I don't recall I've ever seen it used in this area.
I was thinking something even more primitive would be the "normal"
like the knob that you turn to move the wick up or down on an oil lamp:lol:
They're not installed any more because they break so many NEC articles.
Today, you would need 4 conductors (plus ground) to accomplish this legally. "Back in the day", someone figured out how to do it with just 3.
Thats a Chicago 3 way I believe with a little ginger bread added.The California 3 way is legal I'm thinking as it doesn't switch the neutral.
dick
It took me a while to find one,,this is the California 3 way,,they said it is aka the Carter 3 way
View attachment 7827
I see how that works, and would comply with NEC, but what is the advantage to that?
Appears to me it requires one more conductor between switches than what most of us would run for it to work.
Correction on the Carter,,,the Carter 3 way is another name for the Chicago 3 way.
I'm not a proponent of the California 3 way, just wondered if it was used much.One advantage may be you can have switched outlets or direct wired outlets at either end giving you a bit of cost savings on wire but man how'd you like to have to trouble shoot that mess.
dick
You don't have a constant hot at the far end with the conventional method as I see it,do you?
The flow of devices in schematic being from left to right.......... bkr,sw, sw & light.
dick
In the UK, we call it "American switching"
Just out of curiosity,,,,,,,,is the so called California or Coast 3 way alternate scheme used much?
dick
The problem with the so-called California threeway shown in this diagram occurs when one uses the lower traveler (the always hot traveler) to supply downstream load.It took me a while to find one,,this is the California 3 way,,they said it is aka the Carter 3 way