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We have been replacing all our light switches with Insteon Smart Switches (http://cache-m2.smarthome.com/manuals/2477d-en-03-26-2015.pdf page 11) to control them via our phones. Ultimately, they work they hookup the same way as regular switches except for 3 way and more switches rather than using a traveller to connect related switches that process is done wirelessly so travelers get capped line goes to hot, and load goes to cold. We've set everything up successfully except for one location.

It use to be a ceiling fan (light and fan) but we previously replaced it with just a light. It's 3 way, so one 2 gang has a switch for the light and previously connected fan, and the other gang also has a switch for the same light and the previously connected fan.

We hooked up the new switches, one works, the other does not, and ends up blowing the fuse. When hooking up neutral wire to either light or fan switch in Entry. enter image description here

On the ceiling light there is a red capped off and a black attached. And of course neutral and ground.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what I can test or get to the bottom of this or more information I can provide? Thank you!

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    I'm unclear from your diagram what wires go where. Can you draw how it was previously connected, and what wires you believe are going to the light and/or other gang boxes? Where is panel power? The absence of any white wires is also suspicious. It's best to show which conductors are in the same cable together. There should be panel power either the dining room or entry location (one 2-conductor cable with black + white), one 3-conductor cable going to the light (black+white+red), and then 2 pairs of travelers (4 conductors) and either a hot or hot+neutral depending on which one has power.
    – gregmac
    Commented Jul 27, 2016 at 14:20

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I'm not getting a very good picture from your diagram. From what I can tell the switches aren't shown? Or maybe they are but the light isn't? Anyway here's what seems to be going on: The switch that blows the breaker could have a neutral or ground wire connected to the load side of the switch. When the switch contact is made you have a dead short. OR the wire that's supposed to be "hot" coming into the switch is actually a neutral or ground. To troubleshoot this I would use a volt meter. Turn off power. Remove load line from switch that blows breaker. Turn power on. If the breaker blows with the load line removed then the switch is bad. If it doesn't then connect one lead of voltmeter to ground (non insulated wire) and the other lead to the load side of switch. Turn the switch on and tell me the results.

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  • Hi there. In the photo above their are 4 switches shown. 2 are under Dining Room and 2 are under Entry. And the label under each shows whether it controls the light or fan. The light itself on the ceiling is not shown but theres a note under the image on wires going into it. Appreaciate your help. Looks like it may be the neutral wire issue. There are two neutral wires coming to the entry gang box (since there are two other unrelated switches in there. It looks like the issue is that one of the switches was connected to a neutral on a different circuit. So far so good but confirming. Thank you
    – TechRemarker
    Commented Jul 27, 2016 at 17:49

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