The three wires, colored black, white and red are considered to be “hot” wires, with one acting as a “common” wire (usually black) and the other two as “traveler” wires (red and white, with the white wire probably marked with electrical tape). You’ll most likely see three wires in addition to the a copper/green ground wire. To properly wire your 3-way dimmer switch, mark or tag the existing wires coming from your house so you can connect them the same way to the new switch. Wiring a 3-Way Dimmer Switchįollow the above steps for a standard dimmer switch, except that you’ll need to purchase a special 3-way dimmer switch (a standard one will not work for your 3-way switch) and use the following wiring tips. Insert and fold all wiring into the electrical box, making sure to leave room for the dimmer switch, which can sometimes be bigger than the previous switch. Straighten wire ends if needed and strip new ends if ends are corroded or dirty. black(hot) to black and the wire marked common, white or neutral to home’s white(common) wire. Your new dimmer switch then gets wired the same way as the previous switch, i.e. Now, unscrew and remove the dimmer switch’s faceplate and dimmer knob (if yours has one)ĭisconnect all wires coming from or going into the existing switch (most dimmer switches have wire leads coming out of them instead of screw or push terminals). Wiring a dimmer switch is straightforward if you know how to turn off the electricity to the dimmer switch and connect a few wires…really, that’s all there is to hooking up a dimmer switch.įirst, turn off the power going to this switch (flip your circuit breaker off and use a tester after the next step to confirm this). The problem was that the electricity had to go somewhere (no, not back down the wire it came from!), so it dispersed as heat. They dimmed lighting by resisting electricity flow to the dimmer switch. Older dimmer switches, such as the kind you turn using a dial worked differently. Your eye doesn’t notice the ons and offs, but it does notice the overall effect: a dimming or less intense light brightness. Essentially, the technology inside the dimmer switch controls the flow of electricity to your lights by turning it on and off many, many times per second. ![]() ![]() Today’s dimmer switches (modern ones, meaning since the ’90s), dim your light very efficiently. Let’s take a look at how to put in a dimmer for your lights and also some advantages and potential problems you might have with a dimmer switch. ![]() No matter the case, you’re in luck–because installing and wiring a dimmer switch is easy. Do you have an old dimmer switch you want to replace? Or maybe you have a light you want to control the brightness on and are ready to install a dimmer switch?
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