Four Way Switch
If you have any questions please ask in the comment link below, I will answer them to the best of my ability, also if you have future projects that you would like step by step instructions please post in the comment box I will usually answer the same day.
A four way switch is a switch that helps control lights or a light from 3 or more locations. What I mean by this is if you have 3 locations two of them will be 3way switches and 1 will be a 4way switch. I will talk about how this works in other blogs but letsconcentrate on how to replace one.
1) Tools.
a) Thin flat head screw driver
b) Phillips head screw driver
c) drill(optional)
d) wire strippers(maybe)
e) ac tester
f) electric tape
2) Shut the power off to the switch. If your old switch still works (yes people change switches that still work) turn it on. Go to your panel (your panel has the breakers or the fuses in it) and turn the breakers off one by one. Changing a switch is a one man job but if you want to avoid running back a forth another person standing there and yelling at you when the light shuts off helps. Or shutting all the breakers off and the main just to be sure is what I would recommend. This is electricity SAFETY FIRST!!!!!
3) Remove the plate cover from the switch. This will be the easiest part of your project. On the top and bottom of the switch there will be small screws. You will need the thin flat head screwdriver to remove these. If the location you are installing the switch has multiple switches you will need to remove all the plate screws. Then remove the plate and place the screws and the plate together for replacing later. Do not lose those little screws believe me they are easy to lose.
4) Remove the switch from the wall. OK the fun part. Take a drill or a Phillips head screw driver and take out the screws on the top and bottom of the switch. Now grab the yoke of the switch(that's the top and bottom of the switch) do not grab the switch by the side we want to be sure the power is off and the only way to do this is to pull out the switch. The power is located on the side so if you grab it by the sides and for some reason the power is still on you will get shocked. This is electricity SAFETY FIRST!!!!! So grab the yoke and pull out the switch. If you are in a box with multiple switches you may need to remove multiple switches to be able to pull your switch out far enough to easily work on it. Wires commonly get stuck behind other switches so take the extra step you will wind up doing it anyway after trying to work with short wires and fail. Trust me I tried too.
5) Check and make sure power is turned off!!!! This is the most important part of this project. Your tester should have a black and red lead on it. Set your tester to 120v ac and place one lead on one of the screws of the switch and the other lead on the metal box. If you don't have a metal box then you definitely haveromex and you will have bare wires in the box. These bare wires are your ground, place your other lead on the bare wires. If you do not have a metal box or bare wires Stop and call an electrician, we need to ensure the power is off. I'm sorry but we don't want anyone getting hurt. While keeping your one lead on either the box or the bare wires place the other lead on each screw ensuring that your meter shows no power. I don't want to scare anyone but it does hurt when you get shocked and most importantly it can kill you. Electricity is fun for me and I work with it everyday but you probably don't, so be careful.
6) Decide what kind of switch you have. A four way switch ispretty easy to identify. It has four screws with four wires connected to it. If you already have the switch skip to #8, if you don't put the switch back in for safety never leave wires exposed for other people to play with. This is electricity SAFETY FIRST!!!!!
7) Go to the store and buy the switch. Your ready to buy the switch. This is the easiest and for some people the most frustrating. Do yourself a favor and look at the switch before you buy it. I don't know how many times I went out and bought a switch that was in the wrong bin. I get all the way back and then I decide to look at it turn around and go back to the store. Don't think because its in a box that says four way you have a four way. People take out the switches and put them in the wrong box.Believe me it has happened to me plenty of times in the past, but not anymore, i check. Also your new switch will not say "ON" or "OFF" on it, that's a single pole.
8) Identify your wires. On a four way switch there are 2 sets of travelers I am not going to explain how this works in this article just the replacement today. That will be a full article in its self. An easy way to identify this is by looking at your switch. You should have 2 silver screws and 2 black screws. If your switch does not have these markings on the screw you will need to look into the box. There should be 2 wires coming from the same pipe or romexconnecting to the switch and 2 wires coming from a separate pipe or romex connecting to two other screws. Take your electric tape and mark 2 of the wires coming from the SAME pipe or romex. This is the most important part of the installation. If you mark this wrong you will be in need of an electrician to figure it out for you. If your switch has black and silver screws take 2 wires of the same color screws and mark them before taking the other two off. Now that you marked 2 wires take the other 2 off.
9) Connecting the new switch. Pick up your switch and make sure it is a four way switch. Hold it with your left hand so the screws face up and the decorative side is facing you. Take the marked wires and wrap them around the black screws, make sure the wires are completely under the screw and tighten. You may need to strip a little more insulation off the wire to get a good loop around the screw. Sometimes the loop is too long and you may need to shorten the exposed copper on your wire. If you need to make a new loop this is how you do it. Strip about an inch of exposed copper on your wire. To make a good loop your strippers usually have a small hole near the teeth of the tool. Place the wire half way into the hole and bend, that should give you a nice loop. Take the remaining wires and wrap it around the remaining screws and tighten.
10) Installing the new switch. Your switch at this point should be facing you. There is no upside down here so carefully push the switch into the position. While pushing the switch in the wires should be pushed in so they fall easily into the box. It takes practice so get the wires in there so it doesn't look like a knot. The two screws on the switch's yoke should be lined up with the holes on the top and bottom of the box. Screw the top one in almost all the way. Now screw in the bottom one so the yoke touches the drywall. Finish screwing in the top screw so the the switch is snug to the drywall. Do not over tighten just snug. This probably made the bottom one lose so make that one snug too.
12) Finishing. Put the plate back on. Please for me make sure your screws are all facing the same way on your plate(i know but its a pet peeve) If your box has multiple switches you may need to slide your switch left or right to get the plate on. Turn the power on because you just finished installing your first switch.
13) Check. Make sure you wired it correctly. To do this flip the switches in this order (it doesn't matter which number you assignthe switches) 1 flip 2 flip 3 flip(do not flip again just because your going back to two) 2 flip 1 flip. Congrats, you just finished installing your first four way switch!!
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John
Check your state and local codes before starting any project. Follow all safety precautions. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and safety. I can not be held responsible for damages or injuries resulting from the use of the information in this document.
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