Installing 3way zWave: How to determine wiring?
- Thread starter IVB
- Start date
IVB
Senior Member
I'm trying again later today/this week (off work all week), but FYI - i did attempt to follow those directions, but the readings off the multimeter just baffled me. I can't recall what they were, IIRC I kept getting a 1 (no cxn) almost no matter what I did. I'll redo those and write it down someplace safe this time.
I'll take a stab at it...
so you have two pairs of zWave (3-way) to install in seperate locations. What do you have for switches in these locations now, conventional 3-way toggle switches? This would save alot of time to help identify the existing wiring.....travelers, hots, and load.
What is model of zWave 3-way?
IVB
Senior Member
Yes, I have 2 sets of existing 3way conventional toggle switches that work fine (total of 4 switches). I want to replace them with the ACT brand 3way that I bought (one master one slave for each).
I ended up having to do errands all day today, so I couldn't do anything for measuring resistance to see which wires run where. I'll look to do that tomorrow.
I ended up having to do errands all day today, so I couldn't do anything for measuring resistance to see which wires run where. I'll look to do that tomorrow.
If you mean like a buzz box yes I have used one. They sell one in Home depot for about $70. You can use this certainly however you need disconnect all the wires the signal will travel trough. Otherwise the buzz signal will travel through any switch and confuse you. And you should turn the circuit off also.
They are worth owning, I use them all the time to trace low voltage wires all the time. I didnt label all my cat5 as the hit the closet. It is easy to hook up the box and poke around the closet to find the wire.
As far as your wiring issue. the fact that they are all black may not be as big of an issue as it first sounds.
'Normal' wiring for a 3 way is power comes into a 3 way swtich in first box and then using 14-3 (3 wire plus ground) the wire goes from box one to box 2. A wire goes from box 2 to the light. 14-3 has a red and a black and a white. In your case your red and black are both black. I am assuming that you have a standard layout for your swtich in that the light connects to box 2. There is an alternate method where you stick just a switch into box 2. My debugging instructions are based on the light being hooked into the second box. Best way to tell is open up box 2 and confirm that there is at least two wires being feed into box two.
The way the 3 way works is power comes in on one wire and then the switch sends power down one of the two wires (also called legs). You flick it one way and it goes down leg 1 and you flick it the other way and it goes down leg two. Think of this switch has having one input and two outputs. There is a good chance the screw that the power is hooked up is black and the other two are 'gold.' Sometimes the screws are silver and gold but the screw you only have one of should be power. If you have a meter you can hook one side to ground(or the box if metal) and then tap the screws. One screw should have power allways and the other two should flick on and off as you flick the switch.
In your second box you have another 3 way swtich. Two of the wires are the same two switch legs that come out of box 1. The other should be going to the light. Think of this swtich as having two inputs and one output. The switch is 'listening' for power on one of the legs from switch 1. As an exanple if you put both swtiches UP the first switch sends power down wire #1 and the second swtich 'listens' for power on wire #1. It then feeds power from line 1 up to the light. If you swtich the first swtich down it switch one is sendings power to wire #2 but swtich two is still 'listening' for power on wire #1 so the light goes off.
If this was new contruction and you had new 14-3 wire, one of these wires would most likely be black and the other red. The red would be called the traveler but essentially the red and the black would do the same job, they just alternate Power gets sent out of one of the wires in swtich one depending on swtich one position. Switch two listens to one of the wires and connects that to the light. If switch one and two are both on the same wire the light goes on. If they are on differnt wires there is no power.
In addition you would have a white wire, also called common which is most likely goes goes from the circuit breaker, past the switches and up to the lights. It is most likely pigtailed in both boxes but it should be just making its way through to the light.
Thinking about your new swtich..... Your new swtich is a 'smart switch' it needs power (both a white and a black) while your old switch is a mechanical switch that just breaks the black.
I am assuming you have a swtich like this one
http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Products/ZRW11...ZRW113instr.pdf
If that is the case...
Start at box two... First thing that you notice in the instructions is that the both wires from the light connect to the switch where a regular switch the white (neutral/common) is connected directly to the white that comes from the panel and bypasses the swtich.
1.take the white and black from the light and hook it up the two blues blue. the white wire will most likely be pigtailed to another white wire going back to swtich one inside switch twos box. Take the side that feeds that light and hook it to blue. You will reconnect the white wire that goes back to box one in step 2. The black wire for the light should be connected to the 'output' of the three way swtich. This is most likely noted on your swich by being the one connection with a differnt color screw(normally black). There is no specific currenty direction of power through a light so there is no differnt which blue you use for each connection
2.You need to get common/neutral/white wire that comes from the circuit panel into the switch. A normal switch just breaks the power wire with a mechanial connection and bypasses the swtich. However these zwave switches are mini-receivers and need true power(both white and black) to work so it needs to be connected to neutral/common/white. The switch provides a neutral to the light through one of the blue wires when needed. Your task here is to take the white wire that came into the box and hook it up to the white wire on the switch. In step one you already connected the white wire going out of the box to the light so this is should a
3.You should have two black wires left in box 2 that came from box 1 and were connected to the switch. In a regular three way the first swtich just alternated power between the two lines. With your zwave 3 way one of these wires you will hook up to power all the time in box one. The other will be used to send a singal between the boxes. Pick one of the two wires and look it up to the black on the switch. You can use a buzz box to each wire on both ends. Or you could just pick on of the blacks and hook it to the swtich. Then go to swtich one and hook together 2 of the blacks from switch one until switch two powers up..
4.Now in box 1 you have identified the white/common wire and the black wire that comes from the panel the continues on to swtich 2. You also have an extra black that goes between the swtiches.
5.In box one you can put one of the helper swtiches AS001 or AS101. I couldnt find a manual on them online but it appears that you they have one wire that connections to neutral(white) or line black. The pdf above says one or the other so I guess the make them either way. There shoudld be another control/signal wire that you can hook up to the spare black in box one. As per the above drawing you use either the yellow or the brown on the main three way in box two depending on the model of your helper swtich.
My hands are getting tired, but I wanted to type something up as you have provided helpfull comments a few times to me here and on CQC board. If this doesnt make sense or you have some additional wires to add to the mix PM me and I would be happy to have a quick phone discussion. I saved a bunch of research time on my project based on comments you have made so happy to return the favor.