3-ways with one pilot

1489 Views 8 Replies 4 Participants Last post by jules4, Jul 7, 2011

jules4

Discussion Starter · Jul 6, 2011 (Edited)

My parents have a cottage with an electric water tank in the bathroom. The place is often left unattended for 2-3 weeks at a time (during cottage season), so a leak in the water tank would result in the entire contents of the well being pumped into the bathroom.

To prevent this from happening I want to install a 3-way switch on the pump, with one switch located upstairs, so that the pump can be turned off when leaving the cottage. (There also needs to be a switch in the crawlspace with the pump for use when priming.)

However, I need a pilot on the upstairs 3-way so that we don't wind up with both of them turning it "off" before leaving. I couldn't find any wiring diagrams dealing with this exact situation, so I'd appreciate it if one the local wiring gurus could let me know if this is correct (ground excluded for clarity):

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brric

· #2 · Jul 6, 2011 (Edited)

withdrawn

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joed

· #3 · Jul 6, 2011

It will work however you could do it with one less wire between the switches if you wish.

Text Diagram Line Floor plan Technical drawing

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jules4

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 6, 2011

That's pretty slick - thanks Joed!

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AllanJ

· #5 · Jul 6, 2011

It is a good idea to turn off the water tank (gas or electric) whenever the water is turned off. This way if something odd happens inthe water system so as to siphon all the water out of the tank the tank doesn't self destruct by running empty.

So this 3 way switch setup could be overkill as your parents would need to go to the breaker panel anyway.

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brric

· #6 · Jul 6, 2011

Is it a water tank or a water heater?

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jules4

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 7, 2011 (Edited)

AllanJ said:
It is a good idea to turn off the water tank (gas or electric) whenever the water is turned off. This way if something odd happens in the water system so as to siphon all the water out of the tank the tank doesn't self destruct by running empty.

So this 3 way switch setup could be overkill as your parents would need to go to the breaker panel anyway.

It's electric, and they always turn the hot water tank off when they leave. Currently it does have to be turned off at the panel (which is conveniently located behind the fridge lol), but I'm going to put a 30 amp DP switch in the bathroom for them.

The problem with turning the pump off at the panel is that the only breaker that is readily accessible (by which I mean it can just be reached while standing on top of the wood bin) without pulling the fridge out from the wall is the one for the hot water tank. (The main disconnect for the entire panel is also accessible, but they don't want to turn everything off.)