Hello, can anyone offer any advice on a three way switch? I am replacing a defective 3-way dimmer with a regular 3-way off/on switch. I put the hot wire on the black terminal and the two travelers on the opposite side on the brass terminals. The light comes on fine, but if I shut it off it trips the breaker and won't of course come on again. Does this sound like a bad switch, bad breaker, something else? Any help or suggestions would be most appreciated. thanks...Lance
3-way switch problem
- Thread starter lance8614
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wyliesdiesels
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Picture of 3-way dimmer?
Milton Shaw
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- Feb 11, 2011
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Its been several years since I ran into this, but some 3 way switches are wired travelers on one side and others are wired travelers at one end. You have to look at box to check which they are as it a mess to straighten then out when you run into a different one.
walta
Well-known member
Logic says if it never popped the breaker before you worked on it and now it does the only logical conclusion is that you did not connect the wire to the correct terminals of the new switch.
Reversing the travelers would not affect the circuit. That means you have the wrong wire on the common terminal of the switch.
The common screw on the new device should be darker than the travelers. Different manufactures will put the common terminal in different locations on the device so you can’t just move the wires over. What ever wire was on the common of the old device must find its way to the common of the new device.
I don’t suppose you took a photo before you disconnected the wires?
At this point you can’t make it any worse.
I say try each of the wires on the common terminal until it starts working.
Walta
Reversing the travelers would not affect the circuit. That means you have the wrong wire on the common terminal of the switch.
The common screw on the new device should be darker than the travelers. Different manufactures will put the common terminal in different locations on the device so you can’t just move the wires over. What ever wire was on the common of the old device must find its way to the common of the new device.
I don’t suppose you took a photo before you disconnected the wires?
At this point you can’t make it any worse.
I say try each of the wires on the common terminal until it starts working.
Walta
35Ford
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What happens if you try to reset the breaker with the switch in the "off" position?
walta
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There is no fixed off setting in a three way circuit. Off is dependent on the position of the other switch.
Walta
yatg
Well-known member
unless he has an FPE panel.
Codyboy
Well-known member
Yeah there's tons of ways to wire a 3 way.Sounds like you may have one side of the circuit shorting to neutral when you close switch. I'd check your wiring first. Should be something like this:
Maybe op has an incoming feed , hits a 3 way and hits the other 3 way and the light is at the end.
White neutral wire in the box could have gotten mixed up with a white common that should have been taped black . But who knows how much dismantling he did with a simple swap like for like.
Where are you op?
walta
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The OP said the breaker tripped logic says it is not FPE or the house would be ashes by now.unless he has an FPE panel.
Walta
Codyboy
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They will trip until they don't.
Hmm. Yeah, op hasn't been back since. Maybe it tripped that one last time and op played the odds. ?
35Ford
Well-known member
I realize there is no off position in a properly wired three way switch. I used the word "off" in quotes because that was the term the OP used.