wrote:

I would like to wire three 3-ways switches for various external lights
in my new detatched garage (switches in both house and garage). I just
laid the schedule 40 with 2-2-4AL (240vac power to garage with seperate
grounding rod) and pulled six 14g THHN black wires also. It was late
and I wasn't thinking about the fact that I need more wires for three
3-way switches.

I know there are several options for wiring 3way switches, some with
power to the light and others with power to the switch. Is one way
more preferable than the other? Also, when I pull additional 14g THHN,
should I use specific colors to meet code? Can I use one ground wire
between all 3 house switches? I need 4 wires per switch if I am
reading things right (hot, neutral, runner and ground).

Don't know why, but 3ways confuse me a bit and I want to make sure I am
doing it right.

Just looking for clarification...please don't post that I should hire
an licensed electrician.



Yes, there's a reliable way of controlling three external lights on the
garage from three switches in the house and three switches in the
garage, assuming the lights are reasonably sized, like not over 500
watts each.

But, the amount of work and materials needed may be more trouble than
your just pulling the needed extra wires.

***************************

Here goes:

Buy three single pole 10A contact 120 vac coil "impulse stepping relays"
like the ones shown he

http://www.relayserviceco.com/relay3.htm

mount them in an enclosure in the garage.

use two of the six 14 gage wires to bring a 120 volt hot, neutral and
ground to the garage. (One side of the 240 in the garage is probably
going to be at the same potential as a separate 120 volt hot, but I'd be
more comfortable using a separate wire.)

Power the three lights from that circuit, through the contacts of each
of the three relays.

Install three normally open pushbutton switches in the house and wire
them so they put 120 volts on each of the three remaining wires when
they are pushed.

Connect those three wires to the coils of the three relays, the other
ends of the coils are connected to neutral.

Install three normally open pushbutton switches in the garage and use
them to also put 120 volts on on the coils of the three relays. (They
will be electrically in parallel with the switches in the house.)

To turn a light on or off, just push the appropriate button, and the
relay will "alternate" and do the job, just like pulling on the string
of an overhead "on-off" fixture.

***********************

I'm presuming you can see the lights from both the house and the garage
switch locations, but if you can't, you're no worse off than if you
wired them with conventional three way switches, 'cause they don't give
you an indication of whether the controlled light is on or off either
unless you add more wires and pilot lamps. G

***********************

If you want a more expensive space age solution, I'm sure you can
accomplish the job with X-10 equipment where you'd only have to use
three of those wires to bring a 120 vac hot, neutral and ground to the
garage.

HTH,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."