Touch the other probe to the colored wires one by one. How to troubleshoot an improperly wired 3 way switch step 1.
3 Way Switch Wiring Diagram
3 way switch wiring troubleshooting. 3 way switch troubleshooting the two travelers are in the same cable with each other. There are many ways that a three way switch can be wired but usually power or the light fixture connect to the load. Troubleshooting three way switches will involve determining whether the switch is bad or not. Grounding the 3way switches the ground wires are all bonded together and one of the ground wires is attached to the ground screw found on each 3 way switch frame. Test a 3 way switch turn off power to the switches at the circuit breaker and using a tester make sure power is off. Common problems with 3way switches and how to fix them.
The only wire in a multiple switch system that is hot all the time when all the switches of. In this case the traveler wire and load wire were swapped and. Hold one of the probes on a known ground such as a metal outlet box or a bare ground wire. Youll also need to locate the ground wire and connect it to the switch too. Installing a 3 way switch. Set your multimeter to at least 110 volts.
Any pair of switch screws or dimmers wires that are the same color as each other are for a traveler pair. In this step you will be turning the power back on do not touch any of the wires previously removed with. After completing three way switch wiring it sometimes happens that the connection fails. There should be continuity between the. How three way switches work a three way switch will always have power at two poles. The wire that registers voltage is the hot wire and the common wire for this box.
Scott first gives an explanation of the three way switch two switches that control one light fixture. You can use a voltage tester to find out. Using a continuity tester check continuity between the common black terminal and each of the traveler terminals. When wiring a 3 way light switch youll need to find the common wire and connect it to the. If this is the case you will have to do some troubleshooting of the wiring in order to determine where the problem lies. At the first 3 way switch the black wire that leads up to the light fixture is connected to the black wire of the 3 wire cable.
You may have turned the circuit back on and made sure the bulb was new but for whatever reason there is a break in the circuit. Its not as simple as you think finding the common wire. Remove the two 3 way. Turn off the power at the circuit breaker remove the 3 wires from each of the switches and make sure that none.
Gallery of 3 Way Switch Wiring Troubleshooting
