On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:29:05 -0600, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 11:58:19 -0600, Bud--
wrote:

Terry wrote:



A lot of people say "both" when they mean "each". Connecting to EACH
traveler wouldn't cause the same problem.

Connecting the *same*thing* to each certainly will -- and connecting each
traveler to opposite sides of a receptacle results in a receptacle that never
works.

Never? With a 300W light and the switches in an off combination, a clock
will work fine.




This sounds like what we call a California 3 - way. I Google for it
and found many messages about it but the only drawing I found was
wrong.

In a California splice you have only 3 wires going to the next 3 way
switch (out to the garage) It is connected so that you are switching
the neutral. This will allow the light switch as expected but, as
others have pointed out, would make the screw shell of the light hot.


That is not a California 3-way. A California 3-way does not switch the
neutral and is legal.


This is a California 3-way:

H ------------------------------
| |
O O
o----o
O O
|----------------|
| |
lite lite
| |
N -----------------------------

A California 3-way is rather clever and is an advantage only when you
need power at the far end and a common-switched light at each end. It
is, on the other hand, much harder to troubleshoot. You can not wire it
with Romex (or other cable) anymore unless it is 4 wire cable.

So Now I know another way to wire 3-way switches. Now, I mentally add
it to the 2 I already posted diagrams of.

It does take more wires, though.

I tried to work out what he describes. It takes the same number of
wires as near as I can tell using either setup. I can't follow those
ASCII drawings.

I made a very rough sketch.

http://i15.tinypic.com/2edma6p.jpg