Traveler wire terminals these are located on each side of the switch towards the top of the switch.

Three way switch red wire.

The switch may also have several ways to make the wire connections. Replace any regular switches with the 3 way switches. Regardless of what 3 way switch wiring diagram you re following you ll need to use a 3 wire cable to connect the two 3 way light switches. Three way switches have different methods of connection depending on the brand of the switch. Before you start installing take a look at your new 3 way switch to identify all of the terminals that you will be connecting wires to. If the switches malfunction switch the lower wires on the new switch.

The black and red wires are travelers and are connected to the traveler screw terminals on the two switches. This will vary depending on the positions the switch toggle levers. So what you should see if you have correct 3 wire electrical cable romex is a black power white neutral and now a 3rd red wire. I am confused because it worked before with an old school 3 way switch and the same wire going through the wall i only removed cables that were downstream as it were. 15 minutes to change. The black hot wire connects to the far right switch s common terminal.

Change the light switch that operates on both sides of the wall. Then a 4 wire cable going between the two 3 way switches and then a 3 wire cable going from the switches to the load. This 3 way light switch wiring diagram shows how to do the light switch wiring and the light when the power is coming to the light fixture. If you ve already taken the old one out find the other three way switch. Going out of the bottom of the gang box is the following. Fyi i have the same thing going on with a switch by the kitchen and one at the bottom of the basement stairs removed a snarl of wires and now.

A 3 way switch will not have the words on or off written on it. This makes sense to me because there is no red wire to serve as the traveler. Three way switch wire connections. The 3 wire cable consist of a black wire a white wire and a bare copper wire while the 4 wire cable has an added red wire which is hot as well. Red and blue wires link traveler terminals of both switches. This provides two alternate pathways for hot current to flow between the switches this is what allows the switches to turn the lights on and off in a flexible manner.

At any given moment when the light fixture is on the power may be flowing through either the black or the red traveler wire. If you don t know how it was connect the red wire to one of them turn the power back on and try the lights. 2 blacks wires hot lead 1 red wire relay. Check that one and wire your new switch like that one. Each 3 way switch in these examples are controlling the power source to the same load. When wiring a 3 way switch circuit we will be using a 3 wire cable known as romex coming from the source such as the breaker box.

The red wire will go on one of the brass screws but whether it goes on the left or the right depends on how the room is wired. Three wire romex red and white to the brass terminals of the three way switch black to the bundle of black wires nutted together two wire romex black to one of the single pole switch and white to neutral bundle. The cable run linking the two switches is made with 3 wire cable.