Wiring a 3-way light switch system incorrectly—such as mixing up the common wire with a traveler wire or crossing traveler connections—will result in erratic lighting behavior. Common symptoms include requiring both switches to be flipped to a specific matching position to turn the light on, one switch working independently while the second switch renders the light completely dead, or a direct short circuit that causes the circuit breaker to trip instantly. You can troubleshoot wiring errors safely by shutting off the circuit breaker. You can verify that your corrective action is successful when removing wall plates, verifying that power connects to the common terminal on switch one and the fixture connects to the common terminal on switch two, restores normal operation.
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