My nemesis: the 3-way switch from hell

Along with the wall, ceiling, and window work, I made sure the electric boxes and switches were in their correct places for the new kitchen. The first electrical box that needed attention was where the old ceiling light had been as I took down the old ceiling. Given the added ceiling space after the addition of the taller ceiling and my lack of air conditioning, this was now going to hold a ceiling fan. Since I already had the walls open, I took this opportunity to also add a common feature to most houses that was missing from my old kitchen; a 3-way switch. This would make turning the light on the ceiling fan on and off from different sides of the room work independently, but required a new run of cable (easy because the drywall was off). I also wanted the control the fan rotation via a separate single switch so that tenants wouldn't need to mess with the cord.

This seemed simple enough, right? I did my online homework. I drew out the electrical diagram of how it should be properly wired to work correctly. And then I set out to replicate this same scheme in the kitchen.

Ok all done. Flip the breaker back on.... doesn't work. Try again.... it works, but only the separate switches don't work independently. After days of messing with it, it would work sometimes and then you'd try it one more time and broken again.

Most frustrating thing of this entire renovation, bar none.

So I cracked and had an electrician come look it over. I'd diagrammed it right; it looked right to him; and then razzle dazzle it just worked.... (great, I'd just wasted money). Now when I hang the fan on the finished wall here's how they should go (just like I'd diagrammed). Ok, thanks.

Now it took some time for us to finish the rest, but then I went to hang the fan for the final piece of the puzzle. And surprise... razzle dazzle.... it doesn't work again. Open up the light switch face plates, recheck the wires. Ok, got it working again. Put the wires back in the boxes and put the face plates back on, broken again. Days pass; frustration builds. I call the electrician again. Razzle dazzle. He did exactly what I had been doing and now it magically works.

And that's the bottom line. It works now. Please enjoy it, future tenants. Never break it or I might just go absolutely crazy.