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Leviton Decora Light Dimmer Switch Questions & Answers
Humming and failure to dim
Bad dimmer. Probably not using a high enough watt rated switch. Add up the total of all bulbs to be dimmed and get appropriately rated dimmer. 8x60 watt bulbs=480 watts. Make sure dimmer is rated high enough.
Replace dimmer switch in a wall for light fixture
ok shut off circuit breaker or fuse first.then remove knob on dimmer.next remove cover and screws.then remove mounting screws.loosen screws holding wires. if one is loose tighten and retrydimmer and don't forget to shut power off after trying dimmer.replace by reverse order. Make sure the wires are tightened securely.
System malfunction
Are these remote controlled dimmers? Do you have failing batteries in one of the remotes? Or perhaps a new remote control device has been introduced in or near your house that interferes with the dimmer remote signal. I had a similar problem that occurred when my boys played with their remote controlled cars.
When I turn the light
Hi,
Switch the hot wire and the wire going to the light around... you are wired basackwards...
heatman101
I have a dimmer switch
Hello.
Had this problem my self a while back, here's what I found out. Firstly, it may simply be the switch is faulty. If this was a new install, take it back and try another. But before that, get all relevant information about the lights you are dimming. Here's why: Some light fixtures are incompatible with dimmers. They may dim - but not properly. Some lights/fixtures require specific dimmers to be used: incandescent or not, total wattage in fixture, and so on. Having this information may save you a trip if it's actually not the switch. Good luck.
I have a self-installed Leviton TTI06-1LM dimmer
Your issue is that the dimmer is not rated to handle the type of fixture/lamps its controlling.
From a lighting control standpoint, the 12V-lamps classify as "low-voltage halogen" and, somewhere in that circuit, have a transformer(s) converting the 120V~ down to 12V~. Using incandescent dimmers (like the one you are using) can cause compatibility issues with those transformers. What I suspect is happening is that the incompatibily is either throwing voltage spikes or current spikes on the line which are causing the dimmer to enter some sort of "safety" mode to shut everything down before any problems occur.
My recommendation is to first figure out what type of transformer it is: Either magnetic low-voltage, or electronic low-voltage. Ideally you would contact the transformer manufacturer (or look up their specs online) to figure that out. Other rules of thumb: if the transformer's big & bulky, it's probably magnetic - conversely if its lightweight, it's probably electronic. If its only one transformer controlling all of the lamps together, it's probably magnetic - conversely if its one of those transformers where the transformer and light bulb come togheter as one assembled unit and then snap into the track, it's probably electronic.
Then make sure the dimmer is rated for magnetic low-voltage, or electronic low-voltage (depending upon what the transformer is).
I have Leviton 1P160 dimmer
I would say that the problem is the dimmer switch itself -- sounds like a resistor pad issue.
I would take the switch back to where you bought it and exchange it for a new one.
double check your wiring to and from the switch to make sure it is correct.
c...
Cannot get the decora 4
Decora 3-way and 4-way switches do not wire differently than toggle-type switches.
Instructions below are tedious but will accurately guide you to solution.
Let's break down the problem starting with 3-ways.
1) Start with 3-way switches:
Old 3-way switch has 2 brass screws and 1 dark screw
New decora has same color screws.
Wire that went to dark screw on old device must attach to dark screw on decora device.
Other two wires can attach to either brass screw.
Wires that attach to brass screws are travelers ... these wires travel to the 4-way switch.
So there are 2 traveler wires at each 3-way switch.
2) Let's test if 3-way switches are wired correctly by taking 4-way switch out of equation.
We will resolve problem with 4-way switch after 3-ways are correct.
There are 4 wires at the 4-way switch.
These are the 2 traveler wires that arrive from each 3-way switch.
At the 4-way switch, 2 wires arrive in one cable, and 2 wires arrive from another cable.
To say it differently, there are 2 wires from cable1 and 2 wires from cable2.
Connect 1 wire from cable1 to 1 wire from cable2 with a wire nut
Now connect the 2nd wire from cable1 to 2nd wire from cable2 with another wire nut.
So now the traveler wires are connected, and the 4 way switch is out of equation.
Turn on power, and click 3-way switches to see if both switches turn lights on-off in all positions.
Do your 3-way switches work correctly?
3) If 3-ways are not correct, then you have wrong wire connected to dark screw.
First thing to check is if you can identify traveler wire colors by looking at wires at 4-way switch.
Remember, traveler wires at 4-way switch go back to 3-way switch and connect to brass screws on 3-way switch.
4) If you cannot tell traveler wires by looking at 4-way switch, then you can try different combinations until both 3-way switches work.
Or you can test: disconnect wires from one of the 3-way switches. Separate 3 wires for testing. Move other 3-way switch to down position. Turn on power. Test each wire to bare ground wire. Mark wire that lights up. Now move other 3-way to up position. Test each wire to bare ground wire. If same wire lights up each test, then that wire goes to dark screw. If different wire lights up, then mark that wire. The two marked wires are travelers, and they connect to brass screws. Other wire connects to dark screw. Repeat identical test for other 3-way switch.
At this point your 3-way switches will work, if light bubs are not burned out.
5) Last step, the 4 way switch.
Remember from step above, that 2 wires arrive in cable1: These 2 wires connect on one side of 4-way switch. The other 2 wires
that arrive in cable2 connect of other side of 4-way switch.
Add a comment if you need more help.
I just installed a Leviton
The Leviton IP106 Illumatech dimmer switch must be installed at the switch location where the hot feed exists. From your description your hot feed is at the regular 3-way switch location. Swap locations.
Two wall sconces: pulled out old dimmer: 2 sets of
Okay. This is going to be easy.
You're in the middle of a circuit and that's why you have 2 Romex'.
The HOT black is the line side. It comes from the panel. The not-hot black is the load side. These 2 blacks go to the brass screws on the switch. The whites tie together and don't go to the switch, UNLESS there are 2 silver screws on it, then they go there. Watch the switch to see if it's clearly marked for LINE and LOAD. In that, the HOT black goes to LINE and it's white companion (from the same Romex) goes to the LINE silver screw. The 2 from the second Romex go to the screws marked LOAD.
In the sconces, you're going to find one that has 2 sets of wires and the other has one set. (I'm betting) The one that's working better, is the first one from the switch wiring.
Open the working one with the switch turned off, of course. Disconnect the wiring going to the second light. Make sure the first light works just like you want it to.
Now, take the 2nd sconce down and see if the wires are in the right places. White to white, black to black, grounds in place, protecting wires from the others. If all that looks fine, reconnect the wire running from the first light to the second. Even though these are still opened up. turn on the switch and see if the 2nd sconce works.
If it's still buzzing, try to determine exactly where the noise is coming from.
Some dimmers won't work with florescent bulbs, some don't like halogen bulbs. SOME don't like the energy-efficient curly bulbs!
The box/instructions for the new dimmer may point out what it's NOT compatible with.
If everything's connected correctly and there's still buzzing, I'm guessing that there's some mis-match between the new dimmer and the lights.
I have a box with
I am assuming that this is original wiring in this box. As an electrician, I look at these wires in this manner. There are 3 wires, this is either a 3 way switch, a cable that is used with a light switch as well as passing power on to another box. This is how I see this problem with the information in the question. The black being hot, white as neutral, and the red as a return lead for a light. This is how I am looking at this as a switch feed. If you connect the black and red together, do you have the light come on? If so, then this is the correct two feeds for the light switch. The dimmer should be connected between these two wires. I am not sure if connecting between the black and white burnt out your dimmer, so I mention connecting the black and red to test for the light operation. You can also check in the light box itself, and determine which wires are connected to the light from the switch. I hope this helps.
Joe
Buzzing when dimmed
Hello
There are a few different reasons that can cause this issue, I'll try to be succinct.
1) Meeting or exceeding the switch load capacity - the switch's capacity should be embossed on the back of the switch. Total the bulb wattage on that switch and see how close you are. Even 375-425W on a 500Wmay buzz, a higher capacity dimmer may be required. 2) Is it actually the dimmer? Some switches actually cause the bulbs to buzz. These may be resistor-based dimmers, you will need a dimmer with an auto transformer component. 3) Is the dimmer rated for the bulb type on the circuit? A fluorescent rated dimmer may buzz with an incandescent bulb and vice-versa. 4) Some track lighting is low-voltage" rated, there are specific dimmers for this application.
Hope this helps.
I installed a 3pole dimmer to control a light i
This is not something that can be easily diagnosed over forums like this, because you've got a lot of possibilities for how this is wired in your home and you didn't provide that much detail. Specifically, why a 3-way device, is there another 3-pole switch in the circuit? Also, did this replace a standard light swtich, and did that light switch also control the receptacles? Another warning, if this is a standard dimmer used for lighting - please don't use on a fan load - standard dimmers don't always account for the possibility of saturating magnetic motor loads or taking out the dimmer if the fan gets locked up - that can legitimately be a safety issue.
All that said, I'll give it a shot...
I suspect that in the box (or in the other 3-way location if there is one) that there are three connections - one that gets power from the breaker, one that delivers power to the fan, and one that delivers power to the receptacles. The power coming from the breaker and going to the receptacles should be tied together and both connected to one screw of the dimmer - the remaining connection for the fan should be connected to another screw of the dimmer. It sounds like what you did was you tied the receptacle wire and the fan wire together. Again, I'm having a hard time describing in more detail than this, mainly because you mentioned the 3-way. So if you need more help, I suggest claifiying:
- What type of circuit is it (how many light switches)
- How many sets of wire are coming through the electrical box at each location?
Good luck.
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