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How To Install A Dimmer Switch On A Double Switch Circuit

ElectricDoctor/2009-07-02_160601_3_way_switch_Power_and_switch_leg_in_same_box.JPG' alt='How To Install A Dimmer Switch On A Double Switch Circuit' title='How To Install A Dimmer Switch On A Double Switch Circuit' />Do it yourself How to wire a single pole switch. This is a fairly simple thing to do with only a few things to keep in mind. Turn the power off to the circuit. Double check that the power is off. Remove cover plate. Remove existing switch from the box while keeping the wires attached. If it is a single pole switch you should have 3 wires connected to it, the feed, the switch leg and the ground. Remove wires from existing switch and connect them to the new switch. Install the new switch back into the box. Replace the cover plate. Turn the power back on. Test your work. Installing a new light and switch. Determine the current for the circuit, that will determine what size cable you will use. Run your feed cable from the electrical panel to your switch location. Run your switch cable from the switch location to the light fixture or fixtures. Install an electrical box at the switch location and at every light fixture location. Make sure the box is rated for the weight of the light fixture. If you are installing a ceiling fan you will need a. Install your light fixtures. Make your connections to the switch. Splice the white or neutral wires together. Connect the black wires to the switch terminals. Connect your ground to the switch ground terminal and the box if it is metal. Install the switch into the box. Install your cover plate. Connect your feed cable in your main electrical panel to the proper size circuit breaker, and ground neutral bar. Test your work. Tips 1 Make sure all devices and splices are in a UL listed electrical box of the proper size. O.png' alt='How To Install A Dimmer Switch On A Double Switch Circuit' title='How To Install A Dimmer Switch On A Double Switch Circuit' />Make sure you attach the ground wire to all metal boxes and all devices, with the proper ground screw. Twist wires together with pliers, before you put the wire nut on. Double check to insure that the connection is tight, and that no copper is showing. Always use the screws for termination of wires. Never use the holes in the back of a device for the connection. Wiring a three way light switch is not a particularly difficult task there are only 3 connections to be made, after all. Iexpress 2.0 Software more. Making them at the proper place is a little. This video tutorial will show you how to wire a InLine Switch. This video will cover how to wire from start to finish, and also mention what to include. Replacing an electrical outlet is just as easy as replacing a switch. In fact, it follow basically the same procedure and you dont need to worry nearly so much about. Just like the other products we tested, the GE ZWave InWall Smart Dimmer model number 12724 lets you control it remotely with an app and allows for dimming. Switches have differant ratings, some switches may be rated for 1. Make sure you use the switch that is rated for the voltage and amperes you are using. Never exceed 8. 0 of the ampere rating of a switch. A switch in a wet location or outside of a building shall be enclosed in a UL listed weatherproof enclosure or cabinet. Switches shall not be installed whithin wet locations in a tub or shower spaces, unless installed as part of a listed tub or shower assembly. If you are having problems, Play it Safe. Make sure you check the regulations in the National Electrical Code regarding the device you are wiring. If you are still unsure of how to properly wire the circuit you are working on, you will need to contact. You can also ask questions in our forum. Related Sections Three Way Switches. Four Way Switches. Related Resources National Electrical Code Handbook National Electrical Codebook. Stallcups Illustrated Code Changes. The Complete Guide to Home Wiring Black and Decker Complete Guides SeriesWiring Simplified. Guide to Using the National Electrical Code. Residential Remodeling and Repair Professional Reference. Back to the Top Wiring Home Electrical Switches and lighting Single pole switching. How to Wire a 3 Way Switch Wiring Diagram. In this example the power in cable enters the light box. This method of running the wire is commonly found when several light fixtures are on one common breaker, and switches for the one in question are both on the same wall. Cables need to be run into the light box, between the two switches, and from the light box to just one of the switches. Lets follow the current as it lights the lamp in the light fixture. The current enters the light box on a black wire, as it always does. That wire is spliced to a white wire in a two rope cable that goes to the first switch box not the switch where it is spliced to the white wire in a three rope cable and continues on to the second switch, at the common terminal. If the switch is up remember our assumption above it will exit the switch on the right hand traveler terminal and continue on the red wire back to the traveler terminal on the first switch. If that switch is also up it will exit that switch from the common terminal on the black wire in the two rope cable from the light switch. Continuing down that black wire it enters the light box, where it goes to the light fixture. The current will pass through the light, exiting the light on the white, neutral, wire and return to the power in cable. A note about wire colors. The National Electric Code requires that every neutral wire be colored white, and that ground wires be colored green. Only neutral wires may be white in color, but the code makes an exception for white wires in a cable that are not being used for a neutral. These wires in our example the white wire from the light box to the switch box and from that box to the second switch box should be colored black or some other color, using a magic marker or some other method. Many electricians will do this, but many will not, and it can make trouble shooting in the future difficult and can be a safety hazard to anyone else working on the system. I encourage you to take the few seconds necessary to color these non neutral wires. In this example the only neutral wires are the white wire in the power in cable which is always a white wire and one of the two wires attached to the light also always white. All other white wires should be colored. In addition, the colors shown in these wiring diagrams are common color usages only. Not all electricians use the same color code except for neutrals and grounds, so the wires could be different colors.