DIYbanter - View Single Post - Really dumb question about electrical wiring

(Neil Ralley) wrote in
om:

I am in NJ, USA and I am trying to convert the wiring of an outside
light from 2-way to one-way.

The light was previously controlled from inside the kitchen and also
from the garage but the garage switch is now completely isolated and
disabled.

What I have is black, white and red wires (plus unsheathed earth)
coming out of the box for the wall-light and the same coloured wires
coming out of the switch-plate. Near-miss accidents have confirmed
that the black and red wites going to the switch box are live, I have
no idea about the white wire.

I believe that the red wire probably needs to be either dead-ended or
combined with one of the other wires but have no idea which.

The little electrical knowledge I have was acquired in the UK where
the wiring conventions are different in terms of colour-coding though
I will admit to having been baffled by 2-way switches there also.

I just need to know what the combinations should be in the light
fitting and in the switch for simple one-way operation.

Thanks in advance for any help.....

Neil

The method that a 2-way (oft called 3-way) switch works is:
you have a black power in
you have a white neutral in
the neutral connects directly to the load (the light)
the black, will connect either in the switch box, or in the light box, to
the single-side terminal of one of the light switches.
The wire from the other single side terminal on the OTHER switch, goes
back to the HOT side of the load (the light).
The double side terminals on the switch....run ONLY between the switches.
The way i've always wired these is:
black to power the first switch, red and white are the 'runners' between
the switches' and black goes back from the second switch to the light.
This keeps the color code in shape at the light, in that you have a black
and a white at the load, with black being hot...and white being neutral.
The switches work like:
Switch 1 = position 1, power thru black, to red, to red terminal on other
switch, which is at position 1 also, thru black to the light.
flip either switch to position 2, and the circuit is broken. flip either
switch to another position from here, the circuit is restored, either via
the red wire, or the white wire that runs between the switches.

--
Anthony

You can't 'idiot proof' anything....every time you try, they just make
better idiots.

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