Hot take: Murphy's Law hit hard on a simple 3-way switch swap

I had a day last Tuesday that made me question everything. Went to replace a three-way switch in a house near Denver, simple 15 minute job turned into 3 hours because the previous guy used the common terminal as a traveler. Then my voltage tester died halfway through, and I dropped a screw into the carpet. Has anyone else ever run into a switch that was wired so wrong it didn't even make sense?

3 comments

3 Comments

robin4892mo agoMost Upvoted

Man that common terminal trick is brutal, did the old wires have any tape or markings on them at all?

evan_dixon672mo ago

Yeah that's the worst, found bare copper and a prayer once!

johnthompson24d ago

See, I don't mind that setup as much. Bare copper on the common terminal is actually pretty standard in older homes, and once you know it's there it's just one less wire to strip.