3-way wiring with WD100+ and WA100+ am I missing something?

[julez]

It's very common for the white wire to be used as a hot or load wire in switching applications. You should never assume what the wire is used for by looking at the color. If a white wire is used in this fashion, it should be marked with some black tape, but in my experience that is rarely done.


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Yeah it definitely wasn't noted in any way.
The problem was I hadn't seen the white wire there originally. The black wires were already somewhat covered in primer from what it looked like so I didn't look close enough at the time to notice the difference.

[julez]

You need help.

Z-wave and old switches do not work the same way. Original switches send direct 120v down travelers depending on its position. Z-wave traverls send different resistance to communicate from the main to aux switch.

For one sending 120v on the traveler wire to the main switch (from the aux) probley burnt it out (ask me how I know).

Two, sounds like you have the line (or main hot wire) on the main switch connected to a wire comming from the aux switch. That "Line" wire is suposed to be hot all times the breaker is on and be fead from the breaker.

So the proper place to start is to determine what you have going on at your house. Which box has the main line in? Which box has the load or wires going to the light.

Once we determine whats whats in your house then we can properly help you wire up the switches.

I figured it out, but just because I want to be a completionist

The primary box is a 2 gang with a fan attached and the dimmer. Same circuit.

The primary box with the WD100+ had the main line in and the load wires going to the box.

The secondary box is a 2 gang also. There's a direct line coming from the same circuit on 1 switch which is actually a 3 way for another light. Then the second switch is the WA100+ and only has the traveler romex set coming from the primary switch.

The old switch was using the common ground from the other switch in the box so I just continued to use that on the WA100+. Then I wired the red traveler from the other WD100+ and then the white neutral that originated from the neutral wire nut in the primary box both to the WA100+ in the normal way. Then tied off both ends of the black wire from the traveler romex set.

[sparkman]

3-way wiring with WD100+ and WA100+ am I missing something?

It's very common for the white wire to be used as a hot or load wire in switching applications. You should never assume what the wire is used for by looking at the color. If a white wire is used in this fashion, it should be marked with some black tape, but in my experience that is rarely done.


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[julez]

So yeah I think the primary box was wired funny.

I didn't notice it at the time, but apparently the neutral going to the secondary switch was attached to a wire nut that had the black hot wires attached to it?

So I cleaned up the primary box this time around (that's what I get for not doing it the first time I guess).

Took the neutral that was wired into the HOT wire nut and added it to the neutral wire nut (as one would expect it to be). And then capped off the black wire between the two boxes.

Works great now!

[sparkman]

Z-wave traverls send different resistance to communicate from the main to aux switch.

Just a point of clarification, how the accessory switches work is not the same across all zwave switches. Manufacturers can implement whatever they want in that regard. I understand that the HomeSeer and GE switches use the resistance method, but other manufacturers such as Leviton and Cooper do not.

Cheers
Al


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[integlikewhoa]

You need help.

Z-wave and old switches do not work the same way. Original switches send direct 120v down travelers depending on its position. Z-wave traverls send different resistance to communicate from the main to aux switch.

For one sending 120v on the traveler wire to the main switch (from the aux) probley burnt it out (ask me how I know).

Two, sounds like you have the line (or main hot wire) on the main switch connected to a wire comming from the aux switch. That "Line" wire is suposed to be hot all times the breaker is on and be fead from the breaker.

So the proper place to start is to determine what you have going on at your house. Which box has the main line in? Which box has the load or wires going to the light.

Once we determine whats whats in your house then we can properly help you wire up the switches.

[julez]

So last weekend I installed a WD100+ to replace an old dumb dimmer for my living room. No issues there, but I completely forgot it was wired in a 3-way setup.

Even though that setup worked. When I shut the secondary off the dimmer no longer functioned. As I'm writing this I can already tell my logic is off, but I'll continue.

So I thought I'd pick up a WA-100+ companion to replace the old secondary switch.

It seems as though the wiring is similar to this setup https://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=184433

So I put a wire nut on and taped the black.
Attached the white neutral to the neutral terminal , and the red traveler to the traveler terminal.
I test and I get nothing from either switch.

With the old switch the black, traveler, neutral and ground were attached.

Thinking now I feel that something is off on the main switch. Before I go back and open up that tight fiting box up, are there any thoughts on where I'm going wrong?

So the short of how it was working and it's progress was:
Old: Primary dimmer would on/off regardless of secondary position. And the secondary would on/off regardless of primary dimmer position.

Last weekend: Dimmer would only function if secondary was in the on position.

This weekend: Dimmer won't function at all without black wire apparently after installing the WA100+