Two Three way switches in a single box

15 years ago

Ok, I know there is a current thread going that is somewhat like this but not exactly. Sorry to drive you pro's crazy.

I am trying to run 2 3-way stitches and a ceiling fan from a triple gang box. I have brought hot up from the basement into the bottom of the box and so am powering the circuit from one of the switches, not the fixture.

I followed a wiring diagram I found on the "net so I have hot and black to the same side of the first switch and red to the other side. At the remote switch I have red at the single screw and black and white (with black tape on it) on the other two screws.

At the ceiling fixture, I have red to red, white from the hot side to white of the fixture and black from the hot switch to the black/white of the remote switch. All works as planned. So what's the question right?

Well I also prewired the 2nd 3-way in the first box. Using a second run of 3-12 I ran red to the single screw, black from the 3-12 to the other side of the switch and pigtailed the common hot (black) to the second screw. There is nothing else hooked up to the switch, I just wanted to get it all wired and tucked into the box, the wire is stapled to some beams and taped off. When I flip this other prewired switch, my breaker pops.

I suspect it's something with how I either handled the common hot or neutral. Because I am trying to power three switches in the same box, I connected 3 black pigtails to the hot black and I pigtailed the neutral white to the whites from the various circuits? This is what I would have done with two single pole switches in a single box, ran pigtails from the hot to each switch. Something though is wrong it seems doing that with 2 3-ways.

Can anyone advise?

Thanks!!!

Tom

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Comments (7)

tmy23
Original Author
15 years ago
Greetings,

It's TMY23 again. I sat down and drew out all my connections. Everything on the hot side seems right. There is nothing on the (neutral) white side that interconnects. BUT I have all the grounds connected. By that I mean all the grounds on the 12-3's are pigtailed to the ground on the hot coming in, PLUS to the grounds on the switches. That has to be a problem somewhere. So, my question is assuming I am right on this, how do I connect the grounds. Or am I on the wrong track?
thanks
jmvd20
15 years ago
The different colored screw on your second switch is where the "hot" conductor needs to be connected, not the red traveler.

Also when you say nothing else is connected from that switch I must ask are you sure that a ground is not touching one of the terminals after you stuffed the wires into the box? Also if nothing else is connected do you have a wire from that switch touching in the fixture box or the other switch box? Sounds to me like you have a dead short somewhere, most likely a ground wire touching a current carrying conductor.

Connecting all of the grounds together would not cause this problem at all and connecting them all together is the proper way to do it.
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joed
15 years ago
I need to know how the cables are run.
You have power into the switch box. Then what? A 12/3 to the other switch or the fixture.
The position of the screws it not correct. You go by the where the COMMON connection is. It is in different positions on different brands of switches.
tmy23
Original Author
15 years ago
Joed,

I am working on remodeling my kitchen. I have common coming into the bottom of the 3 gang box at one doorway, which will eventually control a ceiliing fan (only from that location) a ceiling light (controled from two locations) and also some recessed lights( again controlled from two locations. So there will be two circuits that can be controlled at the two doorways coming into our kitchen. SO..I have a 3 gang box into which the common comes and a two gang box on the other side of the room.

I have not yet installed the recessed lights, and at this stage am trying to simply get our existing ceiling light to work with the new wiring.

At the the 3 gang box I have common (black) with 3 pigtails. One is taped off for the eventual ceiling fan. The other two I connected to the BLACK screw on the 2 3-way switches. On switches, the black screw and a brass screw are on one side and a brass screw on the other. ON both of the switches I connected common to the black screw, the black wire from the 12-3 to the brass screw on the same side as the black screw and the red wire to the sole brass screw on the other side. I connected the three white wires from the 2 12-3 lines and the single 12-2 line (ceiling fan) to the white wire from the common feed. And then I have this ugly series of pigtails which I need to re-do, that connects the ground from the common wire to the grounds from the 12-3s and 12-2 and also the ground lugs on the switches.

Although I pulled all the wire, I did not connect anything else except a single 3 way switch at the other side of the room (in the 2 gang box). At that box I wired red to the single screw, black to the black screw and white to the other screw on the same side as the black, and I wrapped the white wire with black tape.

In the middle at the ceiling fixture I wired white from the common (3 gang box) to white of the fixture. Black from the other side (the two gang box) to the black from the fixture and I connected the black/white wire from the 2 gang to the black from the 3 gang. This circuit works fine, able to turn on and off from the either side of the room. What I noticed though is that when I flip the second 3 way switch in the 3 gang box which is currently only connected to the pigtailed common, and a black and red from a 12-3 that is taped off and not connected to anything, my breaker pops. I forgot to mention that this 2nd 12-3 is also connected to the pigtailed whites and the rats nest of grounds all connected.

Thanks for the help
Tom
abnorm
15 years ago
You need help....

""I forgot to mention that this 2nd 12-3 is also connected to the pigtailed whites""

The second 12-3 is a switch leg with all conductors are HOT wires.......NO neutrals.....the "white" is a remarked black

Here's a link to three-way switching.....check out the second example....Look familiar?......work from there......

Here is a link that might be useful: MatthewsOnThreeWaySwitching
joed
15 years ago
Don't care which side the screws are on. Only the black common screw is important. The other two are travelers and can be interchanged.
tmy23
Original Author
15 years ago
SOLVED...THANKS to all for their help. It had nothing to do with the switch wiring. It was a short as someone suggested above. Today I tore it all apart and carefully and neatly rewired it all and still the breaker popped. Tracking down the 12-3's that I pulled but didn't wire at the other end, and on one I found the black touching ground. Separated and taped them and voila. again, thanks to all.

Two Three way switches in a single box

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tmy23
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Two Three way switches in a single box

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tmy23Original Author

jmvd20

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joed

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