evah40•17d ago

Been wiring three-ways wrong for 10 years until last week

I always ran 14/3 between the switches like everyone else, but I was using the white wire as a hot without marking it. My journeyman caught me on a job in Portland and showed me the code rule about re-identifying the neutral. Now I wrap it with black tape every time. How do you guys handle that white wire in switch loops?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa67117d agoMost Upvoted

@the_lisa nailed it with the tape trick, but here's the thing nobody talks about: if you're using the white as a traveler in a three-way, that re-identification rule technically doesn't apply the same way. The code only cares about the neutral being reidentified, but a lot of inspectors will still flag it anyway. So I just tape everything now, even if it's technically just a switch leg.

the_lisa17d ago

Ha! Man, I feel your pain. I did the exact same thing for years. I thought wrapping it in black tape was just an old timer thing until I got a surprise inspection and the inspector pulled me aside. Now I keep a roll of that black tape right in my pouch and I wrap the white wire at both ends before I even push the switch in. It's one of those little things that feels stupid when you finally learn it, but honestly, your mileage may vary on how strict your local AHJ is.