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I have a room where 3 separate light switches for one over head light. Want to change that to a single switch. The traveler wires are going under the house to the other switches. Hot comes in from the ceiling. I can't crawl under the house (claustrophobia). Could I unhook those extra switches, replace with one 2 way switch, & cap off the wires and leave in the wall? They shouldn't be hot once unhooked correct?
Yes, but how you will do this all depends on where you want to install the single pole switch.
Is that location the line 3-way, (where the 2-wire cable from the light is connected) or is it at the 4-way switch (in between the two 3-way switches (electrically) or is it at the load 3-way switch (not where the 2-wire cable form the light is connected)?
I am not sure about that. I was going to eliminate the other two switches, and have the single pole. Up in the attic, the load wire comes into the overhead light box. Then separate lines run to each switch.
If the hot is in the ceiling, you will have switch loops to the switches. Find the wires that go to the box you want to use. And connect one red or black wire to the hot ceiling lead. Now connect another colored wire, red or black back to the light black using the same wire circuit. You should only have 1 hot circuit. Connect the ceiling white to the fixture white. The white in the down lead is not needed. Connect the ground to the fixture and switch. In the wall box you should have 1 hot lead, one cold lead and a ground. Install a Single Pole switch connecting the 2 colored wires. All other ceiling wires should be disconnected, wire nutted and pushed back into the box. All other wall switches can be removed, wires nutted and blank covers installed. All you are basically doing is converting a traveler set to a 2 conductor switch loop. Let us know how it works out.
As stated above you have to first decide where you want to put the single pole switch. What you have to do will depend on where you chose to put the switch.
One switch will have a 2-wire cable with a black and white wire and will have a 3-wire cable with a black, red and white wire. That is the line switch.
The 4-way switch will have two 3-wire cables, each with black, red and white wires.
The other 3-way switch will have only one 3-wire cable with black, red and white wires. That is the load switch.
You must first chose the location and then we can tell you what you have to do.
Harold, thanks for explaining it to me. I just pulled out the switches to check. None have 3 wire, only 2 wire. (black & white + ground)
Ok, the first switch (left) has 2 white & 2 black wires hooked up. The second switch (right) has 2 black & 1 white, & the same for the third switch (front). The third switch runs black to another switch/outdoor light that I will not be modifying.
The second switch is where I would like to install the new single pole switch. I will have to move it about 4 feet.
What you are telling me is not coming across as logical.
First you titled your post as "4 way to a 2 way switch",
Then you states that you had three separate switches for one overhead light.
Further you said that hot was coming from the light.
Now you say one of those switches controls another light.
Lets start over.
You describe what you have presently.
A set of 3-way switches always works in pairs. You must have two. You can't have just one and you can't have three. If you need more than two locations to turn a light on and off, you install two 3-ways switch and you install a 4-way switch between them. You can have more than one 4-way switch. You can always recognize a 3-way and 4-way switches, they don't have ON or OFF on the toggle. A 3-way switch will have 3 screw terminals. A 4-way switch will have 4 screw terminals.
There are five ways to wire a set of 3-way switches, all depending on where the power is coming in at and how you want to run the wiring. You said that power is coming into the ceiling fixture. How do you know that?
If power is coming into the ceiling fixture as you have stated, you run a 2-wire cable from the ceiling to the first switch. You run a 3-wire cable from the first switch to the second switch. You use one wire, of the 2-wire cable from the ceiling to the first switch, to take power to the switch. That wire is connected to the common of the 3-way switch. The common is always connected (internally) to one of the traveler screw terminals. If the switch is up it is connected to one traveler, if the switch is down it is connected to the other traveler terminal. So power always passes through the first 3-way switch and goes to the second 3-way. At the second 3-way, again the common is always connected to one of the travelers. If the common of the second 3-way is connected to the same traveler as the first 3-way, electricity passes through the second 3-way and comes out the common. The third wire of the 3-wire cable between the switches is connected to the common of the second 3-way. This third wire takes power back to the box of the first switch. At the box of the first switch, this third wire is connected to the other wire in the 2-wire cable from the ceiling fixture. That second wire in the 2-wire cable to the ceiling is connect to the light itself. So if the switches are set the same, power from the power-in cable in the ceiling box is taken to the first switch by one wire in the 2-wire cable, goes through the first 3-way switch to one of the travelers, passes through the second 3-way, returns to the first box on the third wire of the 3-wire cable, then back to the ceiling on the second wire of the 2-wire cable.
If you use a 4-way switch, it must be connected between the two 3-way switches. A 4-way switch simply reverses the travelers. In one position, traveler 1 IN is connected to traveler 1 OUT and traveler 2 IN is connected to traveler 2 OUT. In the other position traveler 1 IN is connected to traveler 2 OUT and traveler 2 IN is connected to traveler 1 OUT.
Notice that I keep talking about cables. A 2-wire cable will have a black and a white wire. A 3-wire cable will have a black, a red and a white wire.
You said,
With cables you can't have 2 blacks and one white.Quote:
The second switch (right) has 2 black & 1 white
Is your wiring done with conduit? If your wiring is in conduit, the wiring is the same but the wire colors may be different. If your wiring is in conduit, you will have to note which wires come in together from which conduit.
So describe you present wiring again, how many switches control the light, is your wiring cables or are the wires in conduit. How do you know the power is coming into the ceiling box. Right now it doesn't sound like it.
Nothing said excludes the possibility that someone hasn't done something really weird some time in the past.
The circuit in question has half of my house's ceiling lights on it. No wall receptacles, just the ceiling lighting. I went up in the attic and found that circuit. It goes to other bedrooms before ending in the room in question. In attic, the power (I assume only) comes into the ceiling fixture box from the left. Then I have 3 more leads exit the box. These go down to each wall switch.
I opened up 2 walls, one has the "left" switch. I can see a wire coming into the switch box from the ceiling, and one exits and goes under the house (I assume traveler line). I haven't opened up the other 2 walls, hoping not to.
Now, in these switches, there are only 2 wire being used. No 3 wire. I also don't see the neutral being borrowed, as none are marked black. :/
Then there is an additional switch+light that is added at the end of the circuit. It is tied into the "front" switch's hot.
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I know how to add a new outlet and few things, but these switches have got me scratching my head. If I cannot wrap my head around it, then I won't be foolish and mess with the circuit. Will have an electrician come in. I was hoping to eliminate the 3 switches for 1 without a lot of work.
Thanks all for helping me out.
The basic question is, how many switches control the light. If more than one, if you turn the light on at one switch can you turn it off and another.
3 switches control one ceiling light.Quote:
Originally Posted by hkstroud
Can you turn the light on at one switch and off at another.
Do the switches have ON and OFF on embossed on the toggle?
Yes each switch turns the light on/off. Nothing embossed on the switches.Quote:
Originally Posted by hkstroud
The only way that you could have 3-way switches that work and not have 3-wire cable between the switches is if someone use the ground wire as a conductor.
Call electrician.
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