First - a Merry Christmas and peace to all. Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday.

The question today is how do I turn a 3 way circuit into a single pole circuit?

I am installing 2 ceiling fans (operating together on one circuit) on what is now a 3-way circuit (2 3-way switches). The fan manufacturer wants the fans installed into a single pole circuit and for me to use the electronic wall control & supplied remote control to control the fans.

So ... I suppose the plan is to close off one of the 3 way switches (replace the switch with a plate), and replace the other 3 way switch with the single pole wall control switch supplied by the manufacturer. Correct?

For the one I close off, I have existing wiring like the photo - 3 wires - red black, and white. Do I just tie them together to delete the switch?

For the new control I have the same wiring on the existing 3 way switch. How do I terminate them to replace 3 way switch with a single pole switch?

Thanks and regards.
Al

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Firstly, three way switches can get a bit complicated, and some assumptions are necessary...........although they might not be correct.

With the three way switches, one of the switches will have 115V coming into the box............and the other switch will have the output wire for the device. This must be determined first. If you have a meter, shutoff power to the circuit and find the single wire that goes to the device. It will be on one of the "common" terminals of the switch. On the other switch, this same terminal has the incoming 115V power. You can also verify this, carefully, with the power on...........although I don't recommend it due to safety reasons.

When you have found the incoming 115V wire on one switch, and the output to the device from the second switch, you can now decide where you want the fan control.

The fan control needs the 115V supply wire and it needs the output wire to the fan itself. But, in your case, they are in two different boxes. However, you've now got two extra wires that run between the two switches.........one of them is red..........the other is either black or white. Either one can be used as the connection between the two boxes.

So, to bring 115V to the second box (if necessary), connect the incoming 115V line to one of the other two lines (don't use the red one) to take it to the second box (the box with the wire to the device).

Or, to bring the device to the 115V supply wire, connect the wire to the device to one of the other two lines to bring it back to the box with the 115V supply.

When you get done, one of the three wires will not be connected to anything..........at both ends..........and this should properly be the red wire...........because you are not using the three way capability anymore.

Sorry for the long explanation, but the three way switches are a bit complicated and you DO NOT want to wire all three wires together.

Good luck. Post back if you're confused with it.

Brian has given you a good start. Permit me to make a few additions.

From your photo, I see that red, black and white wires are terminated on the switch. White wire is 'reserved' for use as a neutral wire. A white wire can be used as a 'hot' wire, but it must be marked with red or black tape or paint to identify that it is no longer a neutral wire.

-CAUTION- With the white wire connected as it is on this switch in your photo, it can be live anytime the power is on, depending on connections and/or the switch position.

One or more terminals of each 3-way switch may have markings. A terminal marked "Common" of one 3-way switch would be connected to the 120V unswitched wire from the source, while the "Common" terminal of the other 3-way switch connects power to the light.

As Brian said, you will need to identify which wires are from the source. If the source comes to the box you want to blank off, you must 'extend' the wires to the 2nd box, which will require that you remove the 3-way switch and make some connections to carry power through to the 2nd box.

To extend power you need to make (3) connections:
Black-Black
White-White
Green-Green

(Black=Live, White=Neutral, and Green=Ground)

In the box with the fan controller (this may be the 1st or 2nd box) you will then connect:
Incoming black to one fan control terminal
Black wire from fan to the other fan control terminal
White wire from fan to incoming white wire
Green wire from fan to incoming green wire

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

Electricians are cheap compared to medical bills and fire hazards. My house had some homemade wiring done by the previous owners and they messed it up pretty good. I have also seen electricians do things wrong too. If you do it yourself, find a second set of eyes that might spot an error.

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