3 way switches for morans

[Underoos]

Ugh. I hate electrical work.

I'm having trouble with a 3 way in my house. 2 ceiling lights controlled by two switches. One switch works just fine. The other switch, when turned on, trips the breaker (15 amp). Not sure if it matters, but the switch that works is down for lights on and up for lights off. I'm sure it's something simple, but I can't figure it out. I'm close to putting a piece of tape on the bad switch, but I don't want to be that guy.

[mcski]

Probably just a little dirty. Take off the switch plate and use your tongue to flick out any debris.

[milestogo]

Bad ground?

[NW_SKIER]

All I heard was 3 way.

[Jethro]

Pull both switches out of the wall and identify the wire which is always hot. Put that on the common terminal of the switch. The common screw will be a different color than the other screws. The other two wires are the travelers, and they go on the remaining terminals. Now go to the other switch and connect the travelers to the same colored screws. This should be easy if the wires from switch to switch have not been spliced and color changed. The remaining switch is your switch leg. It goes to the light. Hook it up to the common (different colored screw). Your are done!

[Flounder]

Jethro's got good advice on how to make sure it's correctly wired. Assuming the light and switches used to work fine, the tripping of the breaker indicates a fault somewhere in the system. My first guess would be the switch has a loose wire or has failed. Not sure what you have but I've had issues with builder grade switch quality regarding the longevity of the switch and the fastening mechanism. I would start by having a new switch on hand and checking that everything is wired correctly. If all of the connections are good and no bare wires are hitting the junction box and the breaker still trips, I'd put in the new switch. If problem still occurs, I'd call an electrician.

[Underoos]

Thanks, guys. Fixed it.