switches

[channing123]

how many 4ways can operate single luminare fixture any such thing as to many :roll:

 

[peter d]

Re: switches

Channing, all due respect, you're not making much sense.

Could you please restate the question, with more detail?

But I will try to guess at what you are asking:

To answer your first question, you can have as many 4-ways as you want between two 3-ways.

any such thing as to many down the line will it cause any problems

As I said, you can have any number of 4-ways. If wired incorrectly, only one will cause a problem. Nothing will cause problems unless it has been improerly wired.

 

[George Stolz]

Re: switches

If you're just speaking hypothetically, the only factor that I know of that would cause issues is voltage drop, but you'd have to be speaking of a huge installation. Huge.

But other than that, yeah, as many four-ways as you want.

 

[al hildenbrand]

Re: switches

As to theory, I agree with Peter's "any number of 4 ways".

In the real world, the branch circuit impedance will accumulate with each 4 way and additional switch loop length. At some point the total impedance will result in less than satisfactory performance of the luminaire. The judgement of what is satisfactory performance of the luminaire determines the practical limit, IMO.

 

[steve66]

Re: switches

Yes, voltage drop would be the problem. Picture a hallway with fixtures and light switches spaced along its lenght, and the panelboard at one end. The current will start at the panelboard, and run all the way down the hall to the last switch on the traveler. Then, on the switched wire, it travels back hitting each fixture on the way back. Finally, current travels on the neutral from each fixture back to the panel.

So the length of the circuit for every fixture is the same as the total length of the hall, even for a fixture right next to the panel.

However, for the same hallway 3-way switched at the far ends (no 4-way switches0, the voltage drop would be almost the same. (The only difference would be the short drops down to the other switches).

STeve

 

[yanert]

Re: switches

I once wired a large house that had night lights installed all along the walls at normal outlet height. They were basically a single gang wall plate louver with a small 120 volt bulb in it. Anyhow, they wanted to be able to walk out any bedroom and flip on the lights that would supply a small amount of light through out the house. I think we ended up with 6 4-ways and of course 2 three ways. Never did a voltage drop calc, just pulled it, but it was a lot of 3 wire, and of course a lot of 12/2 just coming off the last three way back to all the lamps. Can't remember how many lamps we installed but it was maybe 12 to 14. That was a long ckt.