Here they are. They are as in the Jasco diagram, and as I’ve posted and described them in the other 4 pictures. Here is one:
Yes, I know it should not be there. I’m looking for ideas as to where to turn next.
Lots of back and forth but let me jump in here.
The most common way of wiring a 3-way in the US is to have line (from breaker) in one box and load (to fixture) in the second one.
The way GE/Jasco 3-ways work, the primary smart switch needs both line and load connected just like a single switch would. So if you look at their wiring diagram you’ll see the Load wire from the smart switch is carried on a traveler wire to the second box and jumpered to the load wire going to the fixture. You can wire that all up without even connecting the aux switch.
Get that working first.
After that it’s relatively simple to use the other traveler wire to hook up the aux switch.
If your wiring does not have line in one box and load in the other, you’ll need to adapt a bit.
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Take the add-on out of the equation. Disconnect it completely and wire the load and neutral from the primary to the actual light fixture wire.
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I’m guessing the black at your add on is providing hot to your light, and the red at your add on is load from the primary switch. Solution if that’s correct would be to connect those.
Meter on red when the primary is on/off should tell you whether the second part of that is correct.
Pictures inside the junction boxes would also be helpful. Mostly to see if the red and blue enter both boxes together.
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I just came to that same conclusion. Had to draw it out on paper first …
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I think this is your problem. The GE diagram is kind of awful. Pay close attention to the LABELS on the wires.
The load terminal from the primary is connected to one of the wires going to the second box, then wire-nutted to the load wire going to the fixture. It does not connect to the add-on switch at all.
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I think that’s where the confusion comes from when wiring up one of the GE/Jasco switches for the first time. If you’re used to wiring up a standard three way, you’re likely thinking the load needs to be connected to the add-on in some way when in reality it’s straight from the primary directly to the fixture like standard switch wiring. Describing the add-on as a switch is a bit of a misnomer since it’s more akin to a push button used to signal the real primary switch.
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@harryfine , you’re getting basically the same advice from several of us, just phrased differently.
We’re assuming the following
- The junction box where you’re installing the primary, smart switch has line power from the breaker. One of the black wires is hot.
- The box where you’re installing the add-on switch has load line to the fixture(s). This would be the black wire in pictures.
- There is a cable running between the two boxes. This has the red and blue “traveler” wires in your pictures.
If those assumptions are all correct, then you need to connect as follows (with corrections from @JDRoberts)
For the primary switch
- Black (line power) wire to Line terminal.
- Red (traveler) wire to Load terminal
- Blue (traveler) wire to Traveler terminal
- White neutral/common to Neutral terminal
- Ground wire to Ground terminal
For the add-on switch
- Wire nut the black (load) wire to the Red (traveler) wire
- Blue (traveler) wire to Traveler terminal
- White neutral/common to Neutral terminal
- Ground wire to Ground terminal.
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To meet Canadian electrical code, you would have to have the red on the load and the blue on the traveler terminals on the primary.
Then you would nut the black to the red and it would be the blue on the add-on’s traveler terminal instead of the red.
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Thanks, @JDRoberts! Your breadth of knowledge never ceases to amaze!
I assumed the red and blue were interchangeable so randomly picked a configuration.
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