Aspire Dimmer and Switch
#1
03-01-09, 09:58 PM
Aspire Dimmer and Switch
I recently purchased an Aspire light dimmer. I am trying to install that dimmer mechanism with a two switch outlet, one switch controlling light and one ceiling fan. My electrical setup is as follows (can be seen in picture as well):
Looking in the outlet box, I have three bundles of wires. At the bottom, there is a white and a black wire as well as two/three copper grounding wires. On the top are two bundles. The one on the left controls the lights and only has a white and a black wire. The one on the right controls the fan and has a white black and red wire. The red wire is confusing me because I'm not sure which wire to connect where.
I am just trying to get the left side (with the black and white only wire) to control the dimmer/toggle switch and the right side (with the black white and red) to control the ceiling fan. When I initially set it up, the breaker stepped in and flipped the circuit off when I tried to turn the power back on. I reconfigured the setup and now the circuit doesn't flip off, but I'm still getting no lights etc. Any assistance would be appreciated, as I'm not really sure how to even get it back the way it was because the wires were all bundled together and connected to each side. I'm not even sure where the red wire was going.... I have the circuit off in my bedroom until I can figure this out, so any help would be appreciated. ;
#2
03-02-09, 11:52 AM
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wet side of Washington state.
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Do you have any test equipment such as a non-contact voltage tester, a neon lamp tester or a multimeter? If yes, then separate all the wires so none are touching (ignore the bare wires except to be sure they do not touch any of the insulated wires) and turn the circuit breaker back on.
Being careful to not touch any wires with your bare hands/fingers check each black/white pair of wires for voltage. I suspect that you will only find voltage on the lower left cable (bundle). If that is true then go turn off the circuit breaker and follow the next paragraph.
Connect all the white wires together with the proper size wire nut being sure that the copper is all covered by the skirt of the wire nut. Carefully fold these wires into the back of the box.
Connect two "pigtails" (relatively short wires) to the black wire on the bottom left using the proper sized wire nut. Make the pigtails about 12 inches long for right now. If the dimmer switch has wires instead of screws use only one pigtail and one of the wires from the dimmer. Carefully fold these wires into the back of the box.
Take the switch for the fan and connect one of the pigtails to one of the screws on the switch that is brass colored. Connect the black wire from the fan (the cable that has white, black and red wires) to the other brass screw. If the switch has a green screw connect one of the bare copper wires to the green screw. Place a wire nut on the red wire alone and fold it into the back of the box. Install the fan switch.
At this point you should now have only one black pigtail and the black from the upper left cable or, if the dimmer switch has wires you will have one one loose wire from the dimmer and the black from the upper left cable. Connect the upper black to either the dimmers loose wire or to the dimmers vacant brass screw, which ever applies. Connect the bare copper grounding wire to the green screw or wire on the dimmer and carefully fold all the wires to the back of the box.
Make sure that none of the bare copper ground wires are touching any of the screws on the switches (with the exception of green screws) or any other connection and carefully install the dimmer switch.
The red wire is for a lighting kit on the fan. If you have no lights on the fan the red wire is not used.
If you have ANY questions about ANY of the above please DO NOT TRY ANYTHING without further advice.
Please post back.
Being careful to not touch any wires with your bare hands/fingers check each black/white pair of wires for voltage. I suspect that you will only find voltage on the lower left cable (bundle). If that is true then go turn off the circuit breaker and follow the next paragraph.
Connect all the white wires together with the proper size wire nut being sure that the copper is all covered by the skirt of the wire nut. Carefully fold these wires into the back of the box.
Connect two "pigtails" (relatively short wires) to the black wire on the bottom left using the proper sized wire nut. Make the pigtails about 12 inches long for right now. If the dimmer switch has wires instead of screws use only one pigtail and one of the wires from the dimmer. Carefully fold these wires into the back of the box.
Take the switch for the fan and connect one of the pigtails to one of the screws on the switch that is brass colored. Connect the black wire from the fan (the cable that has white, black and red wires) to the other brass screw. If the switch has a green screw connect one of the bare copper wires to the green screw. Place a wire nut on the red wire alone and fold it into the back of the box. Install the fan switch.
At this point you should now have only one black pigtail and the black from the upper left cable or, if the dimmer switch has wires you will have one one loose wire from the dimmer and the black from the upper left cable. Connect the upper black to either the dimmers loose wire or to the dimmers vacant brass screw, which ever applies. Connect the bare copper grounding wire to the green screw or wire on the dimmer and carefully fold all the wires to the back of the box.
Make sure that none of the bare copper ground wires are touching any of the screws on the switches (with the exception of green screws) or any other connection and carefully install the dimmer switch.
The red wire is for a lighting kit on the fan. If you have no lights on the fan the red wire is not used.
If you have ANY questions about ANY of the above please DO NOT TRY ANYTHING without further advice.
Please post back.
