To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

OCD Problem/Question

R

Rickster55

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
1,132
Location
Syracuse, NY
I have a three-way switch at each end of a short hallway. Is there a way to wire them so that both switches are in the same position when off? I know you all must be thinking "this guy is f#$^ed up and you're right - to some degree. :eyecrazy: Just bugs me and wondering if there is a fix. Thanks!
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
K

Katodog

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
737
Location
Carol Stream Illinois
Flip one over.

You enter the hallway, flip switch up. Lights come on. You get to the other end of the hallway, you flip the switch up, the lights go off. Switches wind up in the same position.

You enter the hallway from the other side, you flip the switch down, the lights go on. When you leave the other end you flip that switch down. The lights are off and both switches are in the same position.


I have our hallway set like that. I am OCD and the light switches are the least of my worries. But yes, mine are set to be in the same position.

If you think it's bad, wait until you realize they're opposite when the lights are on, which is worse because then you can see them...
 
D

dogdog

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 15, 2011
Messages
12,711
Flip one of the switch over physically or swap the traveler wires on one of the switch....
 
C

cybrdyke

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
3,442
Location
USA
Get momentary contact switches. No difference if they're on or off. Most often found on dimmers.
 
Last edited:
B

-Brent-

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Messages
4,709
Location
Utah
dogdog said:
Flip one of the switch over physically or swap the traveler wires on one of the switch....
Click to expand...

These are the options. If your switch has on/off embossed on it then switch the travelers. I don't look at this as an OCD thing, it seems lazy/hack-ish to me to leave it.
 
M

mikegt4

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
3,262
Location
sw ohio
Every time that this question comes up I think of the time when I worked at a gas station and one of our little old lady customers insisted on having all the valve stems on her new tires at the bottom so she could check the tire pressure of all 4 tires at the same time. BTW this was back when a lot of cars had fender skirts and the valve stems were often hidden behind them on the rear wheels.
 
F

Falcon67

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2009
Messages
18,371
Location
Merkel, TX
Change one to a motion activated. Then you don't even have to mess with the remaining switch if you don't want to. Somebody keeps turning the one remaining 3 way switch in our laundry room up - that drives me nuts. ;)
 
E

Eriehunter

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
189
Rickster55 said:
I have a three-way switch at each end of a short hallway. Is there a way to wire them so that both switches are in the same position when off? I know you all must be thinking "this guy is f#$^ed up and you're right - to some degree. :eyecrazy: Just bugs me and wondering if there is a fix. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Get a life, if this is all you have to worry about your life must be pretty empty.

:willy_nil

Sorry for that.

if you flip the switch or change a traveler wire then both switches will be up at some time and the light will be off and that will be an abomination.

Use decora switches, then the position of the switch won't be so obvious.



Quick story


I have a female friend (just friends) that lived across town so it was a little bit of a drive, that is the same OCD, she has to flip the 3 way switches in her house so that they orient the same way. She has a twin sister that is also the same OCD. Every time when I would do some electrical work at her house I would go around and mis-orient all the three way in her house. I had a key so she knew I was there. Funny but it gets better.... So she had dogs and would have her sister (same OCD) stay at her house to care for her dogs while traveling for work. I called over there and had the sister get in on the little joke, the sister would mis-orient all the switches before she returned from traveling She came home and of course noticed the switches ...... I got accused of banging her sister(funny, she did get jealous) of course I really played it up.
 
Last edited:
M

MikeF2316

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
9,605
Location
Thornhill, ON
Rickster55 said:
I think I'll choose turning one switch upside down and see how that works for awhile.
Click to expand...

And personally, I think exactly the same way as you. And there's lots more of "us". I have a little back room in my garage. There's a man door to outside for the back room, a car door at the front and a door joining the 2. Three way switches at all 4 places, each pair needs to be in the same position when off.
 
C

cybrdyke

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
3,442
Location
USA
OCD question..

Why do you want them to be in the same position when they're off and you cant see them? Why not want them in the same position when they're ON and you can see them?
CD
 
L

LXCam

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
19,072
Location
AZ
cybrdyke said:
OCD question..

Why do you want them to be in the same position when they're off and you cant see them? Why not want them in the same position when they're ON and you can see them?
CD
Click to expand...

Oh now ya gone and done it. The poor guy will probably start having convulsions. :scared:
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
C

cybrdyke

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
3,442
Location
USA
Understood, but I dont understand why it's so bothersome when they're OFF, but not when they're ON??
 
S

saewoody

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 9, 2016
Messages
101
The answer to the question is simply, no.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
6

65cayne

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
216
Location
Oklahoma
Rickster55 said:
I think I'll choose turning one switch upside down and see how that works for awhile.
Click to expand...

That will not work, nor will switching the travelers. As previously mentioned, they (switches) are not marked for a reason. "ON" or "OFF" position for each switch is determined by the position of the opposite switch.


I hope you are not trolling the board.
 
K

Katodog

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
737
Location
Carol Stream Illinois
65cayne said:
That will not work, nor will switching the travelers. As previously mentioned, they (switches) are not marked for a reason. "ON" or "OFF" position for each switch is determined by the position of the opposite switch.


I hope you are not trolling the board.
Click to expand...



Well ****, don't tell the light switches that run my hall lights...
 
M

marty_p

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Messages
1,411
Location
SE LoUiSiAna
After reading this thread, I visited the 'powder room' and noticed my HORIZONTAL screw heads on the wall plates, and then got to laughing about the direction/orientation of the bathroom tissue roll. I remember Johnny Carson once saying "There are three type of people in this world: those who pull their tp off the top, those that that pull it off the back, and those that swap around the tp rolls in others' houses!" :lol:
 
C

CJ7VFR

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2015
Messages
2,939
Location
Central New Jersey
Jamie V said:
...I will personally walk across a room to turn the light switch off so they are all down.
Click to expand...

OMG this made me laugh because my wife does this same thing in our kitchen!!!! To her, a light is "ON" when you flip a switch "UP" not "DOWN".

We have 3-way switches at each entryway into our kitchen. I just flip either switch so the light comes on or goes off. As long as it works I don't really care what position they are in.

My wife on the other hand will "feel" for the switch and if she has to flip one of them "down" to turn on the light she won't do that. She will actually walk across the dark kitchen to the other side so she can flip that switch "UP" in order to turn the light on. Or vise versa.

Sometimes I play around with the switches when I know she is coming home from work when it's dark just to mess with her. The words that come out of her mouth when she knows I do this would make a sailor blush.....

Jim
 
C

cybrdyke

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
3,442
Location
USA
OK, so we've switched our travellers and/or turned the switch upside down....
whew!
But now, the switches are both in the down position and the lights are OFF.

Now, you walk into the room and flip the switch UP so that the lights are ON. (One switch up, one switch down.) Then, you leave the room past the other switch, and flip it UP to turn the lights OFF. Both switches are in the UP position and the lights are OFF.
Do we have to go back and change the travellers and/or turn the switches over again?
This is alot of work....
CD
 
2

2CWG

Active member
Joined
May 5, 2012
Messages
33
Location
SoCal
@OP: If you're looking for a manual option, have you considered touchless switches, such as those made by Anigmo? Never used them so this isn't an endorsement.

Outside of that, motion-activated would be a cheap and easily installed option if that mode of operation was acceptable and the location permits. Wall switches can be swapped for ones with detection capability or you could put in lightbulbs with built-in detection capability for around $15 each
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom