On Monday, March 6, 2017 at 10:09:42 PM UTC-5, Ken Hockenberry wrote:
On Sunday, March 5, 2017 at 2:42:32 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Sunday, March 5, 2017 at 2:28:15 PM UTC-5, trader_4 wrote:
On Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 6:26:14 PM UTC-5, bob haller wrote:
far easier to leave existing swich where it is!!

and run a new wire from a convenient source nearby. think a outlet.

sometimes its easier and far less work to just run a new line

Even easier to call an electrician when you don't know how
a 3 way circuit works or which wire is which. It's possible
it can be done with what he already has there, without running
any new cable.

Do you know what he wants to do? Maybe I'm missing something.

He keeps saying that he wants to remove the switch and install a fixture.
The last thing he said was:

"I want to eliminate the light switch at the right end of this line and
insert a light fixture."

Do you know *where* he plans to "insert" the light fixture? I don't.
Do you know how he plans to *control* the new fixture? I don't.

He never said anything about *replacing* the switch or *reusing* the
switch. The words he used are "remove" and "eliminate" the switch. I'd
like to know how he plans to control the new light fixture, and from where,
before I offer any advice as to how to do it.


Sorry for the confusion.

I have in my garage a light switch at the top of the basement steps. The power enters the junction box at this location.

There is another light switch at the bottom of the steps - at the entrance to my basement.

There are light fixtures on the garage ceiling - which are controlled by these two switches.

I want to remove the switch at the bottom of the steps. It is not needed or ever used.

I want to use the existing wiring to install a light fixture so that the bottom of my basement steps will have the needed light to see the steps.

When I removed the light switch near the bottom of the staircase I found 4 blue wires- only one wire had black tape wrapped around it - indicating, I hope, the hot wire.

How can I wire a simple basement light fixture using these 4 blue wires?

Thank you all for your help.

Ken H

What is odd is that you appear to be saying that the switch you removed
had 4 wires attached to it? That is not normal for a 3 way switch.
Usually they are wired with a SPDT switch that has just 3 terminals.
It can be wired using a DPST switch, with 4 terminals, but then it
still would only have 3 wires attached.

You've identifed power coming in at the garage switch. You need to
find the wires that feed the existing light. Then you replace the
garage switch with a regular SPST switch, connect it to that light.
You need a hot and neutral going to the switch box at the basement,
since a 3 -way must have two wires between the switches, you have
2 wires there that can be re-purposed for that use. You replace that
switch with a SPST switch connected to your new light.

What complicates this is that there are several ways a 3-way can be
wired, so given what we have so far, I don't think we can say for
sure how yours is wired.