Recently bought a house where most switches are 3 way switches. I’m looking to change them all out.
Can I just purchase a 3 way switch/3 way dinner and replace the first switch in the series? Or do all the switches need to change? I believe only the first switch needs to be a zwave switch not all of them. But want to confirm that
ALL the switches in the circuit (3 way) need to be smart switches.
There is one master switch which will control the load, then a companion switch at the 2nd location.
You can’t mix smart switches and dumb switches due to the fact they DO NOT wire the same at all. Typically in an old 3 way, the switches toggle power through them using the wiring setup. In a smart 3 way the master switch controls the load, the remote switch tells the master to toggle power to the load either by being wired to the master or via wireless communication. That is obviously not a very technical description but I hope it helps you understand.
Depending on which brand you choose will determine the wiring setup. I have used GE or a micro switch for all of my 3 way setups.
Go to this thread it has a good description of 3 way setups and where the people better at wiring them up hang out.