[abcsalem]

I like to install 6 recessed lights that would operate with two 3-way switches. I put together a wiring diagram for my initial draft. Is there a better or more efficient way of wiring the 6 recessed lights? How would you wire them?

[tkrussell]

This reminds me of the travel salesmen riddle.

[tkrussell]

I guess no one is going to jump in, so let me take a stab at it.

The circuit you have laid out is fine.

Ask a thousand electricians and you will get 1000 answers, none of them wrong.

The trick is to wire each segment with the shortest distance, to save on material and labor costs.

Unless this is a Great Room in a mansion, I see pennies saved doing it one way from another.

Nice diagram thou.

[creahands]

TK

I concur.

What's the salesmens name?

Chuck

[tkrussell]

That is another riddle.

[Stratmando]

Drawing looks good, we can't use #14 down here, if allowed where you are, it needs to be on a 15 Amp circuit.
If a receptacle was going to be on this circuit, increasing to #12 and a 20 amp breaker, it would allow more available power?

[abcsalem]

Thank you all for the compliments on the drawing, I appreciate it. In case you are wondering how I drew it, here is how: I searched the web for images and saved the images locally. Then I used Windows build-in paint program to draw the lines, and then I cut and paste each image into place.

Like TK said, there is a lot of ways of wiring this circuit. After examining several options and also trying to avoid switch loops (if possible, not that there is anything wrong with it), and considering the shortest path, and less labor, and the way I was going to route the wires through the joists with my room layout, I thought this was a good option.

In terms of #12 vs #14 gauge wire, I was going to put this on a 15a breaker, and I already have all the 15a switches. With the prices of copper being close to half of what used to be a copule of years ago, and the price of #12 and #14 wire per 250 feet in my area being like within $10 of each other, I probably use the #12 wire. I like to mention that, when I was reading a Q&A on this site, someone on this forum recommended to wire all 15a outlets with #12 wire, and all 15a lights with #14 wire.

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By the way, If you heaven't read the travelling salesman before, here is a version I know of:

Three traveling salesman stop at a hotel for the night, they ask how much is a room. The manager says the room is $30. Each man puts a $10 dollar bill on the counter, they get the key and go to their room.

The manager notices that he made a mistake, the room is only $25 not $30. He gives five $1 dollar bills to his assistant to return to the gentlemen. The assistant walks to the room thinking that he can't give $5 dollars to 3 people. He gets to the room and gives each man one dollar back and keeps two dollars for himself.

Each man(3) spent $9=$27
The assistant kept $2
That's a total of $29!

What happen to the last dollar?

[Stratmando]

If the lights use #14, it can't be on a 20 amp breaker. Smallest wire in circuit determines breaker size.
You can use 15 amp switches and recepticles on a 20 amp/#12 circuit.