My electrician was a no call no-show. Left me to finish my new house. This video saved the day. Great job.
I have the same set up Plus a fan light combo in the same box 😅 my brain almost melted
I would be happy to answer any questions you have in the future.
In this situation where you have a second, single pole switch in the first box, do you do two pigtails off the black hot wire, one to the bottom right screw of the three way switch and one pigtail to the gold screw of the single pole switch?
very instructive Bro...
my only problem is that you naming Cable a Wire..
It's a cable that have 2 or 3 wires...14/2 or 12/3 and so on..
I know, I learned to call it wire a long time ago, it's hard to change.
thank you for your video I used it to install 2 3 way switches in my house. However I can't figure out why the both lights on each individual 3 way switch flicker only when they come on. It does it for a second then is fine. It's a Led/incandescent switch with a incandescent bulb on it. I have the same light bulb and switch on the same circuit in another room and no flicker. I checked all the connections to rule out a loose connection and didn't see anything loose. Any ideas?
It could be in the switch or the light fixture
@@timpalmer-logstolumber1999 thank you I figured it out, can't have two dimmers in a 3 way switch
can you run an outlet off of the second leg? Or since it has no neutral wire is it not possible?
An outlet would need a neutral
Does the switch that has the white wire alone is it hot
At 4:20 it says it is used as the switch leg. which means it only gets power when the switches are aligned correctly to turn on the light.
The box that has the white as the line wire with only one 12-3 in it has no neutral in it correct? So that box would be impossible to jumper off of to run a new switch and light out of correct? Cause the LED fixture has a hot and neutral wire to hook up to and without it, it just trips the breaker.
Correct, without a neutral there is no circuit and the light will not work. Besides, this method wouldn't actually work in todays world anyway. Code says there MUST be a neutral in EVERY switch box. No neutral = No pass. You would have to use 4 wire instead of 3 wire for the traveler to do what he did in this video. Even though this works, it simply would no longer pass inspection, but I'm not saying it won't work.
@@godmode3359 this is correct if the new code has been adopted in there area. Adoption usually lags behind a few years. Also DIYers working on there own house and not being inspected could still use it.
How would it work with two dimmable switches?
you can only use one dimmable switch.
Does the switch that has the white wire alone is hot ?
Only one of the two boxes will be hot, the other will be the switch leg
Will this work for Dimmer? Let clarify I tried to do this with the dimmer and it fried the dimmer switch
It should work with a dimmer. There are several things that may affect it. A couple of things that may affect it are you using only one dimmer or It may be the type of light bulbs being used. Not all light bulbs work with dimmers.
Hi Tim. Great video. This is how my house was wired. Question...is there a way to add an additional light to the system between the 2 switches or would it have to be off the existing light? Thanks!
you could run a wire off an existing light or you could drop a wire into the switch box with the power and switch leg in it.
Hello Tim. A great and easy way to add another light to the circuit is by "tapping" into the black/white/ground wires from your existing light. I do this often when I install recess lights around my house.. You can do this several ways, but the most convenient way I like is by using the wago lever nuts which allows you to grab the wires together.
Now how do you add an outlet using the wire from the second box?
You can't, there is no neutral in the box.
@@timpalmer-logstolumber1999 thanks much! Can I add a neutral?
@@markied2873 not without rewiring it.
@@timpalmer-logstolumber1999 oh ok...thanks for the info
I followed this video exactly (only difference is I used rocker switches), but my switches face opposite directions when the light is off. Is that expected?
It doesn't matter if they are upside down. Usually on a single pole switch the on is up. If they are three ways it doesn't matter.
Yeah, functionally I know it doesn’t matter, but I’ve got the switch in a 2-gang box with a 2-way switch, so the off positions aren’t matching. Should I just flip the red and black travelers on the right switch?
@@JohnDiBaggioSanto three way switches will vary depending on where you turn it on and off, changing wires won't help.
Did not work when using a 3 way Lutron dimmer, The black traveler and the black hot had to be swapped on the switch. Why? Dunno.
Some lutron dimmers can be single pole or 3way, look for wiring diagram on package
So is the yellow wire from panel box to switch box 2 wire?
yes
The wire could be yellow or white. It is called a homerun when it leaves the panel to the first item on the circuit. For light, recepts, disposal, dishwasher etc. it is a 2 wire (120volts). A 3 wire if it is for a dryer, stove, A/C etc. (220-240 volts)
Losing my mind on the wire switch.
One yellow is coming from the power.
The second yellow from the switch?
😱😅
The second yellow comes from the light
problem with no neutral in remote switch, problem could be solved using a xx/4 wire Black, White, Red, Blue , then red and blue used as travelers, Black as the common, to be connected to black-switch, the white would be capped. Also no repurposing the White wire to a hot with black tape.
When working on older houses you going to run into this setup, got to know how it works.
Does it actually matter which screw your travelers are on as long as they're on the traveler screws and not the common? So you made your red on the side with the screw by itself, but could the one switch have it like that but the other switch the red be on the screw side that the common was on. Or would it work the same as long as travelers are on traveler screws but not the common screw
It does not matter which side they are on. I teach my students to be consistent, they are less likely to get it wrong.
If you swap the location of the travelers the switches will be in opposite orientation when the light is on.
@@timpalmer-logstolumber1999 Hi Tim, Great video on this. I have found that if you CROSS the traveler locations of 2 alike 3-way switches, the two 3-ways will still do the job as intended BUT when a 4-way switch is used between the two 3-ways to get THREE switching locations for a light it won't work unless you go back and UN-cross the 2 travelers from the 3-ways so they go to identical traveler terminals as you noted here.
@@bobrub working with high school kids I try to get them to do it the same way each time, they will make less mistakes. Then later I cover other ways because not all switches are the same. Especially from older houses.
Why would a yellow wire be connected to the ground on a receptacle
Is it being used as a ground? What is other end hooked to?
Is this the California three-way?
No, it is weird though... it's a traveling bus 3-way that isn't traveling the bus... like it's a typical or standard 3-way except that he put the load on the first switch instead of the second. Not how most guys wire them but it is valid, just weird. It's generally considered best wiring practice to use the same wiring method as those around you so that it's kinda pseudo standardized and makes things easier for everyone.
Here's a link to a video that shows how most guys wire a traveling bus 3-way:
th-cam.com/video/cOFKnAGOPg4/w-d-xo.html
Only problem first box has to many wires look up sparky channel he explains this
There are different size boxes, make sure you get the deeper box that will work
What kind of wire is this?
12-2 for power and switch leg, 12-3 for the traveler. It's romex
This is not code under the NEC 2020. You need a neutral wire in at least one of the switch boxes.
The neutral wire is in the first switch where the power and switch leg are
I thought a neutral wire was required in both switch boxes?
The only wires that matter are the switch leg has to be under a black screw on one switch while the other black screw on the other switch holds the power wire. The travelers makes no difference to which screw they are under be it one side or the other.
Yes and No!! You forgot to mention the other end of the switch leg! That is the key to “switching on and off”. The other end of the switch leg MUST be joined with the black wire going directly ‘to the light’ -then the circuit is complete and turning on/off from both switches will work!
@@susanhardy8287 My bad I guess I took for granted people knew they had to hook the light up for it to work...
You could’ve bought a decent motorcycle for that money
The box with just the 3 wire in it becomes the hot not the switchleg. You send the hot with the white on the 3 wire and the red and black send power back to the original box, where the switchleg still remains. At that point the white neutral in the light sends power straight back down to the white neutral on the hot 2 wire which then takes it back to the panel. To put it simply the box you add becomes the hot and the original box becomes the switchleg box and the traveller still jumps between them
does that leg box have a neutral? seems like it does not. I am trying to run an outlet off of a leg box like this and its not working because I do not think the white is a neutral
Thats only 2 ways switch sir..,where is the other one?
A 2 way switch is another name for a switch that turns a light on or off from one location, it has on and off on it. A 3 way switch is used to turn lights on and off from two locations, the switches are connected by a 3 wire.
Even tho you my have wired it correctly, You do NOT follow code as in you can NOT mix 12 Gage and 14 Gage wire, in the configuration you did that. I thinking you were just using scrap wire for that, You did NOT say it in your video, therefore you code was wrong.
And since the white wire was a feeder to the other box, You did NOT rap black or red tape around the white wire to Id it as a HOT wire.
you are correct about using scrap wire, it was an oversight. Thanks for telling me.
never use the white wire as a hot??????????????????
You can use the white wire as the hot wire coming from the light to the switch box but it must be marked with black tape or some use a black sharpie. I have worked on older houses where you never know what you will come across, especially in places where there was minimal or no inspections. I show these different methods to my students as examples of what they can come across. An example, two years ago I rewired a house that had a 3 wire as a home run running two different circuits. In new construction you have to have neutral in the switch box so a 2 wire would not work. Some don't like the power in the light box because you have to take the light down to search for a problem, much easier in the switch box.