Despite reading quite a bit about 3-way switches, I still find them highly confusing. So I thought i’d ask for some help from someone who is smarter then I :)… I’m struggling to figure out how to connect this thing…
I have 4 exterior lights that are somehow hooked up to two 3-way switches. I’ve drawn a diagram as to what i see when I open up the gang boxes.
On switch #1, when the lights are off I get power on black #1 and black #2, but NOT on red. If I turn the switch and lights on, I then also get power on red.
On switch #2, when the lights are off I get power only on black. When i turn the switch on (switch #1 off), I get power on red, black, and white.
Switch #1 in the diagram has more wires coming into the gang box then Switch #2… Switch #2 has only the 4…
The four wires coming to switch #1 seem to come from two different wires (holes?) in the gangbox. Red and Black #1 come from what seems like one hole, while Black #2 does not. I’m not sure if that’s helpful.
I can’t tell whats going on here and appreciate any help in how to connect the switch to one or the other. I’d prefer to put the Aeotec in switch #2’s gangbox simply because there is more room in there if that’s an option.
Thanks very much!
There’s not enough information here for me to determine how your wiring is configured. You need to fine where the Line cable is coming in and where the Load is.
I can provide a wiring diagram for this microswitch, based on a possibly incorrect assumption of how your circuit is wired. But shoehorning it into your wiring is another matter. See attached
I’d recommend that you have an electrician, or someone much more familiar with household wiring than yourself, install it for you. It is not going to be a drop in installation.
Thanks for replying. I was thinking that black #2 on switch 1 was the line simply because the wire comes from a different hole in the gangbox then the red/black1 and because it always has power regardless of what state the two switches are in.
You can’t make that assumption. You should never assume a wire’s function.
Not that it is an accurate representation of your wiring, but if you look at my diagram you will see that the Line comes in at the fixture. There are numerous scenarios and one needs to properly understand the function of all the wires in the circuit. If you don;t know how to do that, I strongly recommend you get someone with more experience to do it for you and show you how.
[quote=“Z-Waver, post:4, topic:188234”]You can’t make that assumption. You should never assume a wire’s function.
Not that it is an accurate representation of your wiring, but if you look at my diagram you will see that the Line comes in at the fixture. There are numerous scenarios and one needs to properly understand the function of all the wires in the circuit. If you don;t know how to do that, I strongly recommend you get someone with more experience to do it for you and show you how.[/quote]
Z-waver might be a bit tough but electrical is not something to play around and guess with. Last thing he want’s is you getting hurt, the house burning down or even blowing your switch. To many times people ask for help but are really unable to provide all the details needed to really give you with the information you need. In this case a wiring diagram. We are not sure how capable you are, but the wire functions need to be determined 100% before we know where to attach or re wire them to.
A meter, and wire isolation would help with this. If you test without isolation you won’t get the whole picture. Also actual photos and pictures or the wires, switches and boxes can do more good for all of us in future.
thanks I will… the electrician who did the home’s wiring is going to be on site in a few weeks so i’ll have him install it and ask questions then.
how do electricians typically figure this stuff out when they aren’t the ones who did the wiring? Do they end up using a tool like a multimeter or similar and open up the lights to see what wire runs to what? because it seems like from your response that at the gangbox alone one can’t?
[quote=“gwichman, post:6, topic:188234”]thanks I will… the electrician who did the home’s wiring is going to be on site in a few weeks so i’ll have him install it and ask questions then.
how do electricians typically figure this stuff out when they aren’t the ones who did the wiring? Do they end up using a tool like a multimeter or similar and open up the lights to see what wire runs to what? because it seems like from your response that at the gangbox alone one can’t?[/quote]
Multimeter and wire isolation combined with experience is the best way to test.
thanks again for the help and insight!
[quote=“integlikewhoa, post:5, topic:188234”]Z-waver might be a bit tough but electrical is not something to play around and guess with.[/quote]Certainly no offense was intended. I’ll try to soften things up a little bit. Perhaps I can channel Janice from the muppets. 
[quote=“gwichman, post:6, topic:188234”]how do electricians typically figure this stuff out when they aren’t the ones who did the wiring?[/quote]They start with schooling and an understanding of electricity, especially AC electricity. Then they do an apprenticeship, testing, and finally licensing. By then they should understand the different ways a circuit might be wired and they know what to look for. For instance, you didn’t indicate any white wires in switch2, but I know that there are at least two and possibly three of them in that box and that they are an important part of this circuit.
Knowing all that, a few quick checks with a meter or non-contact voltage detector will confirm their suspicions as to how the circuit is wired and they can quickly connect up the new switch. But, even then, every now and then they see something non-standard or something that a non-electrician rigged up and it will baffle them for a bit, mostly because it doesn’t fit their assumptions and they have to take it apart and test everything.