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🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: MaxxSpazz on April 30, 2010, 02:03:50 PM

Title: Three-way wall switch not working correctly
Post by: MaxxSpazz on April 30, 2010, 02:03:50 PM

I have the WS13A connected to my kitchen's master switch and the WS14A connected to the companion switch.  I can turn the lights on and off with the WS13A and I can turn them off with the WS14A; however, the WS14A cannot turn the lights on.  When I try to use a remote control to turn the lights on, the lights click on (flash) three times but do not stay on.  The remote will turn the lights off though.

I have had an electrician look at it briefly, but he was primarily there to install my outdoor motion-sensing floods and garage sconces and he couldn't figure it out.  He thought it might have something to do with the white neutral wire on the master switch; there was a bundle of 3 or 4 white wires and he tried a couple of them but couldn't get it to work at all so he spliced a new white wire from the WS13A to the bundled white wires in the box.  Could that be the problem or is something else possibly going on here?

Thanks,
Mike

Title: Re: Three-way wall switch not working correctly
Post by: dave w on April 30, 2010, 02:59:47 PM

The fact that the WS13A works indicates the neutral is there, so that kind of leaves a miswired WS14A or a bad WS13A.

Title: Re: Three-way wall switch not working correctly
Post by: MaxxSpazz on April 30, 2010, 04:27:11 PM

I've got two blacks and a red going to the WS14A; tried every conceivable installation of those wires and I get the following results:

1.  Lights go off but not on
2.  Lights go on if you hold down the switch but don't stay on.
3.  Nothing happens at all.

Thanks for your responses!

Title: Re: Three-way wall switch not working correctly
Post by: Brandt on April 30, 2010, 07:39:49 PM

You need to wire the companion on the line wire where the voltage source is BEFORE the master, or else the companion loses power when you turn the load off at the master.



--LINE 110v--->[Companion SW]----TRAVELER--->[Master SW]----LOAD--->

Title: Re: Three-way wall switch not working correctly
Post by: MaxxSpazz on April 30, 2010, 08:09:55 PM

@pomprocker

Thanks for the comment; however, I'm not sure I understand how to do this.  How can I tell which wire is coming from the 110V, which is the traveler to the master and which is the load?

Title: Re: Three-way wall switch not working correctly
Post by: Brandt on May 01, 2010, 06:14:23 PM

Well the correct, but more dangerous way would be to use a digital multimeter...The easier safer way would be to just swap where the switches are installed and see if it works.