3W Question

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mstrlucky74

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Is there more than one way to wire these 3 ways together that are controlling the same lights. I thought typically I would have to run 3 wire from one 3w switch to the other 3w switch then up to the light. Although now that I look closer there should be 3W switches at the other end of the room for the control of the track lights.THanks.
 

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infinity

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
mstrlucky74 I'm trying to be delicate, we're trying to help but your images stink. :roll:

You need to find a better way to post them. :thumbsup:
 
jumper

jumper

Senior Member
Location
3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
Do you know how to directly insert using IMG code?

attachment.php
 
jumper

jumper

Senior Member
Location
3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
hbiss said:
Umm, don't you have to have your image "hosted" someplace then put that URL between the img tags-

I]


This is what you get when you do that with the URL this board created for your image- http://forums.mikeholt.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21018&stc=1&d=1534083467

You can't just paste a .jpg file from your computer. .

http://forums.mikeholt.com/attachment.php?
attachmentid=21018&stc=1&d=1534083467

-Hal
Click to expand...

You are correct, for pics on the computer I just use the picture Icon. It reduces in size, but can clicked on and enlarged.

FF1733E4-E767-43E2-90AC-B72F43533D2C.jpg
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
mstrlucky74 said:
Is there more than one way to wire these 3 ways together that are controlling the same lights. I thought typically I would have to run 3 wire from one 3w switch to the other 3w switch then up to the light. Although now that I look closer there should be 3W switches at the other end of the room for the control of the track lights.THanks.
Click to expand...
About the only three way wiring scheme that complies with NEC on a two wire circuit with a grounded conductor (typically 120 volt or 277 volt) is to supply common on one switch with ungrounded supply, run two "traveler wires between switches, and take common from second switch to the load.

There can be many ways to route conductors to accomplish this though. The trick can be finding the way that is code compliant but uses less copper. You may route things differently if using cable methods vs raceway methods also.
 
hbiss

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
Every time I used the picture icon it was unreliable. Sometimes it works and when it does it results in a small thumbnail that you can't click on to enlarge (like the problem here). Then many times it just gives an me an error message for both uploading an image or even inserting a URL from a hosting service. I have a feeling that there is a maximum size for both the file and image and if you exceed either it won't load or you get a thumbnail. This really needs to be figured out because images can be important here and there shouldn't be a need to edit your images before you can post them.

Going to have to try using the img tags directly next time and see what happens.

-Hal
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
hbiss said:
Every time I used the picture icon it was unreliable. Sometimes it works and when it does it results in a small thumbnail that you can't click on to enlarge (like the problem here). Then many times it just gives an me an error message for both uploading an image or even inserting a URL from a hosting service. I have a feeling that there is a maximum size for both the file and image and if you exceed either it won't load or you get a thumbnail. This really needs to be figured out because images can be important here and there shouldn't be a need to edit your images before you can post them.

Going to have to try using the img tags directly next time and see what happens.

-Hal
Click to expand...
Was always a problem for me as well. IMG tags work, give you full picture embedded in the text displayed, which is also convenient for everyone reading. I won't always click on links in posts, even if I know it is to an image. Embed 10 pictures into a post with IMG tags and I will look at the pictures as they appear in the post. Put 10 links I have to click in your post to be able to see the pictures, I may not look at any of them.

You do need a site to host your images to use the IMG code, but there are free ones out there.
 
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wwhitney

Senior Member
Location
Berkeley, CA
Occupation
Retired
jumper said:
You are correct, for pics on the computer I just use the picture Icon. It reduces in size, but can clicked on and enlarged.
Click to expand...
I've used the paperclip icon, is there any practical difference in the two ways to upload a picture to mikeholt.com?

Once the picture is uploaded, you can do "Preview Post", hover over the thumbnail, right click, and choose "copy image URL" to get the URL for the uploaded image. Then you can inline that URL between tags to get the full size image inline in the post. You probably should leave the [ATTACH] tags for the thumbnails to be sure that the image is counted as being referenced in the post you are making.

I assume that the problem some people have with this is that if the uploaded image is too large (in bytes), then the forum software does some not very clever downsizing, producing an unreadable result. One workaround is to shrink the image (in bytes) before uploading it, not what sure what the threshold is for the forum software.

Cheers, Wayne
 
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WarrMann

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta, GA
mstrlucky74 said:
Is there more than one way to wire these 3 ways together that are controlling the same lights. I thought typically I would have to run 3 wire from one 3w switch to the other 3w switch then up to the light. Although now that I look closer there should be 3W switches at the other end of the room for the control of the track lights.THanks.
Click to expand...
Your hot and the feed to the light can be in the same switch box, with only a 3 wire run between boxes and the common, or return, from the second 3 way switch connected to the feed for the lights in the originating switch box. The neutral doesn't leave the originating switch box. Not the greatest method cause you lose a neutral at a switch location and have to re mark a white conductor. But you asked for alternative methods, and this is a fairly common one. Google "California 3 way" if you want to see a less common one

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
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WarrMann

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta, GA
mstrlucky74 said:
Is there more than one way to wire these 3 ways together that are controlling the same lights. I thought typically I would have to run 3 wire from one 3w switch to the other 3w switch then up to the light. Although now that I look closer there should be 3W switches at the other end of the room for the control of the track lights.THanks.
Click to expand...
And you should maybe post this in the general electric section when you figure out the image part

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
C

cdslotz

Senior Member
why bog down an estimate worrying about how to wire a 3W switch?

Here's all you need to know....the number of wires required are 2-travelers, 1-hot or switch leg, and 1-neutral

put that in your estimate and let the guys in the field provide the most effective way to do it....the $ is the same
 
M

mstrlucky74

Senior Member
Location
NJ
cdslotz said:
why bog down an estimate worrying about how to wire a 3W switch?

Here's all you need to know....the number of wires required are 2-travelers, 1-hot or switch leg, and 1-neutral

put that in your estimate and let the guys in the field provide the most effective way to do it....the $ is the same
Click to expand...
so it's a 12/4 wire not 12/3
 
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