I just had a new house built with a lot of 3-way wall switches. Is it all right to turn switches over so when all the levers are down, I know all the lights are off?

The three way switches in my home certainly wouldn't be compatible with such a scheme.

The point of three way switches is turning the light on or off from one of two places. If you are at the upper end of the stairway operating that switch will not change the position of the switch at the lower end of the stairway. Thus the position of that switch compared to other switches at the same location (which would be controlling other completely independent lights) cannot be used as an indicator.

Of course your switches might be at both ends of a hall or opposite ends of a room.

The best you could hope for would be orienting the switches so that the two switches for that light (at the two separate locations) would be in the same direction (both up or both down) when the light is on. Of course the light being on or off would normally be a much more obvious indicator.

Yes, that' the way I normally do them. Both up or both down is on and one up and the other down is off.

You can turn the switch around or swap the wires that are not connected to common.

Lighted 3-way toggle switches are also an option.

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Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

You can turn the switch around or swap the wires that are not connected to common.

Lighted 3-way toggle switches are also an option.

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I don't understand how that would accomplish anything if the incandescent bulb(s) in the fixture were burned out or missing. The burned out bulb(s) wouldn't provide a path completing the circuit powering the indicator light. If any of the bulbs weren't burned out the operating fixture would make it very obvious the fixture was powered, making an indicator on the switches unnecessary.

I am confused or reading this wrong. Lets say you have 2 switches on a 3way installed with both switches down and light is off. Flip one up light is on but other switch is still down. Now flip up that second switch and the light goes off but both switches are now up.

No, Bob you are not confused. I just have the light on when switches the same, you have the light off when the same.

I think the KISS's lighted switch is just so you can find it in the dark, all ways on.

Harold, read my post 6 again. If you alternate flipping switches you can get every possible combo from both down light is off to both up light is off.

All the levers will not be down when the lights are off. I went through this with a customer, once. Took 2 hours to show her, but she finally got it.

Yep, they just don't work that way, make them 4 way and you have even more combinations.

Got another two hours TK?

Don't think I said down, I think I said same position.

Both up = on.
Both down = on.
One up, one down = off.

Throw in a 4 way and its like putting some one in a barrel and telling them to p in the corner.
Slow night, waiting for paint to dry.

I work many Large Houses, if it is Three ways, a couple of 4 ways, whatever, It is preferable to go to ALL switch Banks and turn ALL down and all are off. Anything different is questionable. All down for off is preferable, My opinion.
To correct, all you have to do is turn 1 switch upside down.
I wouldn't swap wires on a switch, I would just turn 1 switch upside down.
TOP doesn't have to be on Top, unless someone responds otherwise.
In the end, at the fron door, you could turn on floods or whatever and know On is On.(Because all the other 3/4 ways are off, any 1 On is On.

I feel that if you turn all the switches (flip them over) so that down = off, then no matter what happens with 3 or 4 way switches, there should always be a method to return them to "home" posistion.

switch 1 up switch 2 up = light on
switch 1 down switch 2 down = light off
switch 1 down switch 2 up = light on

walk across the room
switch 1 up switch 2 still up = light off

HOWEVER
walk back across the room,
switch 2 down switch 1 still up = light on

walk back to the other side of the room
switch 1 down switch 2 still down = light OFF

However, I don't think there is any possible way to guarantee that at all times both switches will be in the "correct" posisiton for off.

As for me, it's a minor detail, one that I try not to let bother me.

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Two switches, 2 stayes, 2 binary digits.

0 00 OFF
1 01 ON
2 10 ON
3 11 OFF

Let 1 represent UP and 0 represent down. Changing one bit, changes state. 2 bits, no change.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

Got another two hours TK?

Don't think I said down, I think I said same position.

Both up = on.
Both down = on.
One up, one down = off.

Throw in a 4 way and its like putting some one in a barrel and telling them to p in the corner.
Slow night, waiting for paint to dry.

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I was only referring to the original question.

See, I'm just as slow on the up take as she was TK.

Quote "Is it alright to turn switches over so when all the levers are down, I know all the lights are off?"
You just need to turn 1 switch upsidedown in
Each 3/4 way arrangement. Easier to do 1 in a single gang box as appoaed to a 6 gang box.

Andrew, I think you made an error here."switch 1 up switch 2 up = light on
switch 1 down switch 2 down = light off
" The first statement can be true but #2 is the error. If both up the light is on the moment you move one switch down the light is off, move the other switch down the light comes back on. In a 3 way each switch reverses the last action of the other switch. There is no ON/OFF even labeled on a 3 way switch.

BB: you can take my truth table and get: OFF, ON, ON, OFF or OFF, ON, ON, OFF dependent on moving one switch. Re-defining UP and Down does just that.