Trouble installing PD-5ANS in a 3-way configuration with no clear neutral

I'm trying to install a PD-5ANS in a three-way location with no clear neutral. The one end of the three-way where the Pico is going and has a 14-3, the usual red, white, and black that I tied together. On the end where I assumed the switch needed to go, the normal switch was wired as pictured.

https://ytqzha.by.files.1drv.com/y4m...&cropmode=none

Coming into that box there is one 14-2 (back and white) and one 14-3 (red, black, white). The red from the 14-3 is tied into the white from the 14-2, both blacks go to the switch and the white from the 14-3 goes to the switch.

I called Lutron support and tried almost every configuration they could think of and the only success we had was the bulb flashing and or staying solid without switch control. Tried multiple different styles of bulbs to see if it was the load. No grouping of white neutral wires in the back of the box, only the tied together red and white.

Embedding did not work

https://ytqzha.by.files.1drv.com/y4m...&cropmode=none

What's in the box at the other switch location?

Do both box have only one 14-3 and one 14-2?

Does that photo show the original configuration?

In a typical 3-way you have power coming in at 1 end and going up to the light at the other end. At the power end you should have a black wire connected to the black/odd color terminal (may be connected to other wires in the box). At the load end you should have a black wire going from the black screw up to the light. The black and red of the 14/3 should be connected to the 2 silver terminals at both ends. The whites should be tied together and not connected to the mechanical switches.

Once you get it back in working order, you will need to relay the power or wire going up to the light to the other end (depending on which end you want the switch at). You can use the black wire of the 14/3 to do that. Lutron uses a sledge-hammer approach and has you tie multiple wires together. This is to minimize the effect if you chose the wrong wire.

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Originally Posted by randyc

Does that photo show the original configuration?

In a typical 3-way you have power coming in at 1 end and going up to the light at the other end. At the power end you should have a black wire connected to the black/odd color terminal (may be connected to other wires in the box). At the load end you should have a black wire going from the black screw up to the light. The black and red of the 14/3 should be connected to the 2 silver terminals at both ends. The whites should be tied together and not connected to the mechanical switches.

Once you get it back in working order, you will need to relay the power or wire going up to the light to the other end (depending on which end you want the switch at). You can use the black wire of the 14/3 to do that. Lutron uses a sledge-hammer approach and has you tie multiple wires together. This is to minimize the effect if you chose the wrong wire.

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Thanks for the reply

Yes, that is the original configuration, I put the original switch back in and wired it back to how it was, and it worked after wiring it back up that way.

The switch that is further away from the fixture has just the 14/3 and the one closer has both. When talking with Lutron support they were really confused by the whole configuration as was I when I took the plate off. I'm guessing whoever wired the light used the wrong color wires. Given the wiring configuration shown how would i go about wiring it? I have tried every possibility I can think of.

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Originally Posted by Larry in TN

What's in the box at the other switch location?

Do both box have only one 14-3 and one 14-2?

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The other box has just a 14-3.

The box closer to the light (pictured) has one of each.

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Originally Posted by ZScherling

The other box has just a 14-3.

The box closer to the light (pictured) has one of each.

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You're probably going to need to look in the fixture too then. And/Or use a meter to figure out which wire is which between the two boxes.

Between the questionable color usage and that it's a switch only leg. It sounds like some questionable work and you'll need to figure out what's really in the wall instead of what should be in the wall. From your descriptions so far, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that the wire goes to the fixture and is tied to a wire going to the next switch using different colors. Meaning that you can't trust that the red wire at one switch is the red wire at the other, or any color pair, without testing them.

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Originally Posted by ZScherling

The other box has just a 14-3.

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That's why it is confusing.

Normally, power going into the circuit at one of the two boxes and then goes out to the lights from the other box.

Look in the box of the light itself to see if there is a single 14-2, a single 14-3, or more than one cable in the light's box.

Here's a site which shows some alternative ways that a 3-way might be wired. See if this matches with what you have.