3-way dimmer help


  #1  
Old 02-17-07, 03:14 PM
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3-way dimmer help

Hey guys,

Just got through rewiring a bedroom with a 3-way dimmer switch on the light circuit, and the light will not come on.

Here's my setup:

12/2 cable from panel to box with the dimmer switch. Black/common wire connected to black wire on dimmer switch, white/neutral connected to white/neutral from 12/3 cable going out of the box. One red wire from dimmer switch connected to red in 12/3, and other red wire connected to black in 12/3.

The 12/3 travels to the box for the light fixture where white is connected to the light fixture, black connected to tagged white and red connected to red in the other 12/3 going to the other 3-way switch (not dimmer).

The black from the other 12/3 is connected to the light fixture, and to the common screw terminal on the other 3-way switch. The tagged white is connected to the terminal above the common, and the red connected to the opposite side of this terminal.

I've tried this setup as well as swapped the red and tagged white wires on the 3-way switch, and still nothing.

Any suggestions on what I could be doing wrong?
 
  #2  
Old 02-17-07, 03:58 PM
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Oops!

Did you rewire the bedroom? Or did you just change out the switches?

If only changed out the switch- 1st, You only messed with the switch you wanted the dimmer on, correct?
2nd- You did this with the power on, correct? You probably smoked the $20 + dimmer.

Connect the feed black. to one of the travelers. Then try the 3-way toggle and it should work. Unless you played with both switches for no reason.
 
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Old 02-17-07, 04:15 PM
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No, I completely rewired the bedroom. It's a 50+ year old house, and I've been rewiring everything little by little.

So, new wiring, new switches, new receptacles, everything.

I should say that the cable I have coming from the panel goes to a junction box, where two cables come out to feed receptacles, and one comes out to feed the light. The receptacles have power, but the light doesn't.
 
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Old 02-17-07, 04:44 PM
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So, black -wht from brkr... Black(from brkr) to point/black screw-on sw(1). rd +blk(from 3 wire) to traveler screws. 3 wire to light.
Wht (brkr) to wht on 3/wire then to light.

In fixture: 3- wire to other switch (2): Red to red. Black to black.
Tape wht wire black! Connect to light.
In sw 2-- Red and black to traveler screws... And white (TAPE it black) to black (common) black screw screw.
 

Last edited by lectriclee; 02-17-07 at 04:46 PM. Reason: " connect to light"
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Old 02-17-07, 04:55 PM
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It sounds like what you did is correct, if you got the right terminals and if you didn't damage the dimmer.

Use a tester and verify that the dimmer still works.

Use the same tester and verify that the second switch is wired properly. You cannot judge by terminal positions, you must look at the terminals themselves. Just because one 3 way switch has the common in one place, does not mean that another three way switch will be the same.
 
  #6  
Old 02-17-07, 05:32 PM
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Take the dimmer out and replace it with a three way switch as a test. Your connections as you describe them are correct.
 
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Old 02-17-07, 10:49 PM
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test from hot to ground at the light, if you have 120V you have a broken neutral (panel, dimmer box, at the light, or at the $ box)

if all of your connections are good wire nut the black off of your 12-2 HR directly to the black and red switch legs in your 12-3 going out to the light...
if the light comes on your dimmer was bad

these two tests should solve your problem
 
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Old 02-18-07, 12:18 AM
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Originally Posted by joed
Take the dimmer out and replace it with a three way switch as a test. Your connections as you describe them are correct.
Yes wire it up with switches first then put in the dimmers after you get it working. I have seen too many dimmers that were bad out of the box and they are hard to test.

I installed dimmers a couple of years ago .The plan was to replace one switch with a dimmer verify it worked OK and then replace the other one. I really thoought I had scewed up somewhere but it took 3 dimmers before I got one that was good.
 
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Old 02-18-07, 01:01 PM
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Thanks guys. I'll give these thing a try and let you know how it goes.
 
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Old 02-18-07, 01:07 PM
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Wink Warning!

Disconnect the power before installing electronic dimmers. They don't like the surge on connection.
 
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Old 02-19-07, 04:33 PM
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Well, swapped out the dimmer with a standard 3-way switch, and voila! I've got light. I'll return the dimmer for another one, and if that one doesn't work, I'll just do without.

Thanks again for everyone's help. I really appreciate it.
 
  #12  
Old 02-19-07, 09:37 PM
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just let you know that some 3 way dimmer set up the cheap verison dimmer only work with one dimmer with toggle switch if you use the two dimmer for 3 ways on cheap verison

there is other verison but more expensive it will work both loaction what i called multi location dimmers those sell 40 + bucks and you have to get a pair for this one one will be master and second one will be remote and wiring connection will bediffrent [ the instruction will expain pretty clear on this one ]

merci , marc
 
 

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