3 Way Switch Wiring

Mike teaches you how to wire a 3 way switch.

3 way switch wiring. When wiring a 3 way switch circuit we will be using a 3 wire cable known as romex coming from the source such as the breaker box. To make sure there s no room for doubt you can use a. Turn the power off at circuit breaker. Then a 4 wire cable going between the two 3 way switches and then a 3 wire cable going from the switches to the load.

The black and red wires running between the switches connect the travelers together. A 3 wire nm connects the traveler terminals of the first and second 3 way switch together. From there use pliers to turn the wire into a j and carefully wrap it around the black screw on the light switch typically located at the bottom. It s a foolproof way for a proper.

Basic 3 way switch diagram how to wire 3 way light switch step by step. The black line wire connects to the common terminal of the first 3 way switch. When it comes to the 3 way switch wiring use a black wire in the top 2 wire conductor to attach the switch to the source. At the 3 way switch the white cable wire is marked black and connected to the common terminal.

This 3 way switch wiring diagram shows how to wire the switches and the light when the power is coming to the light switch. How to determine the correct wires to attach to a 3 way switch when the wire and screw terminal color code is not certain. The first step in any electrical project is to make sure there is no power going to the circuit you plan to be working on. In this diagram the incoming hot wire attaches to the first switch s common dark colored terminal.

At the other end the white wire is marked black again and spliced to the black wire running the hot terminal on the light. The 3 wire cable consist of a black wire a white wire and a bare copper wire while the 4 wire cable has an added red wire which is hot as well. With these diagrams below it will take the guess work out of wiring. The common terminal of the second 3 way switch connects to the light fixture s.

3 way switch wiring diagram. Traveler wires are interchangeable on each switch. Pick the diagram that is most like the scenario you are in and see if you can wire your switch. Get more details at.

This might seem intimidating but it does not have to be.