BTW, again, the building is still in use. 'Doubt there's been any changes
to the wiring since I did it in '46.
Wilton
----- Original Message -----
From: "WILTON" <wilt...@nc.rr.com>
To: "mercedes list" <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2012 7:40 PM
Subject: [MBZ] OT - 3 Way Switch Wiring
BTW, when I was 12 (1946), I helped neighbor build and wire (cloth-covered
romex ; 'think it was still only 2 conductors) a small garage and shop
building. When time came to install receptacles and switches, though,
neighbor would not let me help. 'Got his 19-year-old son to help,
instead.
While they worked, I watched, and could tell that they didn't know
ANYTHING
about what they were doing; I could not help but make suggestions, such
as,
"black wire is hot, neutral is white, black goes on dark-colored screw on
the receptacle," etc. (I had helped an electrician install some
receptacle
circuits in my home, and I had been reading "Popular Mechanics" in the
library at school.) When they began to wire the first switch, they
couldn't
figure out how to do it, and began to hook both black (hot) and white
(neutral) to the switch. I adamantly began to tell them that they were
creating a direct short - that a fuse would blow the instant they threw
the
switch. I tried to tell them that the switch goes on only the black (hot)
wire - 'either completes or breaks the circuit on the hot (black) side,
and
that the white wire doesn't connect to the switch at all - merely goes
through the box without any break. They insisted, though, and proceeded
to
connect black and white to the switch, while telling me (against my
protests) that I didn't know what I was talking about. As they finished
connecting the black and white to the switch, I asked again, "Do you have
a
fuse handy? 'Cause you're gonna need one if you throw that switch." They
finally paused briefly to find a fuse. I said, "Don't put the fuse away,
you're gonna need it the instant you throw that switch." Shonuff,
neighbor
threw switch, we heard a POP, and son went immediately to replace fuse.
Son
left and neighbor let me do rest of the wiring, switch and receptacle,
etc.,
installations.
Wilton
----- Original Message -----
From: "WILTON" <wilt...@nc.rr.com>
To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2012 5:35 PM
Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - 3 Way Switch Wiring
Neutral can be switched VERY easily by attaching 2-pole switch into
neutral side of circuit; light, appliance, etc., may still seem to work
normally, but it's DANGEROUS - power is still sitting there in the
appliance ready to BITE (hurt/kill, etc.) somebody even when power is
OFF. 'Don't mean to imply that that's what's in Dan's case at all; this
is merely a simple, very easy and a very typical way that neutral is
often and erroneously switched, usually by somebody who doesn't know
what the hell he's doing. This often occurs with lamp switches.
Wilton
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Toscano" <brian.tosc...@gmail.com>
To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2012 4:29 PM
Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - 3 Way Switch Wiring
I don't even know how you would switch neutral unless you had some crazy
2
or 3 pole 3-way switches. Definitely not something you can buy at Home
Depot.
On Sat, Aug 4, 2012 at 2:18 PM, WILTON <wilt...@nc.rr.com> wrote:
Yes, I know - neutral should NOT be switched. "Hot" side only should
be
switched. That's the way it works in the several houses I've wired,
anyway.
Wilton
----- Original Message ----- From: "Craig" <diese...@pisquared.net>
To: <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2012 4:07 PM
Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - 3 Way Switch Wiring
On Sat, 4 Aug 2012 15:27:02 -0400 "WILTON" <wilt...@nc.rr.com> wrote:
Yep.
Wilton
----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Walton"
<walton.d...@gmail.com>
To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2012 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - 3 Way Switch Wiring
The 3 way is switching the neutral as well as power. You need to
put
additional lighting in parallel with the existing light with the
new
switch in series with the new light.
Actually, Nope. (Sorry, Wilton.)
The neutral must be unswitched if you have only single-pole,
double-throw
(SPDT) switches. See the ASCII-art schematic of my earlier mail.
What Dave describes is apparently what Dan already has. He can only
turn
on his task lighting when the main lighting is on. He wants to be
able to
turn on the task lighting when the main lighting is off.
Craig
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