Advice on wiring a lighting circuit

Hello Everybody,

This is my first post of the forum and I'm happy I found this place because I'm quit the DIY'er and I always have questions. Currently I am working on a basement remodel and for lighting we have decided to go with can lights. I have mounted all the can lights and I'm ready to mount the gang boxes for the switches and wire the circuit. I have wired circuits before but they were for electrical outlets, never lighting. I want to ask for some advice before I proceed to make sure I go about this the best/efficient way. The plan is to have two 3 way switches controlling the circuit with one having an occupancy sensor. My plan was to run the home run to one of the switch gang boxes and then have the traveler wires go to the second gang box, from there I was going to run the cable to the can lights to complete the circuit. Is this the best/correct way to go about wiring a lighting circuit with 3 way switches? Am I missing anything or is there anything else I should consider?

Thanks for any and all input.
-Matt

 

Welcome to the forums.

That is absolutely the best way to do it as it leaves a neutral at both switch boxes.


Power-----> 3W switch -------- three wire cable -------> 3W switch -------- > lights.

 

The power in to the first switch on xx-2 cable and xx-3 cable between switches is the easiest most straight forward way to wire. It also give you the neutral at each switch box.

 

Ok perfect, I was pretty sure that was the best way to go about it but since I'm not electrician I always like to ask to make sure and you both verified what I was thinking, thanks.

 

****UPDATE****

So I wired up this lighting circuit the other day and it's working(kind of). In the switch box that has the homerun cable going into it I used a Lutron Maestro MSCL-OP153MH-WH dimmer switch with occupancy sensor and in the second switch box I used a standard Legrand 3 way rocker switch.

What I discovered is that everything works correctly as long as the Legrand 3-way switch is in the on position if I turn that off, the Lutron Maestro switch goes dead. Obviously I have something wired incorrectly. The way I wired the switch was I ran the home run black wire to the common terminal on the Lutron switch, I joined the white neutral wires from the home run cable and the 3 wire traveler cable together with a wire nut, I joined the ground cables together with a wire nut including the ground cable coming off the switch and then I hooked up the black and red wires from the 3 wire traveler cable to the traveler terminals on the Lutron switch. In the other switch box I hooked up the black wire going to the first light to the common terminal, joined the white neutral wires together with a wire nut as well as the ground wires together and to the switch. I then hooked up the black and red wires from the 3 wire traveler cable to the traveler terminals on the second switch. Am I missing something. Does it matter what traveler terminals the black and red wires go to on each end of the switch?

Thanks for the help!

 

A 3-way switch does not have an "on position" or off position for that matter. Please explain. I suspect that is your problem. Tell us more about that switch.

 

Sorry, I realize 3 way switches don't technically have an "on" position but what I meant was that if it was a regular switch it would be what is considered the "on" position. Anyways after I posted this I went back and re-read the instructions to the lutron switch and realized that I missed a step and that when using the lutron with a regular 3 way switch you don't use both of the traveler terminals. After wiring it per their instructions and testing it the switches are working correctly now.

 

Very good. Thanks for letting us know.