Hello,

I have several 3 way switches--each with a red pilot light. The switches are going bad and I'd like to replace them with better looking, illuminated 3-way switches.

I'm not sure of what to do with the wiring though.
My old switches have 6 terminals (3 on each side), but the newer 3-ways only have 3 terminals.

In the old switch, on the left side I have
White --> Top Terminal
Black --> Middle
<nothing> --> Bottom

On the right side, I have
Red --> Top Terminal
Bare Copper --> Middle
White --> Bottom

Which of these wires would I use in the new illuminated switch?
I am assuming that any unused wires are for the pilot light. Can I just cap them off and stuff them in the box?

Thanks in advance.

Usually the box has a diagram printed within the inside of the shipping carton helping you with the proper hook up. I'm the first to tell you that I am an impossible person to direct you exactly how to wire it, as I have to see the actual work, but I'm sure others on board can perform that task better than I. Good luck.

I would do one of two things.. perhaps both

(1) get exact replacement switches. no muss, no fuss. only do one at a time, and clip a little wire so you have the coloration on each one. in the case of repeat colors, like say 3 blacks hooking up all over the place, use Scotch 35 coding tape in funny colors right from the switch to several inches back so you really, truly know how to put the old one back in if you can't get it right. this is called "recoding" the colors.

(2) pull the main breaker, verify power is off in the branch circuits, and use a telco-type inductive beep tracer set to positively identify which wire does what, back to the panel, up to the light, and at each switch. this could be an all-day affair, figure out something else for the fish tank air pump, etc. if you can reduce it to a diagram showing a plain old 3-way switch hookup as in the device's carton diagram, plus one funny circuit for pilot lights, you may be able to put something else in here.

again, pull the mains and double-check. you will have a hand full of fire if you use telco tracers on a powered circuit. FULL of fire.

on second thought, #1 is worlds ahead... do exactly what's in there all over again and sleep well tonight.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,

Thanks CommonwealthSparky and swschrad.

swschrad, what do you mean "clip a little wire so you have the coloration on each line"?

I really don't like having to resort to putting the same switch back in. They look like something you'd see in a factory.

suppose you have a 10 inch length of wire to each switch terminal. and suppose you recode your wire back 3 inches from the switch by wrapping, say, blue tape on it.

if you cut the wire off leaving a half inch of insulation plus blue tape on silver screw #3, you can now match the wires back up, where they came from to where they need to go, once you figure out the circuitry inside the switch. this is clipping the wire with some color left.

ancient Chinese secret.