Stumped… 3 way switch

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I know this isn’t the best diagram but I’m trying to figure out where I went wrong…
Trying to install two new three way switches. One is a Lutron dimmer with a red w/ white stripe, red, black and white. The other switch is your average three way. One black screw and two gold.
I had it hooked up and working at one point with the two switches. Today I tried to install another dimmer where the regular three way was and nothing worked right after. I’m going on two days of insomnia and can’t for the life of me figure out this simple equation…
What I need to know is where red #1 & #2 and hot go on one switch and where neutral, hot and red #2 go on the other.

The way I have it now with the Lutron dimmer is red with white stripe to neutral, black to hot and solid red to #2 red wire.
On the other switch I have the line in hot and the black wire with a pig tail to the switch common screw. Red #1 to one gold and #2 to the other gold. Neutrals tied together.

When I had the hots tied together the way it is now, it blew out the dimmer switch. The circuit still functions now but the dimmer switch is dead (lights are on but just passing through the dimmer). I can only turn on and off with the normal 3 way switch. It all worked before… what happened was I tried to hook up another dimmer on the regular switch side of the kitchen. So… before I go buy a new dimmer and three way switch… since my confidence is shot for the day. Can someone please tell me how this should go?

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Here’s the diagram…

 

[sparky 1971]

Unless something has changed that I am unaware of, you can only have one dimmer. It doesn't matter if you have one or 1000 switches, only one dimmer. I will admit to not getting into the residential side of things, I deal mainly with offices and shops and dimmers just aren't a "thing".

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

So if I were to hook up two regular three way switches, where would the neutral in switch 1 go? Can you run down how everything should be ran? Someone told me I should run the feed in to the first switch but all the existing wiring went to the second switch to begin with. I’m honestly at a loss and am running around in circles in my head lol

 

[pbon]

And sometimes the dimmer has to be at the power end.

 

[sparky 1971]

And sometimes the dimmer has to be at the power end.

I've never seen that in 29 years. The dimmer can go at either three way.

So if I were to hook up two regular three way switches, where would the neutral in switch 1 go? Can you run down how everything should be ran? Someone told me I should run the feed in to the first switch but all the existing wiring went to the second switch to begin with. I’m honestly at a loss and am running around in circles in my head lol

Don't use the neutral. Since I believe 2011, code requires a neutral at almost every switch location whether it's needed or not. But...just because the wire is white doesn't automatically mean it's a neutral. In cable assemblies like romex, the white can be re-identified as a hot or traveller.

Did you wire it yourself? Was it already wired with two three ways? Was it a single pole and you added a switch to make two three ways? The answer to that question is going determine how you should proceed.

 

[acer66]

Unless something has changed that I am unaware of, you can only have one dimmer. It doesn't matter if you have one or 1000 switches, only one dimmer. I will admit to not getting into the residential side of things, I deal mainly with offices and shops and dimmers just aren't a "thing".

Just read through the installation instructions of some name brand dimmer and it clearly states only one dimmer.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I've never seen that in 29 years. The dimmer can go at either three way.

Don't use the neutral. Since I believe 2011, code requires a neutral at almost every switch location whether it's needed or not. But...just because the wire is white doesn't automatically mean it's a neutral. In cable assemblies like romex, the white can be re-identified as a hot or traveller.

Did you wire it yourself? Was it already wired with two three ways? Was it a single pole and you added a switch to make two three ways? The answer to that question is going determine how you should proceed.

Three way circuit was pre existing
Neutral to switch #2 is actually neutral (per tracing it through two junction boxes)
I did wire it myself (kinda). Rodents destroyed the majority of the wiring in the attic and along with finding junction boxes with no covers and also no cable clamps I took everything out and cleaned it all up. New junction boxes. Clamps. New wiring. I labeled everything except these 3 way switches and hooked everything back up to the feeds they came in on. The three way switche #1 was on a load bearing wall we took out. That wire was all chewed up and went to a junction box so I cut it back to good wire and hooked it back up. The part I’m confused about is when I hooked up the normal three way switch and the dimmer as a set of switches they worked fine. When I hooked up the second dimmer with the first it blew the first dimmer out. Now I’m afraid to hook another dimmer into the circuit. As of now the normal three way switch is turning lights off and on with the dead dimmer switch in the mix (I assume power is passing through but it doesn’t function). Dimmer switch is hooked up how it always was. Three way switch is hot feed in, hot to the other switch and a pigtail to the black screw on switch 1. So switch 1 and 2 share the same hot feed. Switch 2 has a traveler to each gold post. Neutrals tied together. So neutrals are tied together in switch 2, switch 1 neutral goes to the red wire with white stripe (which I believe is a traveler wire). The thing that confuses me is the neutral is a neutral from the first junction box to the switch #2 to the second junction box to switch 1. So that I’m confused on. All grounds are tied together. What gives?

 

[PCustoms]

The part I’m confused about is when I hooked up the normal three way switch and the dimmer as a set of switches they worked fine. When I hooked up the second dimmer with the first it blew the first dimmer out.

You can't have 2 dimmers!

 

[jdm5]

You could have two dimmers - just not traditional dimmers (as being discussed here). Use a home automation solution - Insteon or zwave will work, but confirm you have a neutral in each box.

 

[pbon]

I've never seen that in 29 years. The dimmer can go at either three way.

We tried to wire one that had a motion sensor and dimmer and were unsuccessful. As I recall it worked at the end with the full time power lead but not the other end of the circuit, which is where we wanted it. Maybe we were doing something else wrong. We gave up on that switch and used a regular dimmer instead and that worked fine.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

So if I were to hook up two regular three way switches, where would the neutral in switch 1 go? Can you run down how everything should be ran? Someone told me I should run the feed in to the first switch but all the existing wiring went to the second switch to begin with. I’m honestly at a loss and am running around in circles in my head lol

For regular switches, The neutral is NEVER wired into the switch. The neutral is to pass through the junction boxes and onto the light fixture…

For 3 ways, one side gets the hot incoming power and the other 3 way has the hot outgoing to the light fixture (black screws). The other 2 wires are the travelers between the switches that go to the brass screws…

A 3 way dimmer may have a neutral connection for the electronics…..

 

[Klokwerk]

For electronics as in a smart dimmer...wifi, zigbee etc you do need the neutral and ground. That's what I'd installed this past weekend in my stair well. 3 smart dimmers and 6 regular 3 ways.
Fun following the flow of electricity as you're switching them from traveler to traveler.

But OP, if you're having issues popping dimmers you might have some other situation going on. Time to call an electrician?

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I just pulled out all the old lengths of wire and ran a new 25 foot run of 3 wire from switch to switch. New 2 wire feed to one box and load side to the other as I’ve done in the past. The problem was there was only one set of three wire in a switch box and it terminated a neutral in it. The other box had two sets of three wire. I don’t know how it worked all those years but all good things must come to an end lol. It also gave me a chance to move one of the switch boxes to a better location. Thanks for the help.