I am trying to figure out how to install a 3-way switch. Unfortunately, I did not took any pictures of the previous 3-way switch installment, I thought this would be easy but after I bought the new switch, I saw it has different color wires and now I have no idea how to make this work. I have took picture of the exposing wires, as you can see, 2 blue and 1 orange. The new switch has 2 red, i black and 1 green. How should I connect this? Any advice? I also took a picture of the other ends switch. Not sure if this will help. Can anyone advise please?
Electrical – 3 way switch issue
dimmer-switchelectricalswitch
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Best Answer
This looks like a 3-way slide dimmer.
In the first picture it looks like there are five wires. Two black, two blue and one white(?). Is that correct? Can't tell what the white(s) is(are) connected to, if at all.
Just looking at the pictures(which are leaving out some needed information) and seeing that these are 4-square boxes, the box in the second picture has the travelers and switch-leg for whatever light is being controlled. Then the box in the first picture is most probably a feed in from the light box(common in older houses), a feed out to the nearest receptacle and the travelers going to the second box. Both boxes are probably junctioned somewhere, maybe in the attic or the light box itself.
Here's my take: if it is a feed in/feed out then there should be two white wires tied together in the first box. Black on the switch is the common, so it should be tied to either the paired blacks in the first box or the orange wire in the second. The red leads on the switch should be paired to blue wires in whichever box you're installing the switch(one red to one blue).
Again, this is only valid if what I saw in the pictures was correct. I'm including a few references just to help clarify.