One example of a 3 wire lighting system. The three way switch is a variation of the standard single pole switch which controls a light only from one locationa third type is the four way switch which is used in conjunction with two three way switches to control lighting from more than two locationsthis configuration may be used in open plan homes or in large kitchens or great rooms where a central bank of lighting fixtures might.
Wiring A Switch And Outlet The Safe And Easy Way Family
3 sets of wires in light switch. Source 1 comes in at the light fixture and a 3 wire cable is run from there to the switch half on the device. I connected black to black white to white with the new fixture that had one white one black and one ground. Here the source is at the first switch sw1 and 3 wire cable runs from there to the first light l1. While the light works it wont switch off at the switchonly at the breaker. The three way switch has three terminal screws. The 3 wire system is less common than the 2 wire system it includes a neutral at the switch as well as the live and switched live wires.
The hot from the source is spliced to the black wire running to the combo and to the input side of the switch. Removing the old fixture i discovered 3 black wire 3 white wires and a ground. The hot wire from the power source connects to the darkest screw terminal marked com for common the other two terminals are called travelers and are interchangeable. The white neutral from the source is connected directly to the light fixture. At the light fixture there is one bundle of wires coming from switch one and one bundle coming from switch two. First twist the two bare copper ground wires together.
At the beginning of the circuit the hot source is connected to the common terminal on sw1. Youll see white wires at one side of the switch and black wires attached at the. An example of a 3 wire lighting circuit is shown in figure 2. Take the white wire from switch two and twist it with the black wire from switch one. Two 2 wire cables run between each light fixture after that and 3 wire cable runs from the last light to sw2. For purposes of safety it is important to remember that travelers are always hot wires.
The switch also has a ground screw. Take off the cover and note the color of the wire insulation for the wires that connect to each side of the switch. Twist the two red wires together and attach a wire nut. I was changing an old ceiling light fixture with a new one.