# gigscott52



## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

GE-Remcon system from the 60s


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## gigscott52 (Sep 7, 2012)

anybody know anything about a circuit where lights around a house can be turned on from master bedroom which over rides all switches at each individual light.All switches are 3way.Puzzled


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## ohiosparky99 (Nov 12, 2009)

gigscott52 said:


> anybody know anything about a circuit where lights around a house can be turned on from master bedroom which over rides all switches at each individual light.All switches are 3way.Puzzled


You trying to troubleshoot something, or install this system ??


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

*Threads merged.*


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## JohnR (Apr 12, 2010)

gigscott52 said:


> can you show me the circuit using all 3way switches.There were 4 different lights around the house ,each having its own 3way switch to turn its adjacent light on,however the master 3way in in the master bedroom *could turn all the lights on at once*.I've never ran into this.


Could they all be turned off from the MB as well? Somehow I doubt that if they could all be turned on, that if the light was switched on in that room, it would shut them off.


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## gigscott52 (Sep 7, 2012)

*gigscott*

I don't know if you could turn them off if the switch next to the light turned it on, but you could turn all the lights on from the one switch in the master bedroom.I'm trying to trouble shoot this circuit and finding it difficult not ever seeing it.I think the leg from each light is going to the common point on the 3ways and a hot is on another terminal on each 3way and I think the other terminal on each 3way is a hot common to all switches and master bedroom switch.


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## JohnR (Apr 12, 2010)

If the switch in the MB is a 3 way then there is probably another 3 way somewhere else. The load point wire is probably going to each of the load side point terminals of the individual room switches. These all should be on the same circuit though.


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## gigscott52 (Sep 7, 2012)

*gigscott*

Every light has it's own 3way close to it as does the 3way in the MB


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

I am still not clear what you have there. Can you explain it better. It sounds like there is a three way switch that controls one light, and another 3 way that controls another light, etc but the one in the master bedroom shuts them all off. Is this correct

I can only guess that the 3 ways are used as a single pole Double throw switch where one side of the three way energizes a contactor and the other side de-energizes the contactor.


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## pjg (Nov 11, 2008)

All the switches which would normally be single pole would now be a three way. the sl is wired to the common and the normal feed to the traveller. then from the switch in the bedroom you would run a sl from that switch to all of the three way switches other traveller screw. All the feeds need to be on the same circuit or at minimum the same phase. This works to turn on all the off fixtures. the three way will need to be positioned correctly for the toogle position to be up when the override switch is in the open position.


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## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

In order for this to be true:

A hot wire would have to run from the load side of the Master bedroom switch to every light, directly, and be connected to the load side of it's corresponding three way switch.

It would be illegal as hell, but it's the only way I see it being done, from how you are explaining it..

You mention 3 ways, and then say they would normally be single poles?

I'm confused..


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

If you ran a set of travelers thru each switch box pigtailed to each 3 way at every location I can see this working only if they are obviously all on the same circuit and need to be in the off position at the end side in order to be overidden.


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## pjg (Nov 11, 2008)

I'll try to explain this better so here goes- lets say a bedroom with a single entry with a switch would normally be a single pole with this system the switch needs to be a (three way) single pole double throw, it basically becomes a transfer switch. the SL goes on the common screw and the normal feed goes on a traveler screw(therre are no traveller conductors). From the emergency switch in the master, that switch leg will go to the remaining screw on the three way. The emergency can feed any number of switches within the limits of the circuit ampacity. It does need to be on the same circuit as the other switches or at least on the same phase.

When the normal switch is closed (light on)and then the EM sitch is closed the power ends on the dead screw(no current path). when the normal switch is off and the EM is closed the power flows to the fixure. 

The ones I have had the displeasure of figuring out also used four-ways in place of where a three-way would normally be used. This set up can become a problem after a service upgrade or circuit get moved around causing a phase to phase short. As far a code compliant it seems it could be made compliant, The ones I've seen were not. One had his coffee pot receptacle wired into the system( House was built in the 50's ) 

Sorry I don't know how to post a drawing.


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## gigscott52 (Sep 7, 2012)

*gigscott*

Thanks for the info.I think I can figure it out now.It all works right on paper so now its just ringing out some wires.


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## buddhakii (Jan 13, 2011)

Hey Scott, this house wouldn't happen to be down by Sedalia would it? I wired a house down there about 5 years ago and if I remember correctly I wired it with a MB switch to turn on all the lights, but I can't remember how I did it. I do remember I also wired it so when you open the garage door all the can lights in the eves of the house come on.


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## gigscott52 (Sep 7, 2012)

*gigscott*

Budd,No the house wasn't in sedalia.It's a high end home built in 80 in Cherry Hills.The circuit is pretty unique.There are 4 lights around the house by doorways.Each has it's own switch at the doorway entrance which are 3way switches.There is a master security switch in the master bedroom which is also a 3way.The common in MB switch is fed hot.The traveler wire goes between each traveler on each switch.The other traveler wire in the MB also goes to the other traveler screw on each switch.The common on all the switches except the MB switch goes to it's respective light.You can turn on all the ligts from the MB and can't turn the off at the other switches till the master switch is turned off.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Can't be anything like this?


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## pjg (Nov 11, 2008)

Shockdoc said:


> Can't be anything like this?


That looks correct. The master could just as easy be a single pole.

you can add as many switch/fixtures as the ampacity allows


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## JohnR (Apr 12, 2010)

That would also shut off any light that was on at the time the MB switch was thrown.

--edit: Nevermind Just got what pjg meant about the second circuit.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

JohnR said:


> That would also shut off any light that was on at the time the MB switch was thrown.
> 
> --edit: Nevermind Just got what pjg meant about the second circuit.


The second circuit would turn it into a violation unless relays are used.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

pjg said:


> That looks correct. The master could just as easy be a single pole.
> 
> you can add as many switch/fixtures as the ampacity allows


The master should have been a single pole w/ run side tied thru, that would prove to work as described by the OP, but using the 3way as a master throws it off it the slave is in the on position.


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## pjg (Nov 11, 2008)

The ones I have run into used a single pole as the master. 

The first time I found it someone had caused a dead short when the master switch was closed. Apparenty the circuits had been switched to have potential between them. The switch was finally found behind a picture in the bedroom


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