Please help: 3 way light switch hanging a light fixture

15 years ago

We have 4 wires coming out of our ceiling: a ground wire, a black wire (hot), a white wire (neutral) + a red wire (also hot?)

We have a 3 way switch, but because my husband left out red wire (didn't connect it to anything) while hanging our chandelier, we can control it only with 1 switch.

I've tried to "google" this problem, but I couldn't find clear instructions on what to do with that red wire. Lowes suggested remembering how everything was connected before removing the old fixture, which is not very useful advice in our case as we never had any fixtures there.

Please tell us what we should do with the red wire. Thank you!

Comments (3)

normel
15 years ago
Are those the ONLY wires coming out of the ceiling? If so, then they have nothing to do with the 3way switching. Sounds more like it was setup for a ceiling fan/light combination... one switch controls the black wire (fan) and one switch controls the red wire (light).
azilove
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, these are the only wires we have coming out... so if our 3 way switch doesn't work properly, it has nothing to do with the red ceiling wire, which is not connected to anything at the moment? TY
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hanks Mike for posting. Thats the drawing that I am trying my darndest to get wired like. I am sure I have gotten this exact combination. Maybe what is a miss is my expectations? I am thinking that someone could turn the lights on/off from each entry AND that if one turns on from one switch that they can turn OFF from the other switch and then come back to the initial switch and turn lights on again?? This I cannot accomplish. Im sure they are both 3 way switches. I climbed up in attic this AM and I think the splice looked correct. 3 wires were bundled up. Its possible that it just looks as such, or that I looked at the wrong splice. So maybe the next step is to get two new wires(as the "travelers) and just go across the room directly bypassing the existing wires? Only one difference in your drawing is that my switches have an extra green screw for ground, but I have not yet connected the green ground wires yet - to just get the correct hook up first. Any thoughts yet? Thx- rvsunn
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Yes as ronnatalie stated there is an exception, when the power is brought to the light fixture,then the white of the(2) wire going to the switch is connected to the "hot" or black power wire.This wire(white) is used to bring the power to the switch, then the black(2) wire brings the power back to the light from the switch to turn it on......This 2 way switch connection is wired different from the 3 wire light connection as stated below. One example of a 3 way switch connection is: the black power wire bringing power to the switch is installed on the black screw of # (1) 3 way switch, and the white,neutral in this case is connected to white wire of the 3 wire,( blk,red and white), going from #(1) switch to #(2) switch,and connects to the white 2 wire coming from the light.The black wire also coming from the light connects to the "black" screw on #(2) switch. The remaining red and black wires, "travelers", from the 3 wire connect to the other 2 screws in the same position on both switches, e.g,black on the top and red on the bottom of both switches. This is the sequence if the power and light fixture wires are at different switches. If they are in the same switch area, there is another sequence. Hope this helps
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Oh good lord, I got a headache just reading this!! From your description, power comes into Box-2 (for switch 2). The neutrals are bundled together, because they go straight to the fixture and are NOT switched. The switches are only for the hot wire. Likewise, the bare wires are just ground, they ground the junction box. One line is HOT (power) from the panel. Switch 2 is supposed to connect this hot to one of two Traveler lines, Trav-1 or Trav-2. Switch-1 (in Box-1) is at the end of the line. It connects Trav-1 or Trav-2 to the line that goes to the fixture, thus completing the circuit. I am guessing you just mis-wired Switch-1 (from your description). But you need to identify all the wires and exactly how your switch works. Make sure you have the correct HOT wire (120 V-AC with your multimeter between it and ground). I am guessing the RED and Black wires are your travelers. Remove Switch 1 and just use Switch 2 and get the proper 120v on the two traveler wires as you flip the switch (first one then the other). The remaining wire (I am guessing white here) is what goes to your fixture. If thst is the case, put some black tape around the white wire to designate it as hot, not neutral. Oooh, my head.
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NEC 200.7(C) Circuits of 50 Volts or More. The use of insulation that is white or gray or that has three continuous white stripes for other than a grounded conductor for circuits of 50 volts or more shall be permitted only as in (1) through (3). (2) Where a cable assembly contains an insulated conductor for single-pole, 3-way or 4-way switch loops and the conductor with white or gray insulation or a marking of three continuous white stripes is used for the supply to the switch but not as a return conductor from the switch to the switched outlet. In these applications, the conductor with white or gray insulation or with three continuous white stripes SHALL BE PERMANENTLY REIDENTIFIED to indicate its use by painting or other effective means at its terminations and at each location where the conductor is visible and accessible. . http://freenec.com/T21.html
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terribletom
15 years ago
When you say that there are those "4 wires coming out of [the] ceiling", are those just the ones that presently "come out", or are they also the only wires in the box? (That is, have you peeked inside the box to see if there are any other wires that aren't "coming out of [your] ceiling"?) If there are other wires in the box, that would be useful to know.

My initial take was the same as Normel's--that the outlet was wired to control two things, such as a fan and a light.

I still think Normel's "analysis" makes sense, but I'm perplexed that there are apparently two three-way switches (purportedly) involved at different room locations. Am I correct in this interpretation? Did a pair of switches control a light there before you went to swap fixtures?

It's possible--though not terribly likely--that a pair of three-way switches used to control a light while only one switch controlled the other function (e.g., fan). If that were the case, and the black wire was the old "fan wire", then wiring the chandelier to the red wire rather than the black might work. (BTW, you need to cap off the unused wire with a wire nut, whichever wire ends up being unused!)

What happens when the red is swapped for the black?

Can you look at the switch that currently "works" and tell us how it is wired? Not counting any bare ground wire, does it connect with three wires or only two? Colors?

Any "history" might help.

Please help: 3 way light switch hanging a light fixture

Comments (3)

normel

azilove
Original Author

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Please help: 3 way light switch hanging a light fixture

Comments (3)

normel

aziloveOriginal Author

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azilove
Original Author