3 way wifi switch "funny" neutral connection

[Pat Tully]

A friend (licensed electrician) asked me to help him figure how to connect a wifi 3 way switch. The switch requires a neutral. The supply breaker is a GFCI and the neutral for that circuit was not in the switchbox in the garage. He had connected it to a neutral in the box from a different circuit and the breaker tripped (GFCI recognized hot and neutral were not equal). He tried the switch in the J box in the hall but the hot wire was connected in the garage so it didn't work. Next he swapped the leads in both boxes so the hot wire was in the hall and it worked. But the way the house was wired (house is 7 years old), the 120 volt romex was run through the hall jbox to the light, then another romex (2 conductor) was run to the hall switch box to the 3 way switch (2 conductors). The result being that the current that feeds the wifi comes from the light box hot leg and returns through the neutral in the hall switch box. So the sum of the current in the conductors does not equal zero.

How much of a problem is this and what are the possible consequences.

 

[hillbilly1]

The easy way to fix, is to take that switch back, and get one that doesn’t require a neutral. Some will work and are listed for taking that connection to ground, usually they will work that way if you don’t have to many on the gfi circuit. Usually it will tell in the instructions if that can be done.

 

[Pat Tully]

The easy way to fix, is to take that switch back, and get one that doesn’t require a neutral. Some will work and are listed for taking that connection to ground, usually they will work that way if you don’t have to many on the gfi circuit. Usually it will tell in the instructions if that can be done.

Thank You