Just finished it up, as i suspected the issue was a loose backstab, went ahead and redid all the switches over to screw terminals.

Just finished it up, as i suspected the issue was a loose backstab, went ahead and redid all the switches over to screw terminals.

Someone's going to be happy about that.

Just finished it up, as i suspected the issue was a loose backstab, went ahead and redid all the switches over to screw terminals.

Alright! Good job my man! Future electrician here!

Alright! Good job my man! Future electrician here!

Ahh thanks! That's what i plan on doing!

The saga continues! I have a 4 way switch in my living room that controls some cans and it has been sorta broken, you cna use it but its stiff and will not go all the way in one direction, and is not aesthetically appealing because of that. Tomorrow i am going to grab a commercial 4 way and slap that sucker in!

The saga continues! I have a 4 way switch in my living room that controls some cans and it has been sorta broken, you cna use it but its stiff and will not go all the way in one direction, and is not aesthetically appealing because of that. Tomorrow i am going to grab a commercial 4 way and slap that sucker in!

Yep. Sounds like you got a switch going bad.
Here's something to really keep in mind. Each pair of screws on the new switch may not be in the same position as on the old switch.
So I strongly recommend that you label each wire before you remove it and look carefully at the labeling of each pair of screws on the new switch.
I know that may sound complicated but it's not that bad other than stuffing it back into the box.
Good luck, you can handle it buddy!

Yep. Sounds like you got a switch going bad.
Here's something to really keep in mind. Each pair of screws on the new switch may not be in the same position as on the old switch.
So I strongly recommend that you label each wire before you remove it and look carefully at the labeling of each pair of screws on the new switch.
I know that may sound complicated but it's not that bad other than stuffing it back into the box.
Good luck, you can handle it buddy!

Thanks for the advice jamie, will keep that one in mind tomorrow. It's a three gang box that feeds another set of cans and a fan, all single pole switches. always wondered how 4 way switches worked until i found out it's a weird wiring of a DSDP switch. Also if anything else is backstabbed, I'll take care of it.

Thanks for the advice jamie, will keep that one in mind tomorrow. It's a three gang box that feeds another set of cans and a fan, all single pole switches. always wondered how 4 way switches worked until i found out it's a weird wiring of a DSDP switch. Also if anything else is backstabbed, I'll take care of it.

Something else to keep in mind if you get a Leviton 4way, which I recommend, one pair of screws will be darker than the other pair.
The 2 traveler wires from one cable goes to the darker pair.
While your 2 traveler wires from the other cable go to the pair of lighter color screws.
But again it does help to label each wire and check the screws on the new switch.
Yes since you have the box open if you see any backstabs on the other switches, a little more effort now will save a lot of aggrivation later.

Well I changed the switch just fine and wired it right, but when I installed it in the box it didn’t want to go all the way up! There must be some dumb issue with the box, the old switch is still stiff but mostly works and the new one is more smooth so idk.

Well I changed the switch just fine and wired it right, but when I installed it in the box it didn’t want to go all the way up! There must be some dumb issue with the box, the old switch is still stiff but mostly works and the new one is more smooth so idk.

The box is plastic right? It could be warped out of shape and possibly exerting pressure on the switch.

The box is plastic right? It could be warped out of shape and possibly exerting pressure on the switch.

It is, although my mom says something must be misaligned in the wall and its not worth the trouble to fix. The issue doesn't seem to happen to the single pole lights switches.

It is, although my mom says something must be misaligned in the wall and its not worth the trouble to fix. The issue doesn't seem to happen to the single pole lights switches.

I agree. Replacing an existing box is an absolute nightmare and it's something that you don't do unless it's absolutely necessary.
I remember a recent job where I replaced an existing plastic 3gang box because it had to be changed to a 4gang for an additional switch!

I agree. Replacing an existing box is an absolute nightmare and it's something that you don't do unless it's absolutely necessary.
I remember a recent job where I replaced an existing plastic 3gang box because it had to be changed to a 4gang for an additional switch!

Was there no room to install a double switch?

Was there no room to install a double switch?

The customer hated that idea and felt that the 4way was more professional in appearance.
Somehow I got lucky, no major problems and it only took about 2 hours.

The saga continues! I have a 4 way switch in my living room that controls some cans and it has been sorta broken, you cna use it but its stiff and will not go all the way in one direction, and is not aesthetically appealing because of that. Tomorrow i am going to grab a commercial 4 way and slap that sucker in!

I hate to butt in, but when growing up, I HATED 4-way switches, because the two main in my parents house had an issue where neither of the 3-way switches worked if the 4-way switch was in a certain position, I later learned that both 4-way switches in my parents house were broken, hence why they would not work properly, so recently, I finally replaced both switches, and now they work as you would expect.

In case anyone's wondering, the broken switches were early 2000s Leviton Decora 4-way switches, I replaced the first one a couple of months ago, and the second one a few days ago.