EASY THREE WAY SWITCHES
WHEN YOU INSTALL THREE WAY SWITCHES, THIS ENABLES YOU TO TURN SOMETHING ON, (LIGHT, FAN, MOTOR, ETC.) FROM TWO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, AND I WILL USE THIS, EXTERIOR LIGHTING FROM INSIDE THE FRONT DOOR OR A HOME, AND INSIDE THE GARAGE.
THIS IS QUICK, AND EASY. LET US ASSUME YOU HAVE RUN 12/3 ROMEX FROM ONE SWITCH BOX TO THE OTHER, AFTER NEATLY AND SMOOTHLY STAPLING OFF THE WIRE ALONG THE FRAMING OF THE HOUSE. YOU HAVE LEFT ABOUT A FOOT OF EXTRA WIRE HANGING OUT OF THE FACE OF EACH BOX. BOTH BOXES ARE SINGLE GANG, MEANING ROOM FOR ONLY ONE DEVICE (SWITCH).
EITHER OF THESE CAN BE YOUR DEAD END, AND I DON'T MEAN YOUR ASS. (CONSTRUCTION HUMOR, SCUSI)
IN THE BOX YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO BE YOUR DEAD END, AFTER STRIPING THE OUTER LAYER OF THE INSULATION, YOU WILL HAVE A BLACK, A RED AND A WHITE WIRE, WITH A BARE COPPER.
IN THE OTHER BOX, RUN 12/2, FROM POWER SOURCE, AND ANOTHER 12/2 FROM YOUR FIXTURE WHICH IS CALLED A SWITCH LEG. THIS WILL BE THE BOX WHERE ALL MAKE-UP IS DONE, SO THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF MIXING UP POWER AND SWITCH LEG, AND NEUTRALS WITH RUNNERS.
RUNNERS ARE THE TWO WIRES YOU ARE GOING TO USE BETWEEN THREE WAY SWITCHES, THE OTHER IS WHAT I LIKE TO CALL THE COMMON, OR HOT.
PAY ATTENTION PLEASE. STRIP THE ROMEX SHEATHING OFF THE SWITCH LEG WIRE, AND FOLD THE BLACK ONE UP AND BACK OUT OF THE WAY FOR NOW. LET THE NEUTRAL (WHITE) AND GROUND HANG DOWN. THEN STRIP THE ROMEX FROM THE POWER SOURCE AND LET ALL THOSE HANG DOWN WITH THE OTHERS. THE ROMEX THAT IS LEFT UNSTRIPPED AT THIS POINT IS THE 12/3 FROM THE OTHER SWITCH BOX. STRIP THAT LAST AND PULL THE RED AND WHITE WIRES UP AND BACK OUT OF THE WAY WITH THE SWITCH LEG. GATHER ALL THE GROUNDS, (BARE COPPER) AND PIGTAIL THOSE TOGETHER. YOU NEED A PIGTAIL ON THE GROUND BECAUSE IF YOU DO NOT GROUND TO THE GREEN SCREW ON THE SWITCH, LIGHTNING WILL SPARK YOUR CIRCUIT AND THE SWITCH CAN SHOCK YOU WHEN YOU TOUCH IT. IF YOUR HOUSE BURNS DOWN, YOUR INSURANCE WILL NOT PAY IF SWITCHES ARE FOUND TO BE UNGROUNDED.
MANY PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIANS WILL NOT GROUND SWITCHES. IF YOU ARE HAVING WORK DONE, YOU MUST LET THEM KNOW YOU WANT ALL SWITCHES GROUNDED. THE REASON THEY WILL NOT, IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO FEAR OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, NOR OF HOUSE FIRES. IT ALSO SAVES TIME IF YOU SKIP IT, WHICH IN TURN SAVES MONEY, HOWEVER, IT IS NOT GOOD PRACTICE.
SWITCHES DO NOT NEED A NEUTRAL, BUT THE LIGHT DOES. SO, THE NEUTRAL FROM POWER SOURCE, (WHITE WIRE) AND THE NEUTRAL FROM THE LIGHT (SWITCH LEG) (WHITE WIRE) MUST BE CUT TO SIX INCHES STRIPPED ABOUT 3/8 INCHES FROM THE END, EXPOSING BARE COPPER, AND WIRENUTTED TOGETHER WITHOUT A PIGTAIL.
A GOOD SIZE WIRENUT FOR HOUSING PURPOSES IS CALLED TAN. THERE ARE ALSO YELLOW, FOR TWO WIRES, AND RED, FOR THREE OR MORE. TAN CAN DO TWO, AND CAN ALSO DO THREE OR MORE UP TO FIVE.
MOST ELECTRICIANS WILL USE WHATEVER THEY FIND IN THEIR TOOLBAGS, THAT THEY CAN JAM ON, BUT MANY OF THEM ALSO END UP WITH LOOSE NEUTRALS AND LIGHTS WON'T COME ON, IN THE FINISHED PRODUCT, UNTIL SWITCHES ARE TAKEN APARTS AND NEUTRALS REDONE. CARE SHOULD ALWAYS BE TAKEN WITH NEUTRALS IN LIGHTING SYSTEMS, BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF FAILURE OF LIGHTS TO OPERATE, AND USUALLY THEY ARE HIGH, AND REQUIRE LADDERS TO BE PUT UP ON FINISHED FLOORS TO TROUBLESHOOT, WHICH IS NOT A GOOD PRACTICE.
IN YOUR SWITCH YOU NOW HAVE THE GROUNDS DONE, AND THE NEUTRALS. FOLD BACK NEATLY.
STRIP AND WIRE NUT THE REMAINING BLACK WIRES, NO PIGTAIL. FOLD BACK NEATLY.
AT THIS POINT YOU HAVE A BLACK, A WHITE AND A RED, FOLDED BACK OVER THE TOP OF THE BOX. THERE ARE THREE SCREWS OF ATTACHMENT ON THE SIDES OF THE SWITCH. AND ONE GREEN, WHICH IS THE GROUND. I ALWAYS WRAP THE GROUND FIRST, TWEAK WITH NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS AND TIGHTEN SNUGLY WITH A SCREWDRIVER. IF YOU ARE A GUY AND TWIST THE SCREWDRIVER TOO HARD, IT WILL WARP THE SWITCH FRAME AND WON'T LOOK RIGHT AS A FINISHED PRODUCT.
OF THE THREE SCREWS, ONE WILL BE BLACK AND TWO WILL BE BRASS. THE BLACK WIRE GOES TO THE BLACK SCREW. THIS IS THE COMMON. THE TWO RUNNERS, THE RED AND WHITE WIRES, ATTACH TO EITHER OF THE BRASS SCREWS, EITHER OR, WILL WORK.
PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIANS WILL FOR THE MOST PART, KEEP THEIR WIRES UNIFORM THROUGHOUT A HOUSE SO THE WHITE WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE SAME POSITION SCREW, AND RED WILL BE ON THE OTHER. YOUR WORK WILL LOOK MORE PROFESSIONAL IF YOU DO THIS.
IN THE DEAD END SIDE OF THE THREE WAY, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS ATTACH THE BARE WIRE TO THE GROUND SCREW AND FOLLOW THE SAME PROCEDURE USED IN THE OTHER SWITCH. BLACK WIRE TO BLACK SCREW, AND THE RUNNERS TO EITHER OF THE BRASS SCREWS.
YOU NOW ARE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING MOST PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIANS MESS UP, 80% OF THE TIME IN COMMERICAL INSTALLATION AND ABOUT 50% OF THE TIME IN RESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION.
AT THIS POINT YOU MAY ASK, WHAT IF I CANNOT DEAD END??? THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE, OR TOO EXPENSIVE. IF YOU HAVE THE SWITCH LEG IN ONE BOX AND POWER IN THE OTHER, THE MAIN TWO THINGS TO REMEMBER IS THAT THE SWITCH DOES NOT NEED A NEUTRAL, ONLY THE LIGHT, AND, TO KEEP YOUR SWITCH LEG SEPERATED FROM POWER.
IF YOU NEED THREE OR MORE LOCATIONS TO SWITCH ON OR OFF THE SAME LIGHT, OR STRING OF LIGHTS, OR MOTOR, OR WHATEVER, THIS CAN ALSO BE DONE BY INSERTING FOURWAYS, BETWEEN THE TWO THREEWAYS, AND AS MANY AS YOU WANT CAN BE PUT BETWEEN THE THREEWAYS. MORE ABOUT THAT, IN THE NEXT BLOG.
THIS IS QUICK, AND EASY. LET US ASSUME YOU HAVE RUN 12/3 ROMEX FROM ONE SWITCH BOX TO THE OTHER, AFTER NEATLY AND SMOOTHLY STAPLING OFF THE WIRE ALONG THE FRAMING OF THE HOUSE. YOU HAVE LEFT ABOUT A FOOT OF EXTRA WIRE HANGING OUT OF THE FACE OF EACH BOX. BOTH BOXES ARE SINGLE GANG, MEANING ROOM FOR ONLY ONE DEVICE (SWITCH).
EITHER OF THESE CAN BE YOUR DEAD END, AND I DON'T MEAN YOUR ASS. (CONSTRUCTION HUMOR, SCUSI)
IN THE BOX YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO BE YOUR DEAD END, AFTER STRIPING THE OUTER LAYER OF THE INSULATION, YOU WILL HAVE A BLACK, A RED AND A WHITE WIRE, WITH A BARE COPPER.
IN THE OTHER BOX, RUN 12/2, FROM POWER SOURCE, AND ANOTHER 12/2 FROM YOUR FIXTURE WHICH IS CALLED A SWITCH LEG. THIS WILL BE THE BOX WHERE ALL MAKE-UP IS DONE, SO THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF MIXING UP POWER AND SWITCH LEG, AND NEUTRALS WITH RUNNERS.
RUNNERS ARE THE TWO WIRES YOU ARE GOING TO USE BETWEEN THREE WAY SWITCHES, THE OTHER IS WHAT I LIKE TO CALL THE COMMON, OR HOT.
PAY ATTENTION PLEASE. STRIP THE ROMEX SHEATHING OFF THE SWITCH LEG WIRE, AND FOLD THE BLACK ONE UP AND BACK OUT OF THE WAY FOR NOW. LET THE NEUTRAL (WHITE) AND GROUND HANG DOWN. THEN STRIP THE ROMEX FROM THE POWER SOURCE AND LET ALL THOSE HANG DOWN WITH THE OTHERS. THE ROMEX THAT IS LEFT UNSTRIPPED AT THIS POINT IS THE 12/3 FROM THE OTHER SWITCH BOX. STRIP THAT LAST AND PULL THE RED AND WHITE WIRES UP AND BACK OUT OF THE WAY WITH THE SWITCH LEG. GATHER ALL THE GROUNDS, (BARE COPPER) AND PIGTAIL THOSE TOGETHER. YOU NEED A PIGTAIL ON THE GROUND BECAUSE IF YOU DO NOT GROUND TO THE GREEN SCREW ON THE SWITCH, LIGHTNING WILL SPARK YOUR CIRCUIT AND THE SWITCH CAN SHOCK YOU WHEN YOU TOUCH IT. IF YOUR HOUSE BURNS DOWN, YOUR INSURANCE WILL NOT PAY IF SWITCHES ARE FOUND TO BE UNGROUNDED.
MANY PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIANS WILL NOT GROUND SWITCHES. IF YOU ARE HAVING WORK DONE, YOU MUST LET THEM KNOW YOU WANT ALL SWITCHES GROUNDED. THE REASON THEY WILL NOT, IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO FEAR OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, NOR OF HOUSE FIRES. IT ALSO SAVES TIME IF YOU SKIP IT, WHICH IN TURN SAVES MONEY, HOWEVER, IT IS NOT GOOD PRACTICE.
SWITCHES DO NOT NEED A NEUTRAL, BUT THE LIGHT DOES. SO, THE NEUTRAL FROM POWER SOURCE, (WHITE WIRE) AND THE NEUTRAL FROM THE LIGHT (SWITCH LEG) (WHITE WIRE) MUST BE CUT TO SIX INCHES STRIPPED ABOUT 3/8 INCHES FROM THE END, EXPOSING BARE COPPER, AND WIRENUTTED TOGETHER WITHOUT A PIGTAIL.
A GOOD SIZE WIRENUT FOR HOUSING PURPOSES IS CALLED TAN. THERE ARE ALSO YELLOW, FOR TWO WIRES, AND RED, FOR THREE OR MORE. TAN CAN DO TWO, AND CAN ALSO DO THREE OR MORE UP TO FIVE.
MOST ELECTRICIANS WILL USE WHATEVER THEY FIND IN THEIR TOOLBAGS, THAT THEY CAN JAM ON, BUT MANY OF THEM ALSO END UP WITH LOOSE NEUTRALS AND LIGHTS WON'T COME ON, IN THE FINISHED PRODUCT, UNTIL SWITCHES ARE TAKEN APARTS AND NEUTRALS REDONE. CARE SHOULD ALWAYS BE TAKEN WITH NEUTRALS IN LIGHTING SYSTEMS, BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF FAILURE OF LIGHTS TO OPERATE, AND USUALLY THEY ARE HIGH, AND REQUIRE LADDERS TO BE PUT UP ON FINISHED FLOORS TO TROUBLESHOOT, WHICH IS NOT A GOOD PRACTICE.
IN YOUR SWITCH YOU NOW HAVE THE GROUNDS DONE, AND THE NEUTRALS. FOLD BACK NEATLY.
STRIP AND WIRE NUT THE REMAINING BLACK WIRES, NO PIGTAIL. FOLD BACK NEATLY.
AT THIS POINT YOU HAVE A BLACK, A WHITE AND A RED, FOLDED BACK OVER THE TOP OF THE BOX. THERE ARE THREE SCREWS OF ATTACHMENT ON THE SIDES OF THE SWITCH. AND ONE GREEN, WHICH IS THE GROUND. I ALWAYS WRAP THE GROUND FIRST, TWEAK WITH NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS AND TIGHTEN SNUGLY WITH A SCREWDRIVER. IF YOU ARE A GUY AND TWIST THE SCREWDRIVER TOO HARD, IT WILL WARP THE SWITCH FRAME AND WON'T LOOK RIGHT AS A FINISHED PRODUCT.
OF THE THREE SCREWS, ONE WILL BE BLACK AND TWO WILL BE BRASS. THE BLACK WIRE GOES TO THE BLACK SCREW. THIS IS THE COMMON. THE TWO RUNNERS, THE RED AND WHITE WIRES, ATTACH TO EITHER OF THE BRASS SCREWS, EITHER OR, WILL WORK.
PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIANS WILL FOR THE MOST PART, KEEP THEIR WIRES UNIFORM THROUGHOUT A HOUSE SO THE WHITE WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE SAME POSITION SCREW, AND RED WILL BE ON THE OTHER. YOUR WORK WILL LOOK MORE PROFESSIONAL IF YOU DO THIS.
IN THE DEAD END SIDE OF THE THREE WAY, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS ATTACH THE BARE WIRE TO THE GROUND SCREW AND FOLLOW THE SAME PROCEDURE USED IN THE OTHER SWITCH. BLACK WIRE TO BLACK SCREW, AND THE RUNNERS TO EITHER OF THE BRASS SCREWS.
YOU NOW ARE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING MOST PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIANS MESS UP, 80% OF THE TIME IN COMMERICAL INSTALLATION AND ABOUT 50% OF THE TIME IN RESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION.
AT THIS POINT YOU MAY ASK, WHAT IF I CANNOT DEAD END??? THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE, OR TOO EXPENSIVE. IF YOU HAVE THE SWITCH LEG IN ONE BOX AND POWER IN THE OTHER, THE MAIN TWO THINGS TO REMEMBER IS THAT THE SWITCH DOES NOT NEED A NEUTRAL, ONLY THE LIGHT, AND, TO KEEP YOUR SWITCH LEG SEPERATED FROM POWER.
IF YOU NEED THREE OR MORE LOCATIONS TO SWITCH ON OR OFF THE SAME LIGHT, OR STRING OF LIGHTS, OR MOTOR, OR WHATEVER, THIS CAN ALSO BE DONE BY INSERTING FOURWAYS, BETWEEN THE TWO THREEWAYS, AND AS MANY AS YOU WANT CAN BE PUT BETWEEN THE THREEWAYS. MORE ABOUT THAT, IN THE NEXT BLOG.
posted by electricfemme @ 10:25 PM
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