Thank you! I was swapping out some switches and matched the wires from the old to the new. But the old had the inputs on the top and outputs on the bottom. The new had the input on one side and output on the other. I ran into the exact issue you outline later in the video. This helped me fix the issue.
I just wanted to say thank you for your video. The simple explanation you offered helps me figure out an issue I was having with my four-way. Much appreciated!
I just changed out all the light switches in my house from toggle to rocker switches. Most were single pole, several 3 ways, but I left the 4 way switch for last. Unfortunately, the previous 4 way did not have any labeling for input/output, and none of the terminal screws appeared black any more. So I wired it up how it was on the previous switch. Everything worked fine except when I turned the 4 way into the down position, the 3 ways could no longer control the light. FRUSTRATING!! Until you showed us the back of your 4 way switch, and I instantly knew how to fix it! Yours has input on the 2 top terminals, mine has input on the 2 right terminals. The old one I had must've been configured like yours, so I just moved the wires accordingly, and BAM! working perfectly! Thank you, sir! You just saved me from having to admit defeat to my husband 😁😂
I know Im randomly asking but does someone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..? I somehow lost the login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.
@Mohammad Esteban I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process now. Seems to take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
Thank you so much! I bought a 4 way switch, because I have 3 locations to switch the light from. Thanks to your video I know what I did wrong; I replaced a 3way switch with a 4way. Now my new 4way switch is operating as a main. (Even though I brought photos to the hardware store showing the faulty 3way wired in they did not tell me what I was doing wrong. I will be talking to the manager.)
Please remember that people who work at a hardware store or even the big box stores, they are not licensed with years of experience. Most of them learn from tv and videos. It’s funny because I was looking for something one time and I was told not to use it because it was cheap and was recommended an expensive alternative! Needless to say I declined and head said I would be sorry!! Personally I never take advice unless they are licensed. H go lad I could help!! CM
Good video, thanks. I'm testing for a homeowner certification on Tuesday. I wired a home I built in 1983 outside city limits. I have also designed and wired industrial machinery for over 30 years, but I'm not experienced in some areas and of all the videos I have watched, yours are the easiest to understand and includes information not in others. Gregory
What a great video. is helpful. I was having a problem how to conecct the 4 way cos the ligths it was not working. And I saw you video and pum the ligts is working now. Thank you
Thank you friend, I finally found someone (You) that explained 3way and 4way switches in a simple direct way I understood. Thank you for your experience advice you shared, I have subscribed and will be watching your future DYI videos you post!
Thank you for the information! I have a hallway that could use another switch on the far end. We missed it with the building walk through during construction. Was not till we moved in it started to bother us. It's a 3way now and I want to make it a 4way. Just need to figure out how to get a pair of 14-3 up from the basement. Cheers from Wisconsin.
Thanks, I think at the end you explained my issue. Room A had to be on in order for room B lights to come on. They had 3 way in stalled. Hope this will works for me.
...just finished fixing a jacked-up Multiple Location 4-Way Switch in a rental property. Someone had replaced the 3-Way Switch that serves the load (light) with a 2-Way Interrupt Switch. They landed one traveler on the 2-Way switches ground terminal (which isn't grounded). The upstream 3-Way Switch in the circuit worked only intermittently. (i.e. to make it functional you had to sometimes put "side-pressure" on the toggle... ergo... Just worn out. The 4-Way Switch was old but unmolested and functional. ALL 3 prong receptacles in the house had a bootleg ground and many had reversed polarity. There are no equipment grounding conductors in any of the branch circuits. Boxes: Stripped, Broken, Overcut, Undercut, Recessed with no box extensions, Loose,... Wood Screws and Drywall Screws used in place of machine screws for mounting receptacles... Sigh.... The house has a 1960's Zinsco Main and Subpanel. 😞
Great presentation Craig. This help me understand the 4 way switch wiring since I am trying to wire a set of led lights to be controlled in 3 locations in my basement. Thank you.
Good teacher my brother. I appreciate the way you describe everything. Also Good camera person both things make all the difference in the world. Once again thank you.
Thumbs up! Subscribed. Thank you sir! I have a house with 3 switches, one light. Maddening looking at it for the first time. lol. 4 way switch is pretty darn simple.
Thank you. Nice video. At the end you said the wires were swapped. How did you know that right away without looking exactly where the wires came from? Or did you just make the assumption they were switched because the light didn’t work properly?
I have this set up and when I put the red and black alternating as you did I get no power but if I put red on one side and black on the other then I get light
Thanks for the demo of a bad wiring setup...I shared this with a friend who couldn’t understand that the pair of travelers “Had” to be paired at the same level, (top or bottom screws) not necessarily sides
I have a question: So I bought wifi dimmer switches from costco... I have installed 24 switches in all... They work great! They can be used as single poll or 3 way... I have already installed several 3 way locations in the house... You only need one dimmer/wifi switch on one side and you can use either a traditional single poll or 3 way switch on the other side... If you use a 3 way style switch only two of the terminals will be used in the application... It should also be known that with theses dimmer/wifi switches there must be a neutral white wire on the side where the dimmer/wifi switch is located because the wifi needs its own constant power source with a neutral/hot wire... Having said all of this I have two separate locations in the house where there is a 4 way circuit... so two 3 way switches and one 4 way switche just like your video... These Costco dimmer/wifi switches are not designed for 4 way applications so I wish to change thos two areas simply to 3 way eliminating the 4 way configeration... When I simply remove the 4 way switch I loose power accross the circuit... It had been mentioned that I might have to splice the wires together in two pairs... That didn't work regardless which way they were connected.... So the $1000 dollar question is there a way to remove the 4 way switch while making the other two switches operational? Thank You in advance.
My in screws are on the same side and toe outs are on the opposite side..out out on one side in in on the other side..2 brass screws on one side 2 steel screws on the other.. 😳
Craig, Thank you for the wiring video it was quite informative. I have a switch that controls four lights I would like to put a three-way switch to control the lights at another entrance door. I pulled the switch from the box to find a black wire on one screw and a white wire on the other screw. How can I go about putting a three-way switch in a configuration like that? There is another switch in the box which I may get a hot wire from, is a three way possible?
You have what is called a "switch loop". The power for the lights you will find in one of your existing lights. The existing wire would have to be replaced with a 3 wire cable from the light to the switch. Then another 3 wire cable from the newly added switch to the same light. All your connections would be made in the light box. This gets long if you still want to do this reply back and I'll walk you through it. You may find a video on here where it is shown how to. Good luck...
I have four light switches that control my outdoor lights. Two three ways on both ends with two four-way switches in the middle. When I rewired everything the way you outlined all the switches work to control the lights. But one of the four way switches all four wires are hot regardless of that specific switch being off or on. Is this correct?
I have a dimmer and two switches in a 4-way circuit that is setup for recessed incandescent flood lights in a kitchen. I want to replace the incandescent lights with LED lights. I understand that I need to buy LED lights that are dimmable. Do I need to replace the dimmer with a dimmer that is 4-way and compatible with LED lights? I have seen 3-way dimmers that are compatible with LED lights. I do not know if 4-way dimmers exist that are compatible with LED lights.
Greetings, sorry bothering you, but, I have a question, in my house I found a GFCI(15 Amp) protecting another GFCI(20 Amp), both in the same 15 Amp circuit, is that a correct installation?
Hello, thank you for the great video. I currently have the 3/4/3 setup in my house. If I wanted to make it a smart switch setup would I have to change all three switch’s or just change the 4 way switch to a smart switch? Thanks again.
flaco741 it depends on the brand smart switch you are using. You should not have to change out the four way, it will be one or both three way switches.
Craig, This is just about the BEST VIDEO on wiring a 4-Way, that I have seen. THANK YOU
finally!! someone who can explain 3 and 4 way switches in simple and easy terms!!
Your video explaining how to troubleshoot at 10:20, saved me hours of needless work and frustration. ...fixed my problem in under 5 minutes! Thanks!
Thanks. You made it so straightforward, without the unnecessary chatting and repetition. Kudos. 😊
All I can say is you simplified it and then GOOD! GOOD! EXCELLENT!!!! GREAT teacher.
Thank you! I was swapping out some switches and matched the wires from the old to the new. But the old had the inputs on the top and outputs on the bottom. The new had the input on one side and output on the other. I ran into the exact issue you outline later in the video. This helped me fix the issue.
I just wanted to say thank you for your video. The simple explanation you offered helps me figure out an issue I was having with my four-way. Much appreciated!
I just changed out all the light switches in my house from toggle to rocker switches. Most were single pole, several 3 ways, but I left the 4 way switch for last. Unfortunately, the previous 4 way did not have any labeling for input/output, and none of the terminal screws appeared black any more. So I wired it up how it was on the previous switch. Everything worked fine except when I turned the 4 way into the down position, the 3 ways could no longer control the light. FRUSTRATING!! Until you showed us the back of your 4 way switch, and I instantly knew how to fix it! Yours has input on the 2 top terminals, mine has input on the 2 right terminals. The old one I had must've been configured like yours, so I just moved the wires accordingly, and BAM! working perfectly! Thank you, sir! You just saved me from having to admit defeat to my husband 😁😂
I know Im randomly asking but does someone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..?
I somehow lost the login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.
@Nicolas Achilles Instablaster =)
@Mohammad Esteban I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process now.
Seems to take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
@Mohammad Esteban It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thank you so much, you saved my account!
@Nicolas Achilles You are welcome :)
Thank you so much! I bought a 4 way switch, because I have 3 locations to switch the light from. Thanks to your video I know what I did wrong; I replaced a 3way switch with a 4way. Now my new 4way switch is operating as a main. (Even though I brought photos to the hardware store showing the faulty 3way wired in they did not tell me what I was doing wrong. I will be talking to the manager.)
Please remember that people who work at a hardware store or even the big box stores, they are not licensed with years of experience. Most of them learn from tv and videos. It’s funny because I was looking for something one time and I was told not to use it because it was cheap and was recommended an expensive alternative! Needless to say I declined and head said I would be sorry!! Personally I never take advice unless they are licensed. H go lad I could help!! CM
Good video, thanks. I'm testing for a homeowner certification on Tuesday. I wired a home I built in 1983 outside city limits. I have also designed and wired industrial machinery for over 30 years, but I'm not experienced in some areas and of all the videos I have watched, yours are the easiest to understand and includes information not in others. Gregory
What a great video. is helpful. I was having a problem how to conecct the 4 way cos the ligths it was not working. And I saw you video and pum the ligts is working now. Thank you
Thanks for the input on the three light switch now I know how to fix my problem at work.
Thank you friend, I finally found someone (You) that explained
3way and 4way switches in a simple direct way I understood. Thank you for your experience advice you shared, I have subscribed and will be watching your future DYI videos you post!
Thank you for the information! I have a hallway that could use another switch on the far end. We missed it with the building walk through during construction. Was not till we moved in it started to bother us. It's a 3way now and I want to make it a 4way. Just need to figure out how to get a pair of 14-3 up from the basement. Cheers from Wisconsin.
Wow, this video is perfect and helped me out A LOT. Great job man!
Thank you for making this video super clear for non electricians, I installed 2 3 way switches and 1 4 way switch by watching your videos
Thanks, I think at the end you explained my issue. Room A had to be on in order for room B lights to come on. They had 3 way in stalled. Hope this will works for me.
...just finished fixing a jacked-up Multiple Location 4-Way Switch in a rental property. Someone had replaced the 3-Way Switch that serves the load (light) with a 2-Way Interrupt Switch. They landed one traveler on the 2-Way switches ground terminal (which isn't grounded). The upstream 3-Way Switch in the circuit worked only intermittently. (i.e. to make it functional you had to sometimes put "side-pressure" on the toggle... ergo... Just worn out. The 4-Way Switch was old but unmolested and functional. ALL 3 prong receptacles in the house had a bootleg ground and many had reversed polarity. There are no equipment grounding conductors in any of the branch circuits. Boxes: Stripped, Broken, Overcut, Undercut, Recessed with no box extensions, Loose,... Wood Screws and Drywall Screws used in place of machine screws for mounting receptacles... Sigh.... The house has a 1960's Zinsco Main and Subpanel. 😞
definitely gonna share your channel with my classmates at ATI in las vegas
Thank you! You just helped me replace a faulty 4-way switch!
very nice and explained very well. i am learning and continue to grow as i go along thank you for the videos
Great presentation Craig. This help me understand the 4 way switch wiring since I am trying to wire a set of led lights to be controlled in 3 locations in my basement. Thank you.
Good teacher my brother. I appreciate the way you describe everything. Also Good camera person both things make all the difference in the world. Once again thank you.
Thanks for the bonus I have the same trouble I try this fix when I get home today
Thumbs up! Subscribed. Thank you sir! I have a house with 3 switches, one light. Maddening looking at it for the first time. lol. 4 way switch is pretty darn simple.
Thanks buddy, Made it very simple to replace my 4 way switch. 👍👍👍
Great video man! Saved my sanity.
Very good instruction on the basic wiring of 4 and 3 way
Simple instructions, thanks for the info!
Thanks I needed this tutorial great job…
Thank you very much!
no more question
because instruction is perfectly nice and thanks you very much
My man! Thank you so much, you just save me $$$. THANK YOU AGAIN
Good job sir 👏👏👏
That's good brother
Thanks for the video.
Thank you. Nice video. At the end you said the wires were swapped. How did you know that right away without looking exactly where the wires came from? Or did you just make the assumption they were switched because the light didn’t work properly?
Thanks for the info, now I know my problem.
Great video!
I have this set up and when I put the red and black alternating as you did I get no power but if I put red on one side and black on the other then I get light
Thanks for the demo of a bad wiring setup...I shared this with a friend who couldn’t understand that the pair of travelers “Had” to be paired at the same level, (top or bottom screws) not necessarily sides
Hey LeAnne - I shared your comment with a friend they couldn't understand why you made. it. Is your middle name Karen.
Thank you very much for this video!!!
Great video ! can I have one of the 3 way switches dimmable?
Awesome. Just did this. Found out the switches old and new were not compatible. As a result light didn’t come on. One was 15 the other new 20
All of my wires are the same color on my 4-way switch... "Orange". And its controlled in three locations
I like to learn more
thank you very much
Thank You so much
Great explanation!! Is it possible to add another light from one of the switches so that it controls both lights?
This is helpful thank you so much
Thanks for your video very clear .one question if light in the middle ,how to wire thanks
LOOK GREAT
Ty big guy...
Thanks
Input line....output load side.
Awesome 👍
Good job sir
I have a question: So I bought wifi dimmer switches from costco... I have installed 24 switches in all... They work great! They can be used as single poll or 3 way... I have already installed several 3 way locations in the house... You only need one dimmer/wifi switch on one side and you can use either a traditional single poll or 3 way switch on the other side... If you use a 3 way style switch only two of the terminals will be used in the application... It should also be known that with theses dimmer/wifi switches there must be a neutral white wire on the side where the dimmer/wifi switch is located because the wifi needs its own constant power source with a neutral/hot wire... Having said all of this I have two separate locations in the house where there is a 4 way circuit... so two 3 way switches and one 4 way switche just like your video... These Costco dimmer/wifi switches are not designed for 4 way applications so I wish to change thos two areas simply to 3 way eliminating the 4 way configeration... When I simply remove the 4 way switch I loose power accross the circuit... It had been mentioned that I might have to splice the wires together in two pairs... That didn't work regardless which way they were connected.... So the $1000 dollar question is there a way to remove the 4 way switch while making the other two switches operational? Thank You in advance.
Please email me at sparkyinstructor@gmail.com. And in the subject line put Costco 4way!! Thanks CM!!
Would the crossed wires cause a fish smell
More videos please
My in screws are on the same side and toe outs are on the opposite side..out out on one side in in on the other side..2 brass screws on one side 2 steel screws on the other.. 😳
Best video thanks.
Good
What kind of wire strippers do you like to use? Do you really use the crimper under them?
Great info, Thanx.
I really like man 👍
Craig, Thank you for the wiring video it was quite informative.
I have a switch that controls four lights I would like to put a three-way switch to control the lights at another entrance door.
I pulled the switch from the box to find a black wire on one screw and a white wire on the other screw. How can I go about putting a three-way switch in a configuration like that? There is another switch in the box which I may get a hot wire from, is a three way possible?
You have what is called a "switch loop". The power for the lights you will find in one of your existing lights. The existing wire would have to be replaced with a 3 wire cable from the light to the switch. Then another 3 wire cable from the newly added switch to the same light. All your connections would be made in the light box. This gets long if you still want to do this reply back and I'll walk you through it. You may find a video on here where it is shown how to. Good luck...
I have four light switches that control my outdoor lights. Two three ways on both ends with two four-way switches in the middle. When I rewired everything the way you outlined all the switches work to control the lights. But one of the four way switches all four wires are hot regardless of that specific switch being off or on.
Is this correct?
I have a dimmer and two switches in a 4-way circuit that is setup for recessed incandescent flood lights in a kitchen. I want to replace the incandescent lights with LED lights. I understand that I need to buy LED lights that are dimmable. Do I need to replace the dimmer with a dimmer that is 4-way and compatible with LED lights? I have seen 3-way dimmers that are compatible with LED lights. I do not know if 4-way dimmers exist that are compatible with LED lights.
Thank you
Greetings, sorry bothering you, but, I have a question, in my house I found a GFCI(15 Amp) protecting another GFCI(20 Amp), both in the same 15 Amp circuit, is that a correct installation?
Which box do I install my switch light?
I have a four-way situation but all the switches are four-way
Yeah
craig, how to install 3 way smart switch in 4 way circuit, Thanks.
Hello, thank you for the great video.
I currently have the 3/4/3 setup in my house. If I wanted to make it a smart switch setup would I have to change all three switch’s or just change the 4 way switch to a smart switch? Thanks again.
flaco741 it depends on the brand smart switch you are using. You should not have to change out the four way, it will be one or both three way switches.
I dont believe you do!! I do believe you need to find the device with your neutral in it from the circuit. Please let us know how you make out! CM
Whats the gauge on those wires? 14/3 & 14/2?
I have problem with a kitchen light with 2 /3 ways and one 4way . I can’t get light to work on any switch. I have power to both 3 ways
4 way needs to be in the middle between the two 3 ways
👍👍👍 thanks 🙏
The switch I bought had the blacks on one side and the brass on the other lol screwed me up
100+ and counting??
🙏👍
this and the child can .... Show better how there are 2 red 4 black and 4 white in the box..
3 way huh
'
Great video!!!
Good job sir 👏👏👏
Good job sir 👏👏👏
Good job sir 👏👏👏
Good job sir 👏👏👏