BTS

Brain Teaser Solutions:

The solution to the first 3-way wiring diagram is as follows:

The hots and the neutrals tie together and feed through in the first box and also tie to the traveler lugs on the switch. The single conductor wire that goes up to the light ties to the common lug on the switch. The same goes for the second switch with the hot and neutral going to the traveler lugs and the single wire to the common lug.

The second diagram is basically the same. Each switch box has 1 hot, 1 neutral and 1 single conductor going to the light. The hot ties to 1 traveler lug, the neutral ties to the other traveler lug and the single conductor going up to the light ties to the common lug.

What is happening here is the traveler lugs on the switch never come together so there is no way that the hot and neutral can ever short together. At each switch the common lug is either making contact with the hot or the neutral. Depending on which way the switches are flipped, they are either sending both hots up to the light, one from each end in which the light would be off, or they send both neutrals up in which the light would be off, or they send a hot from one end and a neutral from the other end in which the light would come on. Simple stuff huh?

Now I have to admit here that this is not the best or the safest way to wire 3-way switches and I can’t recommend doing it this way but it just goes to show that there are many different ways to wire these things and they will work.