Ever thought "electricians are expensive! I can do the job myself!"

Ever thought "electricians are expensive! I can do the job myself!" 

With the step by step guide, video, online simulator and drawings in this post you will have the knowledge and tools required to wire up your own 3-way switches to control your bedroom light (or any light) from two locations. 

The first thing you should do when working with anything electrical, is find the electrical breaker feeding electricity to the circuit you plan to work on and turn if OFF and LOCK IT OUT. ALWAYS.

To start lets begin with a schematic diagram to explain the logical path of current flow. This drawing DOES NOT show the actual location of devices. 

If you follow the diagram above you will see that the "L" concoctor (L for line, meaning this is the power wire coming from the Panel and will be black in colour). Connects to what we call the "common screw". The travelers are only connected switch to switch. From the "common screw" on the second switch we connect to the switch leg (black wire that connects to the light). and finally the "N" conductor returns to the panel and allowed us to complete the electrical loop (this wire will be white). 

In the picture above we see a common 3-way switch, the three screws that will be on any 3-way switch. The two brass screws (at the tops of this switch) are called the travelers. The black screw at the bottom is called the common screw. 

Tools required to complete this task are:

Pliers (electricians call them linesmen), #1 & #2 Robertson or Philips screwdriver, electrical strippers, and a knife. 

Material needed:

Two electrical device boxes for the switches, one octagon box for the light, one light fixture, two 3-way switches, 14 gauge 3 conductor electrical wire (as much as needed to connect between the two electrical boxes), 14 gauge 2 conductor electrical wire, 4 marretts and lastly the plastic plates required to finish with a clean look. 

A great way to set yourself up for success when doing any electrical task is to give yourself a wiring diagram. This is a drawing you can follow step by step to ensure you make proper connections. The diagram below is a pictorial wiring diagram that we can recreate with the blank drawing further below. 

Below is a blank drawing you can complete yourself following the step by step guide further below. 

There are 4 easy steps you need to follow when wiring a 3-way switch. 

Step 1: 

Get the Neutral to the light 

What this does is gives the wiring a return path back to the panel to complete the electrical loop required for current to flow. 

Step 2 (interchangeable with step 3):

Get power to a common screw. 

What this does id provide a source of electricity to the common (pivot point) on the switch. 

Step 3 (interchangeable with step two):

Get the switch leg to the other common screw. 

What this does is gets the wire that will feed current to the light to the common (pivot point) on the second switch. 

Step 4 (final step):

Connect the travelers switch to switch (it does not mater which colour goes to which screw). 

What this does is allows the two 3-way switches to communicate to each other whether there is a path for current flow or not. Below I have added a few schematic diagrams to help explain this. 

In the diagram above there is no path for current to the light (the light is off). 

In the diagram above there is a path for current flow to the light (the light in on). 

This is all it takes to control a light from two locations. If you would like to learn hoe to control lights from more than 2 locations please follow my blog in the future for another tutorial. 

If you found this step by step guide did not fully cement your understanding of the requirements to complete this task successfully please take a few minutes to watch the 3-way switching tutorial video I posted below. 

As a way to practice virtually before creating your 3-way switching circuit in real life please use the link below. The link will take you to a free online simulation where you can create your own electrical circuits and watch the flow of current in real time. 

Free online simulator

Once you have completed this online lesson, please bring a completed package of your learning (schematic and wiring diagrams) with you to the practical assessment. This is only for students enrolled in my foundation program. Please send me an email to schedule your practical in shop assessment. 

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any comments, questions, or feedback. Please feel free to make a comment on this post and I'll try to respond in a timely manor.