Frankbruno

I have two 3-way switches for a hallway light. It looks like power comes into each switch from a different cable for each. Does this sound right. If I connect the cable for the line coming in from the breaker to the wire going to the top switch I get power only to that switch and not to the bottom. The switch on the bottom has a red black and white that goes down to the same box that the first is connected to but at this point I did not connect it back since the wire going to the top switch only has a back and white. Any help appreciated. I am confused here.

itsnotrequired

there won't be two incoming sources of power for the circuit. based on your description, sounds like two-wire power into one switch, three-wire cable between the switches and then two -wire out to the light at the second switch.

Frankbruno

Ok this is a very primitive drawing but this is what I am up against. This is what it looks like at the box in the basement.

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itsnotrequired

is that the box with the light in it?

Frankbruno

No it is just the box with the wires in it The light and switches are upstairs in a hallway. One switch is at the top of the stairs with the light and the other switch is at the bottom of the stairs.

Frankbruno

If I connect the. 3 blacks together and 3 whites together I get power at both switches but the light does not go on. I do not know where the red would get connected to complete this I guess

stickboy1375

How was it wired before? And why did you touch it?

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itsnotrequired

you'll need to expand your sketch. show the box, the switches and the light and the wires between them. the sketch you posted seems to indicate two-wire to the switch, which makes no sense. there needs to be three-wire at each switch for a three-way to work.

stickboy1375

Just a guess, but I would feed the black going to the 3 wire cable, Red and white would be travelers, the remaining whites get tied together, and the remaining black would go to the odd colored screw on the 3-way switch….

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Frankbruno

Before there were 3 breaks in the box. One went to a outlet that a microwave was used and an out let for the gas stove. The 2nd went to a bathroom and the 3rd was this one one day while using the microwave the power went out and it was not just a tripped breaker. Turned out the liner from the breaker to this box had to be replaced. So when I replaced it I ran one new line for the microwave and gas stove. A new one for the bath room and now I want to either tie this one back into the bathroom or it's own line. And yes I made the big mistake of not labeling how it was before. Now I don't know how to get it back

I'll run down and take a few pics to show what I am looking at.

stickboy1375

I'll tell you this, in order to make a circuit work, you need to know where the wires go, from that point, you can make the correct splices. It's not rocket science by any means, but you have to figure out exactly where everything goes, there is more than one way to wire something.

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Frankbruno

Here is the picture

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brric

That works for me.

joed

You can't make it work with those wires.
Where is light connected into this set up?

Frankbruno

Ok I wrote down all the wires that we're going into one box. ( see attached pic).

I am trying to find how these all go back together again. (They were all connected somehow in this box before) I know I did the mother of all mistakes by not labeling them.

The outlet that says stove is for a gas stove not an electric stove.

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