What is a 3-Way Switch?

A three-way switch allows you to turn lights or appliances on or off from two different
locations. Three-way switches are essential, especially for stairs or long hallways, so you
can turn the lights on when you approach from one side. You can then turn off the
lights when leaving from the other side of the hallway.

A three-way switch is constructed differently than a normal switch. For starters, there is
no particular on or off toggle. If both the switches are up or both are down, the circuit is
complete, and the light turns on. But, when both switches are in opposite directions, the
circuit is open, and the light is off.

The 3-way switch has four screws. One is the grounding screw that is green, and the
other three are part of the circuit. Two of them are traveler terminals, and one of them,
which is a bit darker, is called common. To learn more about a three-way switch, let's
look at how a three-way switch works.

How does a 3-Way Switch Work?

To understand how a three-way switch works, you need to pay attention to which wire
goes to which screw. The green or grounding screw is attached to the bare copper or
green wires. They are the grounding wires. The grounding screws are a new addition to
the three-way switches. That is why you may not find them on older 3-way switches.
 then there are the traveler screws that are connected to the hot or charged wire.
These screws will provide two different paths for the electricity to travel to the fixture.

Lastly, there is a common terminal that is darker in color than the traveler terminals. It
either connects to the hot wire that leads to the fixture or accepts the hot wire coming
from the power source.

If the circuit’s power is on, any of these may be hot depending on how the switches are
toggled. The 3-way switch is designed to interrupt the hot wire when it's turned off. The
white wire coming straight from the power source goes uninterrupted into the light
fixture while the hot wires are routed through the switches.

How to Wire 3-Way Switches

There are three significant ways in which 3-way switches can be set up depending on
the position of the switches and lights and where the power enters the circuit.
Case 1

In the first case, we see if the wires from the power source enter one switch box at first,
then go towards the light fixture and then to the other switch box. The white wire from
the power source goes into the switch box first and then the light fixture. It terminates
there without going to the second switch box. The diagram below shows how we can
wire the switch in a case like this.

Case 2

In another case, the wires from the power source may enter the light fixture box first,
then it goes into one switch box and then the other. In this type of wiring, the inbound
white wire connects to the light fixture without any interruption. The black wire then
connects to the taped white wire that goes from switch one and then connects to the
common terminal in switch two. Red and black travelers then connect paired traveler
terminals on both switches.