Follow the above steps for a standard dimmer switch except that youll need to purchase a special 3 way dimmer switch a standard one will not work for your 3 way switch and use the following wiring tips. The three wires.
3 Way Switch Wiring Diagram
How to install a 3 way switch with 2 wires. The black screw is the common which we identified in the steps above as the switch leg or hot power source. Strip all three wires with wire strippers. When i say 2 way swithces i mean a switch with two copper screws. Whenever the white wire is not being used as the neutral conductor it must be changed to a different color. Youll most likely see three wires in addition to the a coppergreen ground wire. The l1 terminals of both the switches are connected to line or phase or live of the ac supply.
The following is the simple schematic of a three wire 2 way switch wiring. How to wire 2 way light switch in this video we explain how two way switching works to connect a light fitting which is controlled with two light switches. The wiring is more complicated than a traditional single pole switch but well explain how to make the connections. Wiring a 3 way dimmer switch. Once youre done youll be able to control a light from two switches. This can easily be solved using two 3 way switches one black screw and 2 copper screws but this problem can only be solved using two 2 way switches power and the bulb.
The l2 terminals of both the switches are connected to one terminal of the light bulb while the other terminal of the light bulb is connected to neutral of the ac power supply. In this example we used the red traveler but you can use either one. Ive drawn a bunch of schematics and ive gotten the. Take your three way switch. This story features diagrams that show how to wire 3 way switches. While wiring a 3 way switch is more involved than something simple like installing an electrical box for an electric fireplace the task can be simple enough if you follow along with these instructions.
Wiring a 3 way light switch is certainly more. When nothing is hooked up there is power in the 2 wire plus ground cable on the upstairs switch. 3 way switch 2 3 way wire which has black white and red coated wires and of course a copper ground wire. We look at the eu colour coding wires. Logically it cant be done as both switches would need to be on for the circuit to work power the bulb that is but a two way switch system means that either switch should be able to turn on the bulb. From the schematic you can easily visualize how the wiring.
From there a 3 wire cable 2 travelers a ground and the re identified white wire or a conduit would need to be installed over to the second 3 way switch. The two switches appear to be connected by a 3 wire plus ground cable. Connect the second remaining traveler wire from the wall to the black load wire on the c by ge smart switch. Connect the line wire and one of the traveler wires from the wall to the black line wire on the c by ge smart switch. You can observe in the schematic that both the com terminals are connected together. For our example well use the black traveler.
You will see a black screw and two gold screws on the switch. To properly wire your 3 way dimmer switch mark or tag the existing wires coming from your house so you can connect them the same way to the new switch. There is only the single 3 wire plus ground in the downstairs switch box and only two 2 wire plus ground cables at the fixture.