Three Way Switch Video

Three way switches allow you to control a light from two different locations. Turn the light on in one part of the room and turn it off from another section of the room.

A 3 way switch is different from an ordinary light switch. A regular light switch has two screw connections on it, plus the green ground screw. A three way light switch has 3 screws plus the grounding screw. The fourth screw is painted black. This is the connection where the power comes into the first switch. In the second switch, the black connector is where the power goes out to the light switch.

Make sure when bending the loops in the wire, you bend the loops in a clockwise direction. When attaching the wire loop to the screw, the loop will close as the screw is tightened.

The wiring circuit shows the incoming cable from the circuit breaker panel. It has 3 wires. The black wire connects to the black screw in the first switch. The brass screw on the first switch gets connected to the red wire going between the two switches. The other brass screw gets the black wire going between the switches. The white wire gets connected to the white wire between the switches, as does the grounding wire.

On the second switch, the red wire gets attached to a brass screw, the black wire gets connected to a brass screw. The black screw connector on the second switch gets the black wire going to the light fixture.

This wiring may seem confusing if you don't do it everyday. If you are not sure, call an electrician.