Understanding Single Pole and 3-Way Switches
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- čas přidán 30. 01. 2009
- www.electrical-online.com. The basics of single pole switches and 3-way switches is demonstrated by Terry Peterman, the Internet Electrician. Other helpful home wiring tips, articles and videos can be found at www.electrical-online.com.
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As a visual learner, this was priceless for me. Now it all makes sense. Thanks!
I have been searching the web everywhere to learn how-to wire a single pole and a 3-way switch (side-by-side) and you are the only one that offers not only the answer but a video. I tip my hat to professionals like yourself willing to share.......
I work as a residential low voltage technician. So I work in conjunction with electricians all the time. I have asked a number of electricians to explain the workings of a three way switch. Never has it been explained to me in a manner that has clicked. After seeing this demo, this is the first time I feel I have an understanding of how a three way switch works. Thank you.
Umber Khan
One of the greatest demonstrations I have ever seen. Great stuff!!
GLAD YOU GOT IT !!!!!
Well done. My wife and I were stumped on the three-way switches in the kitchen as we finished everything else on our remodeling project. Your video made us think "of course!" and able to complete the wiring successfully. Tracing the flow of electricity on your demo board makes it so clear.
At last it´s all clear!!! The two boxes are always energized in their connections, because the "hallway switch" commutes the energy, from one traveler to the other. Great Terry. Thanks again.
Fantastic visualization. Lots of others with the same information out there, but you presented it in a very clear way :)
Extremely simple to understand and a perfect demonstration of switch configurations. Thanks!!
Thanks for this instructive video. I 2 weeks into being an electricians apprentice and this has been the one thing that is pretty confusing but your dummy bord mad it alot easyer to understand. Single pole and dimmers are a breez but I am confident this will help me in the future!
May be the best video I've seen on the internet in months!!
Thanks Jacob!
Thank you for creating this demonstration. After many years and many home wiring projects I know understand how 3-way switches work!!! - much appreciated.
Excellent explanation and visual demonstration. Thank you Terry. Much appreciated.
Thanks. Perfect explanation. Super simple.
Terry, you are the best!. For the first time in years I understand how this work. After seeing this video I went ahead and change some switches around the house, and for the first time I was perfectly sure of what I was doing. Thank you so much
Finally! I understand it.... the funny thing is that it's really, really simple the way you explain it. The key for me was knowing there were TWO travel wires... Now it makes sense.
Thank you for this. I have wired three ways before, but I always had to stare at the switch box product diagram with zen like concentration to get through it. This finally tells me what a traveler actually is. This reminds me of a two position dc toggle switch with a common hot in the middle which I have always been able to wire without problems.
Great presentation Terry. You made this easy to understand. Thanks
great example i been working on my stairway 3 way light switch with a single pole switch combo and couldn't figure out how to get the uncommon to the common terminal the pig tail worked great. Thanks a bunch
always wondered how 3-way switches worked! great demonstration, very easy to understand. thanks!
Thank you so much for this video! Completely simplified the 3-way switch wiring. Not quite as freaked out to give it a try now. Thanks!
Great demo; pictures always make it easier to understand. For the beginners, who probably shouldn't be wiring anything without supervision, you may want to mention that 14/3 wire (or an extra wire) is needed between the switches. They may not realize (since it isn't shown) a neutral has to go to the lights to complete the circuit. Again, these people shouldn't be attempting electrical work if they don't know this but they will.
This is one is you the best video demo so far, very simply for a dummies like me to understand . good job
Very simply put. Great video. Thanks!
great video, nice and simple break down of the wiring
Does not get any easier to understand that. Great job. Thanks
I think I needed to hear this a bit slower but am so appreciative of your design. I just installed a dimmer switch that has two red wires (actually on is candy cane colored). I used the candy cane wire for the neutral and capped off the other red wire. Now I want to connect the green ground wire and the nearest ground I know of is the copper tubing that goes to my refrigerator. If I use that water tubing, do I risk being electrocuted at the ice maker?
I have to agree with all the previous comments. This video makes it soooo clear and easy to understand the 3 way switch concept. Thanks for posting.
Very good demonstration. Very easy to understand. Thanks.
great vid--
Do you have a video--or advice on CHANGING a 3-way switch to a 2-way switch and INOP'ing the other switch.. ?
is that possible.? one 3-way is behind a fridge- and cannot be used..!
@jimmywacked Yes, it is possible to do that. e-mail me from our website and we can go from there.
Super good explanation, thanks.
nice tutorial sir. your such a good teacher to us. thank you
Great demo.. very simple. Thanks
You're awesome. Seriously, thank you so much.
That board is awesome. I was at home depot and saw single pole vs three way switches and I needed to know which one to buy. Luckily my job is a simpler one.
Love your work mate. Wish had this explained as simply at the beginning of trade school
*great* video illustration. Thank you for posting.
Excellent video thanks.
Can you explain how to install a SPT switch to turn on/off a voltmeter that would be connected to a 12 v battery? thanks.
dude, you rock. great demo. experts always make it look easy.
nice explanation, loved the rope that lights up.
You made things so easy. thanks
To be sure, ALWAYS shut off the breaker to de-energize the circuit. Read this article on my website, electrical-online and go to Wiring, Home Electrical safety fundamentals page.
thanks very informative
Terry, I have a bedroom with one pole switch and 4 outlets. The switch turns on the cieling light and also controls an outlet on the same wall. of the other 3 outlets only one works? I used an outlet tester and no lights came on for the two which arent working. Can I remove the outlet under the switch to no be slaved to it? Why would two outlets not work? they did work before. I checked the circuit breakers and all are on. thanks for any help.
Hmoob, you have the common conductor on the wrong terminal of the switch (s) at one end or the other.
everyone shows a switch to a switch to a light, but my old house is a switch to lights to a switch from a gang box. on the switch in the gang box is 2 blacks and a red and white to all whites. How does one wire the light in the middle of the switches?
Indeed, very helpful video. Thank you for this!
Can u do a video showing a 4 way connection
Nice explanation! Thanks!
great demo explanation. now if i can just remember how it goes on my switches.......anyway, thank you for this good video training film for this 6th grade electrician!
Great video just what I needed to see.
Really good demo, thank you
thank you you resolve my problem with this video very good demostration
Great video--really crystalizes it! Thanks so much.
Very good video, well explained.
Hi, with the 3 way switch.. From either entry end you enter from,.. You're able to turn the light On & Off from either 3way switch? For instance, I ENTER the kitchen, from off the hallway, turning the light On, & EXIT from the same hallway, turning the light OFF, that wouldn't affect witch position the other 3 way switch at the other end of the kitchen is in? Correct..?
The idea with the light tubes is great! Need to remember that if I need to explain it to someone else.
very detailed.. good job!
Thanks for the useful video. I have a 3-way switch on which is a dimmer.
Let's call the switches A and B. The dimmer is on the A switch. My problem is this: For A to work, B must be in the ON position. For B to work, A must be in the ON position. Neither A nor B will work if the other one is in the OFF position. I know that this is not much to go on, but could you think of a reason why this is happening? Thanks.
Thanks!
thank you!!!!!!!! now I understand three way switches,.
How I am going to change the light bulb on this, I am scared I don't know whether there is power or not. should I keep both switched of , or on , or one on one down or what?
@aryvivitoy You would think they would be called 2-way switches. It makes more sense, but they are called 3-way.
board design really makes it easy i knew how they worked but that just made it so much simpler
Why do you always wire your single pole switches with the bottom screw as the hot? I was always taught that all switches (unless marked otherwise, line vs. load) were fed from the top. This dates back to the old knife switches that open with the blades out. The code required those switches to have the blades de-energized when open. Hence, Line top and Load bottom. It is very hard for me to do anything else on any switch. What is your reasoning? Thanks, great videos!
Like yourself, I guess it comes from how I was taught! It doesn't really matter, but your rationalization with the knife switches certainly is valid. Keep doing what you do!
Terry, after looking at some Mike Holt blogs and a little internet search I think you are correct. It doesn't matter on a single pole. Actually the marked terminal on three ways is on the bottom too. I really like your videos, I can tell you have been doing this a long time. I am mainly a commercial/industrial electrician but I occasionally take on a residential project. Your videos give me great ideas. Keep it up, we need people doing these videos that actually know the code and safety. I have seen many CZcams videos that were down right scary when you think of some newby trying some of these installations.
I have a condo unit in a very old building; there is a wall switch going to the ceiling fan, it has 2 black wires and one white wire. I am not able to get the fan to work at all. I have put the 2 black wires on the brass nuts and the white on the neutral with no luck. What am I doing wrong?
Can you have 2 decorative rocker single pole switches in your 3-way switch? My issue is, I have identified the 2 traveler wires and the hot wire on the hot side and the black wire on the other side. I know what wire is what. When I changed one switch, everything worked fine. When I changed the second switch (non-hot side), it broke. As in, only when the non-hot side is in a up position will the other side work. If it is down, the hot side will not work.
Your common and one traveller are mixed up.
So would it be fair to say that, I could reduce my 3-way switch to a single pole by (i) Take out the switch I don't need anymore (ii) connect one of the travelers to the load line (going to the light bulb) (iii) cap off the 2nd traveler and then this should function as a single pole switch.
Essentially placing the defunct switch permanently in an 'on' position and then you control it exclusively with the 2nd switch. Thoughts pls.
Yes, that would work!
I got confused because of the other lighbulb that has nothing to do with the 3way circuit. Thank you anyways. I found this very helpful Three-way switches & How they work explained in 1/3rd of the time.
Well done. Thanks
Thanks for sharing!
Very helpful. Thanks!
so the 2 wire goes to the single pole and the 3 wire (edison 3 wire goes to the 3 way?) I am a 1st year apprentice and am starting to get this stuff but have lots to learn in the trade. Do you have a 4 way demo?
It's strange that there's only sound coming out of the left speaker.... not so on other videos, though!
That's our bad. Was recorded and rendered with the wrong audio settings.
nice...good explanation...very clear...
@sikesterone AC & DC refer to the current flow. AC or alternating current is constantly changing from peaks & valleys if you were to see it on a osciliscope. AC is most common because it is easy to change voltages with transformers for transmission from power plants to your home system. Higher voltages use less currrent so they use smaller wire.
DC or direct current is generated from batteries. It would look like a straight line on a scope. DC can not be changed with transformers.
I was replacing some old switches and could not figure out why even tho I hooked it up the same, the 3-way light wasn't working. Now I realize it's because I purchased single-pole switches. Ugh.... Thank you.
Great video
can you demonstrate how can you tell which return wire goes in which side of the switch. thanks in advance.
It doesn't matter what traveller goes to what terminal at either end.
Nice demo, Thanks
I have 2 switches in the same box. No other switches. One switch works the porch light one works the living room light .The porch light works but the living room light does not work. Any idea of what my problem is?
Great video but for the life of me I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong with the following situation. Location: kitchen. Two - 3 way light switches on each end of my kitchen. If one is turned on I can go to the opposite 3 way switch and also turn it on or off. However, if the light switch on either one is turned off... I can not get the other switch to work. It's like the circuit is broken if either one is off. I'm confused because I should be able to turn either one on or off no matter the circuit condition. Any idea? Any help would be great. Thanks
You must have the common and one of the travellers mixed up at one end or the other.
Great Video.
My god thank you so much that was my problem I was told how to do it but I could never picture it man it is simple thanks alot
I understand this, but i have been trying to install an occupancy sensor in my laundry room with no luck. I have 14/2 wiring, any ideas?
I like your light tubes!
Brilliant, thanks!
How do you covert a 3way switch to a single pole switch?
Just use the top terminal and the common on one side and don't use the other terminal.
Thanks!
wow this was good thank you had the same problem understanding it too
your wicked, need more people like you!!
Awesome! Thank you!
are you from scottland?
Excellent Sir
very helpful. thanks
great video now i have to get it all together to install four lights in a row lol
clicked on this vid because i could've sworn this was being taught by Det. Mills from Se7en. :)
but seriously, great instructions. many thanks.
Do you think I look like Brad Pitt! That's a first!
@sikesterone The voltages between AC & DC are totaly different "potential". You would never want to mix these voltages in a system as you could damage equipment not rated for the appropriate voltage. An AC rated meter will not read DC & a DC metter will not read AC. DC systems usually uses a red (positive) & black (negative) wire. The negative is the grounded wire. AC would use Red, black, blue or orange, brown, yellow for power & white or grey for neutral, with green or bare for ground.
Can you explain to me why you call it a 3 way switch, it is just a SPDT. In Australia and the UK, it is a 2 way switch, I am at loss as why the USA call it a 3 way switch. Thanks.
I really have never understood that myself! Makes more sense to call it a 2-way I would think? Firmly entrenched as a 3-way in norte-americana though.
great video
Thanks Finally I understood