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11-29-2021, 03:26 PM
Please help
I have this 3 way switch set up, work fine since I moved in this house 5 years ago
Few days ago it stopped working
I did some trouble shouting and did not find anything wrong, The light fixture is not getting the power when I turn the power on at the switch
there are 3 switches on this circuit, 2 are 3 ways switches one is double pole switch.
Enclosed is schematic, based on what I found so far. may be is a broken wire.
Let me know what to look far.
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11-29-2021, 04:02 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-29-2021, 05:16 PM by Roly.)
(11-29-2021, 03:26 PM)Jack01 Wrote: Please help
I have this 3 way switch set up, work fine since I moved in this house 5 years ago
Few days ago it stopped working
I did some trouble shouting and did not find anything wrong, The light fixture is not getting the power when I turn the power on at the switch
there are 3 switches on this circuit, 2 are 3 ways switches one is double pole switch.
Enclosed is schematic, based on what I found so far. may be is a broken wire.
Let me know what to look far. First check to see if any gfci is tripped as it may be on that circuit.
First that is not a double pole switch, it is a 4 way switch which makes up top to bottom on both sides of the switch or when flipped the connections for a x, so the top left is now connected to bottom right and the top right to the bottom left. Besides the switch being bad it could also be the neutral is open. Start checking the hot at the light to ground and see if it is hot to ground, not neutral. If hot you have open neutral. Go to first switch check black to ground should be hot, if not check 3rd box black to black connection. The hot in box one should be hot on either the red or black in box 1, then box 2 a white or red on top or bottom will be hot ( 2 of the 4 will be hot) Box 3 white or red will be hot, operate the switch and black should be hot. Roly
If wire nuts are used make sure they are tight and you cant pull wire out. If the switch in the middle is marked with a on and off it is a 2 pole switch instead of a 4 way, turn it on and see if it works then. Should be 4 way to work properly.
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11-30-2021, 12:01 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-30-2021, 12:04 AM by MstrCarpenter.)
(11-29-2021, 04:02 PM)Roly Wrote: First check to see if any gfci is tripped as it may be on that circuit.
First that is not a double pole switch, it is a 4 way switch which makes up top to bottom on both sides of the switch or when flipped the connections for a x, so the top left is now connected to bottom right and the top right to the bottom left. Besides the switch being bad it could also be the neutral is open. Start checking the hot at the light to ground and see if it is hot to ground, not neutral. If hot you have open neutral. Go to first switch check black to ground should be hot, if not check 3rd box black to black connection. The hot in box one should be hot on either the red or black in box 1, then box 2 a white or red on top or bottom will be hot ( 2 of the 4 will be hot) Box 3 white or red will be hot, operate the switch and black should be hot. Roly
If wire nuts are used make sure they are tight and you cant pull wire out. If the switch in the middle is marked with a on and off it is a 2 pole switch instead of a 4 way, turn it on and see if it works then. Should be 4 way to work properly.
Not trying to be sarcastic, but did you check the bulb in another fixture and replace the bulb with a known good bulb (do not consider "new" as "good").
Roly has provided a thorough test sequence of the switching circuit from power into the first switch to power out to the fixture from the last switch. After you verify the bulb(s) are good do his tests. the black wires are line and load, so one of them should always be hot. The red and white are "travelers", one of them should always be hot. If the switch is marked "NO", it's a single pole and it's upside-down! Sorry, couldn't help myself.
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I forgot to also say the feed could also be on switch 3. The black wire that is always hot on switch 1 or 3 is the feed. How are you checking the voltage ? you said it was dead at the fixture. Roly
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(11-30-2021, 06:47 AM)Roly Wrote: I forgot to also say the feed could also be on switch 3. The black wire that is always hot on switch 1 or 3 is the feed. How are you checking the voltage ? you said it was dead at the fixture. Roly
You might want to check to see if you lost the neutral at the fixture.
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(11-30-2021, 07:30 AM)JIMB49 Wrote: You might want to check to see if you lost the neutral at the fixture.
Jack,
Why don't you start with a description on how you tested the switches and the light fixture.
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(11-30-2021, 01:46 PM)aquaticjim Wrote: Jack,
Why don't you start with a description on how you tested the switches and the light fixture.
I will do the check per Rolys suggestions
So far I have replaced all 3 switches - no difference
I have checked the voltage at bulb and there is no voltage.
There is no GFI on this circuit.
I will do further investigation, update you soon
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I'd like to add that if one or more of those switches are dimmers they may not work with LED bulbs. Also, if you wire one of the new LED dimmer switches wrong you'll let the magic smoke out. Well they don't actually smoke, or even make a sound, they just won't work even after you correct the connections. Expensive, time consuming lesson learned.
Sign at N.E. Vocational School Cabinetmaking Shop 1976, "Free knowledge given daily... Bring your own container"
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(11-29-2021, 03:26 PM)Jack01 Wrote: Please help
I have this 3 way switch set up, work fine since I moved in this house 5 years ago
Few days ago it stopped working
I did some trouble shouting and did not find anything wrong, The light fixture is not getting the power when I turn the power on at the switch
there are 3 switches on this circuit, 2 are 3 ways switches one is double pole switch.
Enclosed is schematic, based on what I found so far. may be is a broken wire.
Let me know what to look far.
Something strange : this evening I flipped the middle switch (double Pole) and it turn the lights on, Then I went to other 2 switches and able to turn off and turn on .
Then I went and flipped the middle switch , it turn the light off, but then I could not use other 2 switches to turn on and off
So it looks like the problem is middle switch, I replaced that switch with other 2 switches couple of days ago.
Once I get some more time in couple of days I will do some more trouble shooting. I think the problem may be a switch.
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(11-30-2021, 09:46 PM)Jack01 Wrote: Something strange : this evening I flipped the middle switch (double Pole) and it turn the lights on, Then I went to other 2 switches and able to turn off and turn on .
Then I went and flipped the middle switch , it turn the light off, but then I could not use other 2 switches to turn on and off
So it looks like the problem is middle switch, I replaced that switch with other 2 switches couple of days ago.
Once I get some more time in couple of days I will do some more trouble shooting. I think the problem may be a switch.
That is how a double pole switch would work in the circuit. It is not the same as a 4 way switch. Run continuity on one of the switches you tried see if shows continuity from top to bottom on both sides in one position and top left to bottom right and top right to bottom left in the other position if it doesn't it is the wrong switch. Roly
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