and a ground wire. So we have one light fixture that is controlled by one light switch and controlled by another one in the same room. The wires all appear under the same fixture. So behind the fixture is 2 black, 2 red, 2 white, and 2 ground.
We were told by many people that the white wires should be together, so we put them together. Then we are left with 2 black (1 from each switch) and 2 red (1 from each switch).
We had it setup where we had a black and a red wire from the same switch together. Then we had the other black and red wires doing nothing.
Behind the light fixture is a black and white wire. We connected the white to the 2 white wires and the black wire to the black/red wires we tied together.
It allowed the light to work and but I tried to switch the light off and it would flicker. Meaning, it would turn off the light for a split second when we turned the light switch off. And it did the same thing turning the light switch on. If you hold the switch in the middle, it would turn off. Weird.
Please help.
By the way, we understand the risk of doing this ourselves. Just to get that out of the way.
A three-way switch has four different screws on its body. The green screw is always for the ground wire (this is the bare copper wire). Now you’ll notice three other screws on the switch. The two brass colored screws across from each other are called the traveler screws. These carry the power from one switch to the other. The last screw will be a darker color, usually dark brass, copper or black. This is where you will connect the hot wire on one switch and the black wire to feed the light on the other switch.
the black wire (hot wire) feeds one switch (connected to the dark screw), the neutral wire (white wire) splices and carries on, and the ground wire (bare copper wire) splices, connects and carries on. The switch then has a red and or black wire (travelers) that continue to the second three-way switch (connects to the brass colored screws).
At the switch, the ground and neutral wires splice respectively and carry on to the light. The black wire going to the light is connected to the darker colored screw on the switch. Finally at the light, the black wires tie together, the white wires tie together and the bare copper wire connects to the box and the light’s ground wire (if it has one).
this looks helpful, has some wiring diagrams you could follow.
http://www.homeimprovementweb.com/information/how-to/three-way-switch.htm
i would combine the wires with the same color……black is different than red. black is hot, white is common and bare or green is ground….. basically, don’t mix colors of the house wires….if the fixture has different colors than the house, remember that the black is hot, and white is usually common….then ground it to the bare copper wire.
http://autos.kosmix.com/topic/Wiring_diagram. Here is a site that can answer all your questions. Even video’s
Just call an Electrician already. The 100 dollars you will pay for trouble shooting will be next to nothing compared with the bill you will get from the Fire Department, or the ER when you make a mistake. It only takes one tenth of an ampere of current across the human heart to make it stop. A typical residential lighting circuit is protected at 15 amps. If you really must do this yourself, send your address and I will bill you $50 for the proper answer, but I will have you sign a waiver of liability first, you know so that your wife cannot sue me after you kill yourself.