Code Gurus

[Tscott]

I picked up a ton of electrical supplies last night and will soon be running the wiring for the shop. I am going to be installing my lights using 3-way switches. I did not pick up any red wire at the store, just black, white and green. Instead of running a red wire between the switches, can I just double up on the white and mark the ends of one of them red? I know you mark the end black if the neutral is considered a hot leg, but will red work too. In Florida, I believe we follow the latest version of the NEC.

Tom

 

[Piper]

In Canada where we follow very similar code to NEC, this wouldn't be allowed. The code states that the wire must be within the same jacket. I think 14/3 is in your future. The reason for this, which I find sensible, is that at some future point when you're looking at for example mid way thru the wire run you could become confused as to what the wire actually leads to. Code also protects future owners of buildings.

fwiw, my 2 cents.

P

 

[Tscott]

All of this will be in 1/2" EMT conduit. I forgot to mention that.

 

[malibu101]

Personally I'd double up the blacks for travellers on the 3-way switch circuit instead of the whites.
You can certainly use black for the common on the 3-way circuit also. Just mark it. The travellers do are not polarity sensitive. Obviously the comon (black screw) is.

 

[Tscott]

Personally I'd double up the blacks for travellers on the 3-way switch circuit instead of the whites.
You can certainly use black for the common on the 3-way circuit also. Just mark it. The travellers do are not polarity sensitive. Obviously the comon (black screw) is.

Yep, that is what I was thinking. Either black or white, as long as it is marked to differentiate it from the other of the same color.

Tom

 

[Piper]

i don't think you'll have a problem if it's in conduit.

p

 

[mrb]

you cannot reidentify white as a hot when running wires through conduit. You can only reidentify the white in cable (romex). Just run two blacks and use tape other than white to identify them. Only use your white for neutral.

 

[Tscott]

you cannot reidentify white as a hot when running wires through conduit. You can only reidentify the white in cable (romex). Just run two blacks and use tape other than white to identify them. Only use your white for neutral.

Ok. So this would mean that if the feed goes straight from the panel to the light then branches off to the 3 way switches, that the only white wire (i.e. Neutral) would be from the panel to the light, then neutral would go to one switch and the hot to the other as shown in the link below? Link Below shows arrangement with cable not individual wires.

 

[mrb]

No. neutral doesnt go to the switch. neutral goes to the light. There are a couple different ways you can physically run it depending on how your conduit is ran.

Tell me how you are running the conduit (ex: panel to first switch, from first switch to light, from light to second switch) and ill tell you how to wire it.

 

[Tscott]

The light is the actual closest point to the panel, so I planned to run conduit to the light, then branch off to the 2 switches. Just like the picture I posted in my last post. So the ceiling box will be the first stop and will be between the 2 switches.

Tom

 

[malibu101]

You can feed the light and run from the light box to each switch like you said if you wish
or depending on how and why you want or need to run the conduit
you can go from the light to a switch and from that swittch right to the other switch.
To inform- it's not neccesary to run from the light (assuming you feed the light as you said) to each switch if you don't have to/want to.

 

[Tscott]

You can feed the light and run from the light box to each switch like you said if you wish
or depending on how and why you want or need to run the conduit
you can go from the light to a switch and from that swittch right to the other switch.
To inform- it's not neccesary to run from the light (assuming you feed the light as you said) to each switch if you don't have to/want to.

Thanks for the replies.

I need to feed to the light and then from the light to each switch to limit the number of conduits going into and out of my 3 gang switch boxes (Each light circuit gets a switch) . If done any other way my 3 circuits of lights would require one of the switch boxes to have 3 - 1/2" emt feeds in and 3 1/2" feeds out. This would make routing conduits too and from the box very tough. If I take it to the light first then "T" off to each 3 gang switch box, then I will only have 3 1/2" emt going into each switch box.

I Cannot run more than 1 circuit in a 1/2" emt because I am installing electrical in stages so I can get my permit sooner.

Hope that makes sense.

Tom

 

[mrb]

The light is the actual closest point to the panel, so I planned to run conduit to the light, then branch off to the 2 switches. Just like the picture I posted in my last post. So the ceiling box will be the first stop and will be between the 2 switches.

Tom

Ok, (I am leaving grounding out for clarity) from the panel you run hot and neutral to the box for the light. The neutral gets connected to the light.

From the light to switch A you run 3 black wires. One is spliced to the hot you ran to the light -this wire goes on the odd color screw on the switch. The other two are your travellers (identify both of these wires, doesnt matter which is which) -these go on the two same colored screws on the switch.

From the light to switch B, you also run 3 black wires. One is connected to the light -this wire goes on the odd color screw on the switch. The other two are your travellers (identify both of these wires, doesnt matter which is which) -these go on the two same colored screws on the switch and get spliced to the two travellers from switch A.

 

[Fast Orange]

mrb-great way to put it in words-except that I would run the travelers continuously from light switch,through fixture and down to other switch

 

[mrb]

mrb-great way to put it in words-except that I would run the travelers continuously from light switch,through fixture and down to other switch

I would too (and by pulling from three spools), but I was trying to simplify it.