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Purchased a house and the 4 way not working. Figured that someone miswired one of the switches and when I checked the boxes this is what I found.
Box 1 at bottom of stairs has 14-3 and 12 -2 BX cable. Power into this box. What is confusing in this box is that someone attached a bare copper wire from the neutral to the metal box. This completes the circuit without this copper attached nothing works. I think they lost neutral and this was the remedy. Not sure
Box 2 top of stairs has 2 - 14-3 wires attached to the 4 way.
Box 3 outside of bdrm has 14 -3 and a 14-2. 14-2 goes to the fixture.
I thought I figured out all the hots and travelers but can't get this to work. What would be the best remedy to fix this circuit? Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
The question on 4 way switches has come up before. I dug up some of tkrussell's old answers, but the diagrams seem to have disappeared. It is just a matter of getting the travelers paired correctly on the switches. You may have to wait until he posts.
Sounds like you may actually have 3 ways. remove both switches and have 2 same wires from 1 switch to other switch same 2 screws(They are the travellers and go to 2 same colored screws,on both switches.
On each 3 way, the common of 1 is always hot, and the common screw of the other 3 way goes to the lite(Hot).
If 3 switches controlling same set of lights, it is a 4 way and has 4 screws, 2 wires from same sheath or conduit go to 2 dark screws, and the travellers from other switch go to other 2 screws on 4 way.
Here is the only one I have. The tricky part is to know which pair of terminals are each set of travelers on a four way switch, usually top and bottom.
Snappy, I have had myself buried in a situation like yours. I was having a heck of a time determining what wires went where. Finally, I opened up every box (including the lights...I had three) and disconnected every single splice so I had open wire ends to work with. I turned the power back on and using my Fluke meter, determined which cable supplied power. Then I turned the power off, switched my meter over to ohms, and using some long automotive wire with alligator clips on each end as a jumper, I was able to easily determine exactly which cable went where. From there, it's very simple to follow tk's diagram.
Thanks for the answers. I see what everyone is saying and the diagram is what I have. The main concern I have is that they jumpered the twisted neutral wire with a bare copper and attached it to the metal casing of the outlet box. The house has BX and I think they are using the sheathing to complet the circuit. Without this wire the circuit does not work at all. Is this allowed? Could this potentional lead to a shock hazard? Once I'm sure of this then the problem must be with the 4 way switch being miswired. You guys are great with the answers that have been given on this post. It definilty helps the little guy out there trying to do the right thing.
Thanks
Whoa, stop the bus....connection of a neutral to the equipment ground, the metal sheathing of the BX, is not allowed, ever, period.
Not sure what your going to do to fix this, but that,and any other neutral connected to ground, needs to be disconnected.
Neutral, while at zero volts, is a current carrying conductor, and you are allowing current to return to the panelboard via all bare metal. In just the right, or wrong, as you see it, conditions, this is a shock hazard.
And since BX sheathing relies on tight box clamps and connector for continuity, and loose clamp or connector can arc and will cause a fire hazard.
I'm wondering if you haven't lost your neutral circuit somewhere and they used the ground as a "crutch" rather than fix it right. I would want that fixed rather than just arbitrarily run a new wire.
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