Finally got that old 3-way switch in the Portland bungalow to work right after trying a different traveler wire color.

It was a 1920s house with original wiring, just cloth-covered. The switch had been acting up for the owner for years, and I was the third electrician to look at it. The travelers were both black, and the last guy had just guessed at the common. I spent an hour with my meter getting nowhere. Then I remembered a trick an old-timer showed me: use a piece of red tape on one traveler at the first switch, and match it at the second. It seems so simple, but it made tracing the circuit in that cramped, hot attic a ten-minute job instead of a headache. The homeowner was thrilled. What's your go-to method for sorting out old, unmarked travelers in a tight spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.iris2mo ago

Color-coded tape is a lifesaver for old wiring, just mark both ends the same.

cole_flores442mo ago

Honestly, that seems like a band-aid fix. Why not just replace the old wire and be done with it?

mark_ward2mo ago

Oh man, tape is the only way! In those old houses, you're not just gonna rewire a whole wall for one switch. I keep a roll of red, blue, and white electrical tape in my bag just for this. You find the hot traveler, slap some red tape on it at both switch boxes, and suddenly the puzzle solves itself. It's not a band-aid, it's just smart work. Saves hours of guesswork and keeps the old plaster walls intact.