How Three-Way Switches Work

by Marshall Brain

Introduction to How Three-Way Switches Work

In your house or apartment, you probably have at least one light

that is controlled by two separate switches. Whenever you flip
either one of the switches, the light changes its state -- if it is on it
turns off, and if it is off it turns on.
If you have ever wondered how this arrangement works and how
each switch knows what the other switch is doing, then read on. In
this article, we will solve the mystery of three-way switches!
Normal Lights

Let's start by looking at how a normal light is wired so that you can understand basic residential
wiring for a light switch. The figure below shows the simplest possible configuration:

In this diagram, the black wire is "hot." That is, it carries the 120-volt AC current. The white wire is
neutral. (For more information on household AC current and grounding, see How Power Distribution
Grids Work.) You can see in the figure that the current runs through the switch. The switch simply
opens (off) or closes (on) the connection between the two terminals on the switch. When the switch
is on, current flows along the black wire through the switch to the light, and then returns to ground
through the white wire to complete the circuit.
The electrician who wires the house normally uses Romex to run power from the fuse box to the
switches and outlets in the house. A piece of Romex is shown here:
 Romex

Romex consists of an outer plastic sheath (white in this picture) with three wires inside. The black
and white wires are insulated, while a bare, third wire acts as the grounding wire for the circuit. Most
normal household applications use 12- or 14-gauge Romex.
Three-Way Lights

To create lights that operate with two separate switches, the electrician uses two special pieces of
equipment in the circuit:
 Special switches known as three-way switches
 Special Romex wire that has an extra red insulated wire along
with the black and white wires within the sheath
A normal switch has two terminals that are either connected or disconnected. A three-way switch
has three terminals, and the switch connects the first terminal to either the second or the third
terminal, as shown here:

In a normal switch, the two terminals are either connected (as

shown) or disconnected. When they are connected, the
switch is "on." In a three-way switch, the top terminal
connects to one or the other of the bottom two terminals.
(Note: The actual terminal configuration on a three-way
switch depends on the manufacturer.)

You use two three-way switches to control the light, and wire it up as shown below:
In this diagram, a normal piece of Romex comes from the fuse panel to the first three-way switch.
The black "hot" wire enters the switch on the left. Three-way Romex (which includes red, black and
white wires) runs from the switch on the left to the switch on the right, with the white wire carrying
ground and the red and black wires carrying the output from terminals in the left switch. Normal
Romex runs from the right switch to the light.

Assume that, with the switch up, terminals 1 and 3 are connected as shown above. If the switch is
down, then terminals 1 and 2 are connected. You can see (if you trace through the wires and the
switches) that in the previous figure, the light is off. You can also see that if you flip either switch, the
light will turn on. And if you flip either switch again, the light will turn off. It is actually a very simple
arrangement once you see it all exposed like this!
There are several other ways to wire three-way switches to a light. For example, the power from the
fuse box could come in at the light fixture and there could be two switches in series running from
there. Or power can enter at the fixture and then two switches can be arranged in parallel from the
light.
If you are trying to understand how a set of switches are wired in your house, using an ohmmeter or
a continuity detector is the only way to reverse-engineer what the electrician has done (make sure
you turn the power off at the fuse panel before doing anything with electrical wiring). The
great thing is that, if you know the basic idea behind three-way switches and three-way wiring, it's
really easy to figure it out. And if you simply want to understand what's going on to satisfy your own
curiosity, well, now you know!
 Two Way Light Switch Wiring

Two Way Light Switch Wiring

Have you ever wonder how a lamp that is used to light up the stairs of a building is
connected to the two switches that controls it from either end? These two way switches
have a single pole double throw (SPDT) configuration. Each has a common terminal (COM)
with a pole that can be switched between position L1 or L2. The two way light switch wiring
can be implemented by using 2 different methods. Both of the methods used are described
below.

The first method as shown in the figure above have the COM, L1 and L2 of both the SPDT
switches connected together. For incandescent lamp, the recommended wire gauge used is
AWG #18. The LIVE AC Source is connected to L1 of SW1 and one side of the load is
connected to L2 of SW2. The other side of the load is then connected to NEUTRAL of the AC
Source. With this configuration, the lamp will be turned ON when one switch is at ON
position and the other is at OFF position. If both switches are in the same position, the lamp
will be OFF.

The other method is as shown in the figure above. In this configuration, the L1 of both SW1
and SW2 are connected together. Similarly, the L2 of both SW1 and SW2 are connected
together. The LIVE of the AC Source is connected to COM of SW1 and one side of the load is
connected to COM of SW2. The other side of the load is then connected to the NEUTRAL of
the AC Source. With this configuration, the lamp will be turned ON when one switch is ON
and the other is also ON. If both switches are in different position, the lamp will be OFF.

Take note that as the installation involves mains power supply, only those who are
qualified and have electrical wiring knowledge should do this wiring. When doing
the wiring, it is recommended that the power supply is disconnected from the load
and the switches.