I’m not sure if it is on the same circuit. I think so. I read elsewhere on the net that the neutral is essentially just a path back to the breaker box and that it does not have to be on the same circuit. They emphasized “NOT”. I do not know if that is accurate however.
I have three junction boxes. In box 1 I have two red and two white (plus ground) connected to the 4 way switch. No black on the switch, instead the back are wired nutted together. Also in this box I have two white wires wire-nutted together not attached to anything. In box 2 I have just one romex feed. White, red and black and ground attached to the switch. Using a volt meter I only get 120v between the black screw and ground when the switch is in one position. So I do not believe this is the line. In box 3 I also have just one romex feed. White, red, green and black attached to the switch. Unlike in box 2, in this box 3 I do get 120v between the black screw and ground regardless of the switch position. So clearly this is the Line. So to summarize, box 1 is the 4 way, box 2 and 3 are the 3 ways, with box 3 apparently having the Line and box 2 feeding the load (light). In box 1 there are a total of FIVE romex feeds, which I think two are for a separate 3-way (more on that below) and the other 3 are for the 4 way I’m concerned with here, I think…
In box 1 there are two switches. One switch is related to this 4 way setup. The other is part of a separate 3-way for a different light. I have already installed a GE 12722 into box 1 for that separate 3-way unrelated to this 4 way, and tapped the wire nutted whites in there to feed the 12722 in that box. I then have the add-on 12723 switch in another junction box. So that separate three way with a 12722 and 12723 is installed and working great for that. So I am not trying to get this 4-way for the other light working, which happens to share a same junction box with the Line/Primary switch for it in this same box. I only mention that part here to say that I am successfully using the neutral feed from there for that. I have pigtailed another lead off of that which I plan to use to feed the neutral for this 4-way setup for the other light. I hope I am making sense here…
OK so with that background I’m hoping now that you have the full picture of what I am trying to do. My questions are:
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Which box should I set up as my primary for the 12722? In box 3 there is the Line so I kind of think that means I must use box 3 as the primary? I would have the black wire for Line, the white wire in it for Neutral (can this be used even tho its not part of a wire-nutted loop?), and red wire for a traveler, however I would have NO wire set pass along for Load. So I think that means I cannot use box 3 as the primary. Which means I’d have to use box 1 as the primary then. However at box 1 I have no “Line”. Only black wires in there are wire nutted together.
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If you or someone can kindly tell me what box needs to be primary, and how to wire it per #1 above that wold be fantastic. Then from there, can you please explain what wiring I would need to do in boxes 2 and 3? It seems that I will somehow need to reuse the wires for different purposes to get this to work, if that’s even possible? I do know that running any additional wires to/from box 3 is not possible, tho if absolutely necessary I could run wires between box 1 and 2, I think.
Thank you!!
EDIT: I meant to also say that the 3 way setup (the one already working GE 12722/12723 system) that shares a box with the 4 way in box 1 are one separate circuits from each other, in case that matters. That said, I am feeding that 3-way with the neutral that seems to be part of the 4-way and that is working. I think the main challenge is that the neutral is in a different box (box 1) than the Line power feed (box 3).