where do i get a dimmer switch?


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Old 11-13-19, 07:24 AM
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where do i get a dimmer switch?

the top switch is now on a 50 watt LED above my sink that says

Compatible with most Triac wall dimmers

but my bottom switch is the typical fluorescent bulbs for my under cabinet.

i cannot find a split dimmer anywhere but perhaps i dont know what it's called.
 
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Old 11-13-19, 12:57 PM
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There are combo dimmer switch which has dimmer on both top and bottom, but never seen one with 1 dimmer and 1 switch.
Might be the best to replace fluorescent to LED. If you have regular 8 ft tube, you can easily find a retrofit LED tubes.
 
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Old 11-13-19, 04:01 PM
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turns out the under cabinet light i got IS led so id just have to hope they have another on clearance for under other cabinet. i can repurpose the regular light in my utility room.

so do the dimmers work with just the black and white wires. pretty sure no ground there but i havent looked. just always assume none.

would this one work. seems to say LED and my 18 inch also says dimmable

https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-6628-...000U39QIY?th=1

hate spending that much on dimmer but with my projected leaving the light on 24/7 if i can half the wattage it halves my bill.

ideally id like to find something lowes/home depot for easy return policy
 

Last edited by luckydriver; 11-13-19 at 04:18 PM.
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Old 11-13-19, 07:11 PM
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Leviton 6628-W SureSlide Two-Circuit Electro-Mechanical Incandescent Slide Dimmer, White

It specifically states incandescent so....... no...... it won't work in your application.
I don't remember ever seeing a dual electronic dimmer.
 
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Old 11-13-19, 07:41 PM
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I thought, I found correct dimmer, but it doesn't work with LED.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 05:46 AM
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this stinks. i guess im the only one with such a need or the device would exist. i wish even there was a device that had dimmer up top and outlet on bottom. and then normal switch top and outlet bottom. that would also work. i just have to maintain 2 outlets on the kitchen counter. cannot take them away. i guess i could somehow rig wires coming out and do a surface mount but that would be huge silly looking box on the counter wall.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 05:56 AM
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Old 11-14-19, 05:56 AM
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Read the questions and ratings.
They seem to indicate that the 6628 will work with LED's.

A lot depends on the LED so often you just have to try it.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 06:06 AM
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how about this. instead of ceiling fan on 2nd switch just normal florescent?.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1229L4..._t4_B0016P6JHG

Can this be used to control 2 lights rather than 1 light and 1 fan?
Answer:I'm looking for a dual pole ( 2 lights , 3 way ) dimmer switch too , were you able to find one ?

By Starr Noel Shafer on February 19, 2018
Don't know for sure but they are separate only thing the dimmer for fan has a slow med and high stops on dimmer where the light side just slides


By Kevin Tellefsen on February 14, 2018
Do not know for sure but my guess is that it can control only an incandescent/flourescent light on the fan switch.

Can both switches be used for LED lighting?
Answer:Yes

and its at lowes! so ez return

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Legrand-3-S...rol/1000050157

im totally confused on the wiring. lowes 2nd pic shows 2 red 2 yellow 1 green 1 black

how in the world does that translate to my likely having just 2 black 2 white (it is a 1950s house)
By JP6 Handyman Services on February 10, 2019
 
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Old 11-14-19, 06:10 AM
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then i see on lowes site this

"Can the switch be used to control two LED dimmable lights? If not, is there a dual switch product that can?"

We do have a dual single-pole/3-way dimmer with a single-pole/3-way dimmer that looks identical to this item. Model Number LSDS300PWV. Please contact your local Lowe's store to place an order

https://www.legrand.us/passandseymou...sds300pwv.aspx

the switches and wiring on that have me totally lost. i dont mind that its just one dimmer for led but i dont understand why 2 switches on the bottom?
 
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Old 11-14-19, 07:51 AM
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Ikea wireless LED dimmer. GIves 3 levels of bright, med, dim at the push of an $11 button.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 09:58 AM
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found the directions for one. so wishing the fan control could be used for either LED or florescent
https://hw.menardc.com/main/items/me...163Install.pdf
 
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Old 11-14-19, 10:04 AM
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dimming fluorescents is usually troublesome. Ballast has to change, and with LED,s now, not usually worth this effort.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 10:06 AM
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i dont need to dim the fluorescent. i need to switch it on and off only.

i do need to dim the LED.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 12:02 PM
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is it possible to wire the 2 under cabinet lights to the existing outlet so they are always on? it sounds like not fun to do in a tiny space in the box but its all i can think to do. then control the lights under the cabinets themselves. im pretty sure my new light has a switch but unsure the old one does.

only other option i keep coming up with is rigging something surface mount and that will look stupid
 
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Old 11-14-19, 12:07 PM
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exactly what i need...if i didnt have led..one dimmer. one not

https://www.smarthome.com/lutron-ma-...tch-white.html
 
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Old 11-14-19, 12:33 PM
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The ones you found so far are the only ones I could find as well.
None of the dual dimmers seem to support LED and the one that works with LED are either single dimmer or dimmer + fan control. Maybe there simply isn't enough space for 2 LED dimmers.

If you don't really need duplex receptacle, may be you can get away with single dimmer and switch/receptacle combo.

is it possible to wire the 2 under cabinet lights to the existing outlet so they are always on? it sounds like not fun to do in a tiny space in the box but its all i can think to do. then control the lights under the cabinets themselves.
You can simply wire nut a hot wire and wire going to the switch instead of connecting to the outlet.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 12:42 PM
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i guess in a pinch i can put an outlet strip on the counter if i needed more outlets but i just hate to lose one on principle. i think id rather control them individual than lose the outlet.

i did read in one review that some dimmers are larger than standard expectations. i guess i need to take out the duplex switch and measure to be sure something even will fit. come to think about it, ill rip both out to see what they are like wiring wise. i ran into weird wiring in this house before. someone in the bathroom had a dimmer on a 4 ft fluorescent when i moved in.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 04:22 PM
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ok i got home and verified both cabinet lights have switches on them.

ididnt pull the outlet or dual switch but i decided ill permanently wire the cabinet lights ON and turn them off at the fixture. i want to preserve the 2 outlets

obviously this means i can buy pretty much any LED dimmer now. but i'm still unsure how to wire the cabinet lights based on the above statement. it said wiring it to the switch. i'm assuming you mean the new switch. but doesnt wiring it to the switch mean its on/off with that switch? shouldnt i wire it to the outlets. i hope i have the room to do this.

also i used my receptacle tester at the outlet there and it said correct wiring. across the room it said open ground. so does that mean the correct wiring has a ground wire and the open ground doesnt? what i really am asking is can i just buy any old LED dimmer and it will work. i hope it's that easy. i may stop by after work tomorrow and get one.
 
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Old 11-14-19, 04:34 PM
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The switch is used to close connection between 2 wires. You can connect this 2 wires together with a wire nut to eliminate the switch.

Since you have a duplex switch, there probably will be a single wire feeding entire switch on one side and the other side has 2 wires for each light.
You may have to make a pigtail to connect all the wires.

Do not install 2 wires under a single screw unless it has a plate allowing 2 wires (some dimmers do have this).
 
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Old 11-15-19, 06:24 AM
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i will pull everything out tomorrow and then post pics of the wiring if i have any trouble. but now i get what you mean about bypassing the switch. ive seen some screws in the past with a plate. i had no idea that meant you can put 2 wires under. great info.

this sounds easy. just gotta see whats in stock as far as dimmer and let the savings begin. the 4900 lumens is just a tad too bright for 24/7 usage. and it actually goes thru my blinds and lights up a part of my yard. heck i wanna buy one for my main kitchen light but i cannot as that just cost me 100 to replace a few years ago. great light just too much of it
 
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Old 11-15-19, 04:11 PM
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so everything was taped up nice. i left the tape on the outlet and took it off the switch

from the outlet one black wire runs to the switch and they ran the single wire over the 2 screws. something tells me thats shady?

then on the switch one black wire on the top is for the new bright LED i have and the lower black to the switch for the 2 under cabinet lights
.
so how to proceed to keep the bottom lights always on and the top on my new switch. something tells me i need to add a wire to connect the wire from the outlet and tie into the lower switch black wire? then wingnut a wire to the new switch.

looks deep enough thankfully for a new switch. i guess theres no ground, will that matter for a new dimmer?

though now that i think about it, i guess i should buy new outlet too so it matches. maybe
 
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Old 11-15-19, 04:55 PM
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Disconnect single wire on the left side (the one that has single wire under 2 screws) and bottom right wire.

Connect these 2 wires and additional wire for a pigtail. Connect this pigtail wire to your dimmer's line terminal.

**If your new dimmer has a metal plate for 2 wires, straighten the loop and cut it short enough to fit under the plate and connect both wires on live terminal of the dimmer.

Connect top right wire to the dimmer's load terminal.
 
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Old 11-16-19, 03:03 PM
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Thanks to everyone for the help. turns out the most difficult part was shoving all the stuff in the box an screwing in place. i tried the new and old screws and they didnt seem long enough. so i had to dig up one other one. also there are just wires, no screws, on the new dimmer. so that was even easier. i taped up all the nuts and even taped around the outlet like the old guy that installed it did. figured why not.

also realized that white against my darker formica would looks silly so got the light almond. in the store the matching plate didnt look the same hue and even the guy there agreed but oh well. once it was in place you cannot tell because of it being under the cabinet. it just got dark and its nice not to have the sun above my sink. when i need it, it will be great. but mostly i just need the moon.
 
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Old 11-16-19, 06:20 PM
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With wires from the dimmer, don't even need a pigtail.

Taping wire nut doesn't really do anything other than leaving residue on the wires. But, taping around screw terminals of a receptacle is good thing to do in the metallic junction box.

Few things I just noticed though. Is your wiring aluminum? It could be just the lighting, but ground wire in your picture looks silver.
If it is aluminum wire, you cannot connect splice them directly to copper wire or regular copper only devices. Must use a special connector.

Also, I see ground wire is not attached to the receptacle or switch. Ground wire is probably just screwed to the junction box.
In this case, you muse you self grounding receptacle and switch for you to have positive ground connection. It has a spring or a tab on one of the mounting screw to grab on to the mounting screw.


Devices from different manufacturer can have different color. Wall plate and devices from same manufacturer will have matching color.
White and black usually have same color regardless of the manufacturer, they can't seem to agree on off white colors (light almond and ivory).


Another thing. You cannot have 20A receptacle (the new on you installed) on 15A circuit. Is that 20A circuit?
It is very rare to have 20A circuit on the lighting as well, especially in older houses.
Also, kitchen receptacles may not share with lighting circuits.
 
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Old 11-16-19, 07:05 PM
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i dont know what was a ground when i took it apart. i did attach the ground from the switch to the ground screw on the outlet though. which pic do you mean u see a ground? no aluminum as far as i know. cant help what shares what. its how the kitchen was done. no other options available.

and yes its a 20.
 
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Old 11-17-19, 05:34 AM
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. i guess if the receptacle tester says its correct wiring it has to be good, right. just did that this morning
 
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Old 11-17-19, 05:41 AM
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Bare metal wire under the wire clamp in metal junction box is the ground wire.

Connecting ground wire of dimmer to ground screw of receptacle accomplishes nothing as the receptacle itself is not grounded properly.
Outlet tester will show all good even if there is a slight contact to the metal junction box, but that doesn't mean it has a good connection. A weak connection may not be able to handle high current that might occur when a short to ground occurs. You have to make sure there is a good positive connection to the junction box and that is the reason for using self grounding receptacle.
Alternatively, you can connect a ground wire to a screw in metal junction box, then connect this wire to ground screw of the receptacle.
 
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Old 11-17-19, 08:35 AM
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im zooming in on the pic on my computer and i cannot even see what you are seeing. so are you saying the ground wire you see under the screw is what leads to the main panel and this was how they attempted to ground the outlet ? because definitely no ground was on the old outlet as you can see by the pics.

but sounds like i need to just put new wire from the outlet ground screw to my screw in the back and all would be good.
 
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Old 11-17-19, 11:47 AM
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Circled in the picture is what I see as a ground wire.
If they are not ground wire and there actually is no ground wire, then you should not install a 3 prong receptacle, unless you have cable with metal sheathing (BX, MC or AC cables)
 
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