Very messed up 3way switch! Help please


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Old 04-28-18, 01:52 PM
T
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Very messed up 3way switch! Help please

My son just bought a 105 year old house. Lots of things wrong with it.

A switched outlet reads an open neutral when the switch is off, but normal when the switch is on. It shouldn't read anything when the switch is off.

I opened it up and found it was a three way switch. With the switch off, I found voltages of 67 and 73 volts on each traveler. With the switch on I get 120v and 0v.
I searched and couldn't find anything else on this switch; there are things all over the house on the circuit, but nothing on the switched circuit. I did find the other switch and that works properly; though I didn't check voltages on it.

I am familiar with phantom voltages, and these are real.

All I can think is that there is load on the travelers, but I sure can't find it.
Any advice would be appreciated.
 
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Old 04-28-18, 02:11 PM
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In older homes it was fairly common for them to switch the neutral instead of the hot, which sounds like what you have there. Use caution when working on that circuit.
 
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Old 04-28-18, 08:28 PM
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I would second the switched neutral .
 
 

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