[steviegeez]

Hello,
I have a hallway light that is controlled by two switches. On switch one there are two groups of wires. Group one has a black and a red and the second group has just a black. I am not including the ground and the white since I never screwed those up.
Switch number two there are three groups of wire. The black and red coming from switch one (I assume), a black wire which I assume is power and a third black wire that feeds the electricity to a bedroom.
DO I need a four way switch on that for the bedroom? I am so confused!
Thanks for any insight you could provide.
Steve

 

[300zx]

No you don't need a 4 way.Here is a video on 3 ways http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDyvcM0gcVs

 

[300zx]

The wire going to the bedroom needs to be tied to the hot wire(feed).Tie them together and pigtail off to switch.

 

[steviegeez]

I did that. youre right. Yet I have not found where the wires go from there.

 

[Yoyizit]

Yet I have not found where the wires go from there.

Each wire you check can go

nowhere (a traveler)

to 120v
to neutral/ground

to neutral/ground through a lamp filament
to 120v through a lamp filament

If you have a known good outlet on the same side of the neutral as your switch setup, two 60w bulb, a
http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/032664/032664481000md.jpg
and some clip leads you can check all this.

 

[300zx]

Do you have any kind of tester or a Continuity tester so you can map out the wires?

 

[steviegeez]

Yoyizit - that confused me.

300Z I do not have a tester. I do know which black controls the bedroom.

 

[Yoyizit]

Yoyizit - that confused me.

In that case be careful and wear eye protection when you work on this.

 

[steviegeez]

thank you I will

 

[300zx]

Without a tester it will be hard to tell. Are all the wires going into the top of box?

 

[steviegeez]

yes they all go out the top. would you say that the wire with the red and black is the one that runs between the two boxes?

 

[300zx]

Yes that would be your travelers

 

[300zx]

That would leave 2 blacks.Pigtail them that sould make bedroom have power.And put pigtail on comon screw

 

[steviegeez]

I have the black from that wire going to the two common screws.

I am taking some bad pictures of what I am dealing with. thanks for your help by the way.

 

[steviegeez]

pictures

 

[300zx]

Ok first pitcher find you red and black sould be in 3 wire (same cable) they need to be on the two gold screws on switch.Next the other two black wires twist together and get a short piece of black wire and twist together with the two wires you twisted together that gives you a (pigtail one wire to goto common black screw on switch) Hope that helps

 

[steviegeez]

so the pigtail of the bedroom and the other black wire should go to the common, the black screw?

 

[steviegeez]

okay ill try that now

 

[300zx]

Yes one should be bedroom the other one your feed(120 volts) put on common screw (black)

 

[steviegeez]

okay a step in the right direction. BUT the box with only the three wires the red/black and the additional black (picture 2) controls the light. If it is off the other switch doesnt control the light.The bedroom has constant power so that is solved (amazingly) but if the box with three wires is off the other switch doesnt control the light.