Dimmer and switch not "talking to each other"

Finishing off my basement and I've runto a dimmer switch issue

I have my pot lights on a three way curcuit between a switch and a dimmer. Both are working but wouldn't talk to each other. If I turn on with the switch the dimmer function and switch won't work and vice versa. if I turn the lights on with the dimmer switch, the dimming fuction will work.

Any ideas on fixes. As both are working I'm guessing it's something simple but I'm starting to get agravated with it.

Thanks
Bruce

 

Make and model number of the devices , please. Tell us all the wires and connections at each device.

 

Welcome to the forums!

Do you have the incoming hot wire connected to the common terminal on one of the controls and the outgoing hot feed to the lights connected to the common terminal on the other one?

 

incoming hot is connected to common of the switch
switch has an outgoing pgtail, with one side going to the light, the other end going to the dimmer. Also a red traveler between the switch and the dimmer.


I'm at work so unfortunately I don't have pics.

All products at Levitron but I don't have product #

 

If both the incoming hot and the wire to the light are connected to the the same devise - the switch - the other device - the dimer - shouldn't have any effect.

It sounds like your dimmer may have wire leads (not pigtails) instead of screw terminals. If so, the point is still to connect the feed in or the feed out to the common terminal. The two traveler terminals on each device need to be connected device-to-device.

That's OK. Our seeing pictures of the two devices isn't important. All that matters is that you figure out which terminal is the common terminal on each device and the function of each wire in each switch box.

The answers to Ray's questions should help you do that.

 

been busy for the last few days,

pics didn't turn out well, so i thoughts I would draw a diagram of what i'm done. I have confirmed by common but they still aren't talking to each other. Any onehave any ideas?

The switch is a leviton and the dimmer is a Lutron, guy at Home Depot said they shoudl have no issues workign wioth each other.

 

Your wiring is not correct. You are bringing power into the one switch. What type of cable runs between switches? Where does the cable going to the light connect to, the switch with the power in or the other switch?

 

I shoudl also mention that yes the dimmer has wire leads, not screws and that the yellow represents the neutral white

 

The cable going to the light runs from the switch which has the power coming into it. In the image I've labled it "hot in". From the switch which has the power coming in, I have a black wire going to the dimmer and the lights through a pigtail.

I am using 14-3 between the switches and 14-2 going to the lights (three way application was an afterthought)

I've updated the image to include the white neutrals.

 

OK, the incoming power needs to splice to the white of the cable going to the other switch box and connect to the common lead. Black and red from same cable are the the travelers. The common of the first switch connects to the black going to the fixture.

The white carrying power to sw2 should be reidentified as a hot with black tape at both ends. This wiring method also does not have the code required neutral at sw2.

 

Thanks for the advice, I'll try that hopefully tonight or this weekend and let you know the results.

I think the neutral (or lack thereof) has caused me some extra confusion.

Many thanks on this!