Wiring a 3 way light switch is certainly more complicated than that of the more common single pole switch but you can figure it out if you follow our 3 way switch wiring diagram. The most important rationale is that there are several ways that a three way switch can be wired.
1 Gang 3 Way Light Switch Wiring Diagram C3 Wiring Diagram
2 way light switch wiring diagram multiple lights. Click the icons below to get our nec compliant electrical calc elite or electric toolkit available for android and ios. In other words a 3 way switch is made up of one light thats controlled by two separate switches. This diagram illustrates wiring for one switch to control 2 or more lights. 3 way switch diagram multiple light between switches 2 pdf 79kb back to wiring diagrams home. For a 4 way light circuit to work you need two 3 way switches and at least one 4 way switch. The hot and neutral terminals on each fixture are spliced with a pigtail to the circuit wires which then continue on to the next light.
3 way switch diagrams for multiple light fixtures. The electrical calc elite is designed to solve many of your common code based electrical calculations like wire sizes voltage drop conduit sizing etc. Quick 4 way light wiring. The source is at sw1 and 2 wire cable runs from there to the fixtures. A 2 way switch wiring diagram with power feed from the switch light. Notice the black wire is the only wire that we are controlling through the 2 way switch.
With a pair of 3 way switches either can make or break the connection that completes the circuit to the light. Wiring a 3 way switch isnt that difficult. You will see that there is a hot wire that is then spliced through a switch and that then goes to the hot terminal of the light. Multiple light wiring diagram. Place all the 4 way switches between the two 3 way switches. The power source comes from the fixture and then connects to the power terminal.
The answer to how it works is to have an extra hot wire that runs between the two switch boxes. You have an incoming hot wire black going to one screw it does not matter if you use the brass or silver screw on the side of the 2 way switch and a black wire from the other screw on the 2 way switch going to the load light ceiling fan etc. Wiring a 3 way light switch. If you want more than three locations to control the lights you will need a 4 way switch for each of those extra locations. It is true that there are several wiring configurations for wiring 3 way light switches and all of the wiring configurations will depend on where the incoming circuit power is located and once that is identified the rest of the three way wiring connections are straight forward. A selection of two way switch lighting circuit diagrams for single and multiple lights with easy to follow circuit guides.
Simple 2 way light switch with the power feed via the switch. 2 way light switch circuit wiring diagrams.