LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I have only seen those used on EGCs.
California Three Way
- Thread starter Joethemechanic
- Start date
- Status
Joethemechanic
Senior Member
- Location
- Hazleton Pa
- Occupation
- Electro-Mechanical Technician. Industrial machinery
They still make the insulating caps, but these are nylon. The old ones were rubber and 2 piece
4x4dually
Senior Member
- Location
- Stillwater, OK
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer/ Ex-Electrician
I've never seen a California three-way setup. In my opinion, the extra wire it takes to do things normal sure seem like less of a headache down the road for someone trying to trouble shoot. I can't imagine someone asking me to look into their switches and not knowing it was wired according to Proposition 65.
4x4dually
Senior Member
- Location
- Stillwater, OK
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer/ Ex-Electrician
I thought about typing something like that as well but opted to be professional today. Good job.Interesting, I googled "California threeway" and what I got was shocking, but not electrical related. I now have a meeting with HR, thanks.
winnie
Senior Member
- Location
- Springfield, MA, USA
- Occupation
- Electric motor research
I Google California threeway and only get various wiring schemes. I guess that says something about different search histories.....
Joethemechanic
Senior Member
- Location
- Hazleton Pa
- Occupation
- Electro-Mechanical Technician. Industrial machinery
Interesting, I googled "California threeway" and what I got was shocking, but not electrical related. I now have a meeting with HR, thanks.
My boomer mind went here first
But I can imagine google has become a bit more spicy now
818 BABY
rambojoe
Senior Member
- Location
- phoenix az
- Occupation
- Wireman
Never do it.Interesting, I googled "California threeway" and what I got was shocking, but not electrical related. I now have a meeting with HR, thanks.
It makes monday really, really akward..
ggunn
PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
- Location
- Austin, TX, USA
- Occupation
- Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
In a related story...Interesting, I googled "California threeway" and what I got was shocking, but not electrical related. I now have a meeting with HR, thanks.
One day at work in a major semiconductor company I was having a problem with my computer. After a frustrated hour or so, I called IT and had them send me one of their guys. After another frustrating hour or so, we got it working.
A few days later I was summoned to go to the HR office. It seems that someone was walking by my cubicle and reported me for verbally abusing a co worker with me at my desk. I was puzzled for a moment, but then I realized what it was about. "Oh, that," I explained, "I was cursing at the computer."
"Oh, well, that's different," the HR woman said. "We all do that."
TwoBlocked
Senior Member
- Location
- Bradford County, PA
- Occupation
- Industrial Electrician
These are my all time favorite for small and medium motors. Some day I'll get the proper crimp tool instead of using t&b's.
readydave8
re member
- Location
- Clarkesville, Georgia
- Occupation
- electrician
I always thought it was interesting that when naming computer, most common choice is "C'mon Dammit"
It was right there for the taking, I couldn't pass it up.I thought about typing something like that as well but opted to be professional today. Good job.
Sorry I steered the ship off course. I guess I am too young to not have heard of a "California three-way". They didn't teach us that one, but they did teach us a western union splice, then told us never to use it.
I did some research about the california three way and saw two different ways of making it happen. I don't see the benefit of it through. It looks like one of those things where the guy went "Well, it works like it should, so i guess i did it right."
drcampbell
Senior Member
- Location
- The Motor City, Michigan USA
- Occupation
- Registered Professional Engineer
Likewise. It still needs four wires, so why use a divergent method that will be difficult to troubleshoot when the time comes?
This is why I like Chicago style. (individual conductors in conduit) You can use blue for the travelers and yellow for the switched hot wires feeding the light fixtures, making it much easier to see what's going on.
winnie
Senior Member
- Location
- Springfield, MA, USA
- Occupation
- Electric motor research
IMHO this sort of 3-way is not something that you should use in any usual situation, but it might be a useful tool to have in your back pocket for a situation with strange constraints.
For example, if you have 4 wires going to a garage in a direct bury cable. You choose: use a non-standard wiring approach, or trench a new cable. (Or your customer chooses, if they can process the trade-offs.)
If you have access to run more wires, it probably makes more sense to run a normal 3-way with a separate switched hot (needing 5 wires rather than 4). You pay for more copper, but you reduce the complexity for diagnostics when something fails down the road, and you get lower voltage drop.
-Jon
For example, if you have 4 wires going to a garage in a direct bury cable. You choose: use a non-standard wiring approach, or trench a new cable. (Or your customer chooses, if they can process the trade-offs.)
If you have access to run more wires, it probably makes more sense to run a normal 3-way with a separate switched hot (needing 5 wires rather than 4). You pay for more copper, but you reduce the complexity for diagnostics when something fails down the road, and you get lower voltage drop.
-Jon
I grew up in a house that had a garage wired that way. I think a lot of homes in our neighborhood did. Homes constructed in the 1920s.
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