{"id":92,"date":"2022-01-18T16:34:20","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T21:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/chapter\/three-and-four-way-switching\/"},"modified":"2022-09-14T15:57:27","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T19:57:27","slug":"three-and-four-way-switching","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/chapter\/three-and-four-way-switching\/","title":{"raw":"Three and four-way switching","rendered":"Three and four-way switching"},"content":{"raw":"\nWhen a light is to be controlled from two different locations, such as the top and bottom of a set of stairs, or a room with more than one entrance, we use a pair of single-pole, double-throw switches to create a 3-way switch loop. If we need to control the light from more than two locations then we simply install a 4-way, or double-pole, double-throw, switch in between the two 3-way switches.\n\nAs a rule, we must always install 3-way switches in pairs, and then as many 4-way switches as necessary. For example, if a light is to be controlled from four different locations we would need two 3-way switches and two 4-way switches. If a light was to be controlled from ten different locations, then we would need two 3-way switches and eight 4-way switches.\n\nEach 3-way switch comes with three terminals: one common terminal and two traveller terminals. When installing 3-way switch loops all switching must be done in the ungrounded, or \u201chot\u201d conductor. The first 3-way switch will have the constant hot connected to its common terminal, then the two traveller terminals will be run to the second 3-way switch, where they will connect to the two traveller terminals. From the final 3-way switch the common terminal is connected to the switch leg which then feeds the lamp load.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_130\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"566\"]<img class=\"wp-image-129 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1597\/2022\/01\/3-way-cct.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"566\" height=\"305\"> 3-way switching circuit[\/caption]\n\nWhen controlling a light from an additional location a double-pole, double-throw, or 4-way switch is inserted in between the two three-way switches\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_130\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"621\"]<img class=\"wp-image-130 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1597\/2022\/01\/4-way-cct.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"621\" height=\"305\"> 3-way and 4-way switching circuit[\/caption]\n\nThree and four-way switches are never to be used as disconnection means.&nbsp; If electric loads that are controlled in this manner need to be serviced, power must be safely disconnected at the source.&nbsp; Always observe proper lock-out techniques when working on electrical circuits.\n","rendered":"<p>When a light is to be controlled from two different locations, such as the top and bottom of a set of stairs, or a room with more than one entrance, we use a pair of single-pole, double-throw switches to create a 3-way switch loop. If we need to control the light from more than two locations then we simply install a 4-way, or double-pole, double-throw, switch in between the two 3-way switches.<\/p>\n<p>As a rule, we must always install 3-way switches in pairs, and then as many 4-way switches as necessary. For example, if a light is to be controlled from four different locations we would need two 3-way switches and two 4-way switches. If a light was to be controlled from ten different locations, then we would need two 3-way switches and eight 4-way switches.<\/p>\n<p>Each 3-way switch comes with three terminals: one common terminal and two traveller terminals. When installing 3-way switch loops all switching must be done in the ungrounded, or \u201chot\u201d conductor. The first 3-way switch will have the constant hot connected to its common terminal, then the two traveller terminals will be run to the second 3-way switch, where they will connect to the two traveller terminals. From the final 3-way switch the common terminal is connected to the switch leg which then feeds the lamp load.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_130\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-130\" style=\"width: 566px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-129 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1597\/2022\/01\/3-way-cct.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"566\" height=\"305\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-130\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">3-way switching circuit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When controlling a light from an additional location a double-pole, double-throw, or 4-way switch is inserted in between the two three-way switches<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_130\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-130\" style=\"width: 621px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-130 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1597\/2022\/01\/4-way-cct.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"621\" height=\"305\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-130\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">3-way and 4-way switching circuit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Three and four-way switches are never to be used as disconnection means.&nbsp; If electric loads that are controlled in this manner need to be serviced, power must be safely disconnected at the source.&nbsp; Always observe proper lock-out techniques when working on electrical circuits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":848,"menu_order":4,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["alee59"],"pb_section_license":"all-rights-reserved"},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[61],"license":[59],"class_list":["post-92","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-alee59","license-all-rights-reserved"],"part":82,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/92","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/848"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/92\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":406,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/92\/revisions\/406"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/82"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/92\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=92"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=92"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/basiclightingforelectricianslevel2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}