Scott you seem to have a fair handle on the concept. When I taught jjunior high general shop I explained to look at the three way switching configeration as one big regular single pole switch. The two indentified or commmon terminal as the two terminals on a regular switch. The power coming in one and out the other to the light. Think of the wires as rubber that can be stretched wherever they need to go. The two traverler terminals just fasten from one switch to the other. Which to which doesn't matter. You may use cable with white wires in it but technically you need to change the color at each exposed end. This is done with paint or colored tape. Blue usually being the preferred color. When wires are put in conduit as singles wires both travelers are the same color such as two reds, or two blues since which of the traveler or sometimes called runner terminal.. As one person put it the white wire runs from the load, a light fixture here to the netural bar of the panel bo In you case if I understand it correctly you would remove the existing switch. Run a length of three conductor cable with ground to the location of the new switch. I then would use the black wires to connect one of the new cable to the new switch common terminal. At the existing location one of the existing loose blacks will be spliced to the black of the new cable. The other existing black will hook to the common terminal. The new cable wires red and white you are technically turning blue will hook to the traverler, runner terminals at each switch.
Ron. ----- Original Message ----- From: Scott Howell To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2006 6:25 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] hello and 3-way switches Hello all, My name as the e-mail header indicates is Scott Howell. I live in Mount AIry Maryland and have been blind since birth. I have learned a lot of my handyman activities just by figuring out things on my own and with a few questions. Can't say everything I've done was pretty, but I got the job done. I've done lots of plumbing, electrical, and some other repairs like hanging doors and the like. I however have a few projects of the electrical variety and one of those I have to admit I'm not overly sure of. I have a need to install a 3-way switch arrangement. What I have is a bathroom where the fools that built this place put the switch clear on the otherside of the room near a secondary door and not near the main door off the hall. So, my understanding is that I would remove the old switch, I'd need two 3-way switches, and 3 conductor cable with ground so that makes four wires total. Now what I'm not overly clear on is how to rig this up. I understand basic switches to a light fixture in that power comes into the switch and I'm essentually making a loop from the fixture back to the switch. Now, I do know a 3-way switch has one common terminal and two traveler terminals as well as a ground. Now I also understand that I need to rig things up so that when one switch is closed, the other is able to break the circuit. At this point I'm getting fuzzy and not clear how to physically wire this up. Here's what I think and please any advise would be greatfully appreciated. 1. The light fixture is still wired in a loop configuration like it would with a regular switch were there, I would hook the hot wire to the common terminal on the the switch, connect the black wire we'll call it, now I'd hook a white to the traveler, and maybe the other's red can't recall, but that would go to the other traveler, and at the other end of this I'd be hooking up the same wires, black to common, white to another traveler, and red to the other traveler. Of course ground to ground throughout. Now I'm probably wrong on this, but I figure someone here has done this and would have some answers and I'd sure appreciate the help. Now I've been listening to the Blind Handyman show and its just great and a valuable service. Thanks to all in advance. Scott [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
