![]() Ground wire: The ground wire is a bare copper wire or a green wire, and its purpose is to provide a measure of safety.In all electrical circuits, power must return to the energy source, and this is the job of a neutral wire. White wire: This is the neutral wire, and its purpose is to complete the electrical circuit.It’s also called the “common wire” or the “line wire.” Unless the breaker is off, this black wire is always hot. Black wire: This is a hot wire that carries electricity from the power source to the first switch in a typical 3-way setup.The following electrical wire colors are standard, but different wire brands can use different colored wires. The cable runs from the power source to the first switch box in the typical 3-way setup described here, but other wiring configurations also are possible (see below). It also contains a third, bare copper wire. Black common wire Wire CablesĪ 14/2 NM Cable contains two conductor wires: one black and one white. Here’s the 411 on the parts you’ll encounter when wiring a 3-way switch.ġ. When you pop off your light switch plate and peek inside-or examine a diagram of how 3-way switches work-you may wonder about the different colored wires, what the colors mean, what they’re supposed to connect to, and what to touch (and not touch). Houses built since the mid-1960s likely contain non-metallic sheathed cable (NM), commonly called Romex, after a popular brand of wire. Some homes may have 12-gauge wire rather than 14-gauge wire, which just means the wire is rated to carry more amps. Without a 14/3 wire, it wouldn’t be possible to have both switches control the light. The number of conductor wires in the different cables are important, because an extra wire is required in one section of the 3-way switch setup. The 14 stands for the gauge of wire (rated for 15-amp circuits) and the following number, 2 or 3, represents the number of conductor wires in the cable. ![]() Two different types of wire cables are used in wiring a standard 3-way switch, most often 14/2 cable and 14/3 cable. Types of Wire Cable Used in 3-Pole Switches In essence, a 3-way switch is a toggle switch. However, they are not labeled “OFF” or “ON,” because they either allow or stop the electrical current based on the other switch position in the setup. Individual 3-way switches resemble single-pole switches. A 3-way switch setup will even work with a dimmer switch, as long as the dimmer switch is designed for 3-way wiring. That’s just one instance in which 3-way switches (also known as 3-pole switches) are handy: These switches allow users to turn on a centrally located light from different sides of a room, or from the upper and lower ends of a stairway. It’s no fun to come home late at night and stumble to the other side of a dark room looking for the light switch. RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: The Best Voltage Testers What is 3-way switch wiring? Before you do anything else, always turn off the electricity at the breaker box, and use a voltage tester to test the wires in a switch box to make sure they’re not hot. Safety is always the top consideration when doing any wiring. If you’re not comfortable replacing a switch, call an electrician. If you’re contemplating such a replacement, you should have a working knowledge of switch wiring. Replacing a 3-way switch is a straightforward task, but it is more involved than replacing a single-pole switch. I much appreciate any help here thanks in advance.While installing new electrical wiring should almost always be done by a licensed electrician, DIYers can successfully replace old switches with new switches, if local codes allow. all the way to the first switch, bypassing all of the lights' terminals. I'm further assuming that the black wire from the power source just goes from black to black to black etc. So then at light #2, I'm assuming the light's black wire connects to the incoming red wire and the outgoing red wire, and same at light #3? Is that correct? I'm assuming that light #2 in the diagram is actually how my light #4 will be wired (i.e.), I connect light #4's black wire, incoming red wire, and outgoing white wire (taped black) together. I have 3-wire cable between the 4 cans, and between the 2 switches and 2-wire cable from can #4 to switch #1. just having a hard time visualizing the flow of electricity in each switch position. However, this diagram only has 2 lights and I'm not sure what the connection should look like to the 3rd and 4th lights. The wire runs have already been made, but I'm not confident about the connections so I'm referring to this wiring diagram: I'm installing 4 can lights on a 3 way switch. ![]() This feels like a dumb question and I should be able to logic my way to an answer but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it.
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