I currently am re-modeling a first home for me & my wife. I am now tackling the living room, adding canless lights & a fan. Currently the room has one light with one switch. and a three way switch that goes with all the lower sections of the outlets in the living room, there is a total of 5 outlets. my question is, how do I figure how to run the new power to supply the new lights & fan? I would like to have three, three way switches, one for the fan, one for the light of the fan & one for the can lights. I already took the cover plate off the boxes & one box has two live wires coming into the box that are 14/2. could I go in the attic & isolate these two wires & create a junction box to tap into the power & create two lines for the new fixtures I am installing? I would imagine I also would need to keep the 14/3 wire in the box thats in the wall to maintain power supply to the outlets? I could supply pictures as well, but I wanted to post this question first to see if I would get any responses to start with & go from there. thank you for the future assistance!
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Natural light, taller ceilings, and more functional spaces transform this midcentuary-modern home.
Featured Video
Video: Build a Fireplace, Brick by BrickHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
You want to understand all the wiring before getting started.
This includes where power is routed coming into the room, and what other rooms are fed down the line.
You can start with turning off a breaker and determine everything fed by that circuit.
Doing this as a DIY is not going to be without challenges, and the first of all is to understand permit and inspection requirements.
You can post some photos if you like.
Do you have the room down to studs and rafters?
I'll just toss this out to you. Lutron makes a wireless 3 way switch and will make your wiring a little less onerous. Model is Casitas. They are a bit pricey but compared to the cost of wiring, wall patching, and painting; they are a good deal.
I totally agree with bing0328 regarding the use of Lutron Caseta products. It is so easy, and usually cheaper, to use a Lutron switch to replace your existing wired switch, and then use a Lutron pico switch (wireless) to create the equivalent of a 3-way wired switch. The battery-powered pico switch should last for 10 years with the original battery. It can be mounted anywhere you'd like, and using a Decora wall plate, it looks like any other switch. Lutron has dimming and non-dimming versions, so you have that option too.
I've installed these in new and existing homes to create 3-way equivalent circuits without any issues over the past few years. You can use these products in a stand-alone fashion that uses a proprietary wireless protocol that is extremely reliable. Or, by adding a hub, you can automate, program, and control a lighting system from your smart phone.
“[Deleted]”