Combining two 3-way switches & lights

[Electrookie]

I have a staircase about 25 feet long with two recessed lights (one up top, the other at the bottom). Each light is on its own 3-way switch, which is ridiculous.

I want to combine the lights so that one 3-way switch controls both lights.

I tried to wire it up so that each corresponding wire was paired and connected to the single switch, but the lights just stayed on indefinitely. I switched one of the travelers and same thing.

Outside of trial and error (which I don't want to do), I'm at a loss for what to do to fix this.


Each recessed light only has a black and a white wire.


Each switch has all 4, but one of them has what looks like a gray wire instead of a second black for the power supply.


Thanks in advance.

 

[littlespark]

A 3 way switch, (2 way in UK) is a changeover switch… it just flips between one traveller and the other.
If the lights are staying on, then sounds like the travellers are wired such a way that they never disconnect.

Think of the travellers in pairs, each pair would be wired to one or other of the lights.
Have they got mixed up now?

You just need to use one pair, disconnect the other two and make safe in the back of the box.

 

[Electrookie]

A 3 way switch, (2 way in UK) is a changeover switch… it just flips between one traveller and the other.
If the lights are staying on, then sounds like the travellers are wired such a way that they never disconnect.

Think of the travellers in pairs, each pair would be wired to one or other of the lights.
Have they got mixed up now?

You just need to use one pair, disconnect the other two and make safe in the back of the box.

I was able to separate them all again, so I'm back to where I was initially, but I really can't attend having 2 switches for 2 lights that should be on one.

I hadn't thought about capping off one whole source of power. I'd just need to figure out which wires go to the actual light itself on one side then.