#Black 3 way switch trial
#Black 3 way switch series

Or power can enter at the fixture and then two switches can be arranged in parallel from the light.

#Black 3 way switch series

For example, the power from the fuse box could come in at the light fixture and there could be two switches in series running from there. There are several other ways to wire three-way switches to a light. It is actually a very simple arrangement once you see it all exposed like this! And if you flip either switch again, the light will turn off. You can also see that if you flip either switch, the light will turn on. You can see (if you trace through the wires and the switches) that in the previous figure, the light is off. If the switch is down, then terminals 2 and 3 are connected. Normal sheathed cable runs from the right switch to the light.Īssume that, with the switch up, terminals 1 and 3 are connected as shown above. Three-way wire(which includes red, black and white wires) runs from the switch on the left to the switch on the right, with the white wire carrying ground and the red and black wires carrying the output from terminals in the left switch. The black 'hot' wire enters the switch on the left. In this diagram, a normal piece of wire comes from the fuse panel to the first three-way switch. Be sure to cap the unused wires.You use two three-way switches to control the light, and wire it up as shown below: you can then swap the traveler wires in the second box and you should be fine. If you pick the wrong one for the second switch, it simply will not work.

#Black 3 way switch trial

If not a simple trial and error approach will work. Sometimes the wires have a marking, such as a stripe to help distinguish. If your two travelers are both red, you need to figure out which one is the connected one and which one is the unused one. The second, unused traveler is also capped. In the second box that holds the cable to the fixture, the active traveler from the first box is connected to the black to the second switch, and the red from the second switch is connected to the fixture. The other traveler (red in the illustration) is not used so it is capped. You can see that at the switch where the hot line comes in, the line hot, switch hot, and one of the traveler line (in this illustration black) are all connected. The following is a picture of the 3-way setup. The wiring directions for a 3-way connection can be found here, at the Insteon site. They communicate the change of state (on or off) wirelessly between the switches, and the hub if it uses one. However, these types of switches do not need two travelers, just a single connecting wire. If you want to control a fixture from two locations with an Insteon type switch, you need 3-way setup. This is always connected to the neutral line of the circuit (other white wires) and not to a hot or a switched hot wire. When you want a smart switch, the 3-ways often need to add a neutral (white). A flick of either switch can make or break the connection. When the switches are on different travelers, the light is off. When both switches are on the same traveler, the light is on. This setup allows either switch to change the state of the fixture by changing which traveler is connected. The two travelers are connected to the traveler terminals on the opposite switch. The common on the other switch is connected to the fixture or outlet being controlled. The common wire on one of the 3-ways is connected to the incoming hot line. The two travelers may be the same color or different colors, but the switch itself will usually be marked. A basic 3-way switch has a black wire or connector, called a common, and two traveler wires, usually black, red or blue. When a light is controlled from two locations, you need a switch called a 3-way. The ground wires should be present and connected on all modern switch connections. Smart switches, like the Insteon, often also require a neutral (white) wire. Basic switches do not need a neutral wire (white), so the neutral in a switch box is sometimes capped. Simple switches use a black (hot) and another wire, usually black, red or blue (switched hot) to make and break the circuit. That is, they make (on) or break off) a single connection from one location. It sounds as if most of the switches you have been replacing are single pole switches.