wire three way switch to single pole switch?

Question

I have switched outlets in my L.R. It appears that the switches are a single pole (on the end) and a three-way switch next, then all the switched outlets. There are two black wires, a red wire and a ground. The single pole switch has the red going to the bottom screw and the black going to the top. I'm not sure which black wire goes where in the 3-way switch. I took a guess and now I have no power at all in living room

I do have two doorways. One switch is at one doorway (it has 3 wires in the box and I assume its a single- pole.) The other switch is at the other doorway. I have two switches that operate lamps that are turned off and on by either switch.

I am simply replacing two old switches with two new ones. (Which I've done on all my houses and none have burned down, btw). I didn't think that you could mix a 3 way with a single pole either, but that appears to be what a licensed electrician did. I'm assuming that it was a licensed electrician as mine is a relatively new house -- I just don't like the ivory switches.

Answer 1

I haven't heard of 3-ways used in a living room receptacle circuit unless you have more than one entrance.
1- If you have one in a box then you have 3 wires in that box.
2- If you have more than one switch in the box then you must be switching more than one item.
3- A 3-way does this, 2 of the wires go to another 3-way. The one wire either goes to the receptacle or is bringing the power in.
4- Plug a lamp into the receptacle involved.
5- Get a tester to identify the "hot" wire.
6- Turn off the power to that circuit, and attach that wire to the single screw on the (top or bottom) of the switch.
7- Connect the two wires to the 2 screws on the other end of the switch (they're the ones opposite each other on the same end of the switch).
8- If you have disconnected more than one switch, better call a licensed electrician to sort things out.
9- Remember the insurance company doesn't like to pay for uninspected electrical work. Good Luck ! !

Answer 2

I'm not sure how you got where you are or what your problem is. If you had 2 switches controlling the outlets they were both 3 ways. You cannot use a single pole switch with a 3 way. You don't say what you were trying to do (what wasn't working when you tried to do whatever...). I suggest calling an electrician. It doesn't sound like you really know what's going on.

You could try posting details of what you see in each switch box.

Added: Did the 2 switches work before you started changing it? Meaning, were BOTH switches able to turn the outlets on and off. If yes, that can only happen with a pair of 3 way switches. If both switches had to be in a certain position for the outlets to be on, then either switch could be a single pole or just a 3 way wired wrong. You could have removed a single pole in this case where a 3 way was supposed to be.

Answer 3

The other answers here are all correct. It is never safe to assume anything especially when it comes to wiring. If you are scared or not mechanically inclined, do not attempt to mess with this. The other answer is also correct, if you have a single pole switch you should have three screws on the switch. However it all depends how the switch was wired. The correct wiring on a single pole switch would be black (hot), black or red (return hot) to the fixture. Often times the white wire is used in this situation but it should be taped in black electrical tape or colored black using a permanent marker. The third wire should be bare or green for ground. The ground wire should connect to the switch at the green ground screw head. It sounds to me that you may have had somebody using a color code wiring that is not conducive to the code. It is not safe to assume that the one black wire is ground but if the wire screws to the box ( I assume a metal box) and then to the green screw on the switch, then yes, it is being used as a ground wire. If you are going to re-wire in your dimmer switch, I recommend that you strip off the black coating as a ground wire should be bare. Only do this if you are sure that the wire screws to the ground screw on the switch and the other end screws into the metal box. As for the other two black wires, one should be at the side (top) of the single pole switch and the other should be on the same side of the switch, beneath the one described above. These two wires are broken by the action of the switch. Again, it does not surprise me that these two are black or red and black. One is hot all the time, the other becomes hot when the switch completes the circuit. Can you test for this? Oddly enough, you can with a simple light tester purchased at your local hardware. A voltmeter would be the ideal thing to have here but you can test using this simple device. Here is how... Assuming that you are using a standard A/C U.S. 110-120 volts circuit. The hot wire (black) will complete a circuit traveling to a neutral (white) or a groung (bare). That means if you place your one wire of your tester onto the black wire and one to the ground wire, the tester light should lilluminate. If you touch the other black wire (with the switch off) with a tester lead and the tester lead to ground the tester light should not light. Using the same position for the tester leads, flip on the light switch. The tester should light. This test will indicate which wire is hot, which is switched and which wire is ground. Good Luck.

Answer 4

You need either one or the other throughout; 3 pole or single otherwise you'll end up burning your house down.
Better to leave that stuff up to a licenced electrician.

Answer 5

I fixed this many years ago -- myself -- and no my house hasn't burned down. But thanks for your concern.