A Dimmer Switch Diagram For Dummies

Three wire cable runs between all the switches and 2 wire cable runs to the light.

A dimmer switch diagram for dummies. To make this circuit work a 3 way dimmer can be used in place of one or both of the standard 3 way switches. With a three way dimmer you can control a light with two switches. Check the rating of the dimmer switch you purchase. 400w 10 40w.

At the 3 way switch the white cable wire is marked black and connected to the common terminal. With a standard single pole dimmer a single switch controls the light. You will need a three way dimmer and a three way switch. Pre wire dimmer switches most 3 way dimmers come with pre wired leads that are color coded and.

Dimmer is rated 100w 400w. This is the wiring for a dimmer in a 4 way circuit. A triac is a small semiconductor device similar to a diode or transistor. From the dimmer 3 wire cable runs to the other switch and 2 wire cable runs to the light fixture.

This means that when this dimmer is used in conjunction with led light bulbs the load must be between 10w 40w. Most dimmer switches can handle 600 watts of power. Take a closer look at a 3 way switch wiring diagram. This lets you dim from one location and turn the lights on and off from another.

The central element in this switching circuit is a triode alternating current switch or triac. To find out how many led light bulbs your dimmer switch can support divide the minimum and maximum load of the dimmer by 10. Like a transistor a triac is made up of different layers of semiconductor material. Pick the diagram that is most like the scenario you are in and see if you can wire your switch.

Dimmer switches don t work on most fluorescent fixtures and low voltage lighting requires special low voltage dimmers. This might seem intimidating but it does not have to be. Basic 3 way dimmers switches a 3 way dimmer switch is very similar to a regular 3 way toggle switch except for the electronic unit which performs the actual dimming function. The source hot wire is spliced to the common on the dimmer and the neutral is splice through to the light fixture.

With these diagrams below it will take the guess work out of wiring. 4 way dimmer switch wiring diagram. In the diagram below a 2 wire nm cable supplies power from the panel to the dimmer box the black line wire connects to the common terminal of the 3 way dimmer a 3 wire nm connects the travelers of the dimmer to the travelers of the 3 way switch traveler wires are interchangeable on each switch. In this diagram the source is in the middle of the circuit along with the dimmer switch.

100w 10 10w dimmer max load. 3 way dimmer wiring diagrams for lighting control and energy savings.