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Can you add a dimmer switch to any light?
Most light fixtures will work with standard dimmer switches, including those with halogen and incandescent lamps. Determine whether your fixture uses line or low voltage. If you install line-voltage track and rail lights with incandescent bulbs, you can use dimmer switches to control their brightness.
What are the 3 wires on a dimmer switch?
Single pole switches will have 3 wires: a hot lead wire, a ground wire, and a traveler wire. Older homes may only have a hot lead and a ground wire. If you have less than three wires, stop and call an electrician.
What is L1 and L2 on a dimmer switch?
Dimmers look slightly different to standard switches being much more chunky. They usually come supplied with a common(C), Line out(L1) and Line out(L2) terminals similarly to a two way switch. Sometimes all three terminals are in a row.
How hard is it to install a dimmer switch?
Installing a dimmer switch is just as easy as installing a single-pole switch, and adjustable overhead lighting is a great improvement that adds appeal to any home.
Do you need a special light bulb for a dimmer switch?
A dimmer switch can only support LEDs, CFLs and other lights that are made up of advanced technology and have a dimming feature. It is that a non-dimmable electrical light should never be used with dimmer switches.
How do you know if a light is dimmable?
Check The Light Bulb Check if the light bulb you are about to use is dimmable. Dimmable light bulbs work fine on a non-dimmable circuit; however, non-dimmable light bulbs will not work on a dimmable circuit. You can find this information on product packaging or on our product listing pages.
Does it matter which wire goes where on a dimmer switch?
1 Answer. Unless the new dimmer is specifically marked with LINE and LOAD or similar, it doesn’t matter which wire goes to which screw/pigtail in a simple two wire switch or dimmer. Since your new switch can be used as a three way, the instructions should say which screw should not be used.
How are dimmer switches wired?
New dimmers have either a green grounding wire or a green ground screw that you’ll have to connect to a grounding source if one is available. Houses wired with plastic-sheathed cable almost always have bare copper ground wires that you’ll connect to the toggle dimmer switch.
Do you need three wires for a dimmer switch?
When installing a Dimmer switch, all you’re really doing is controlling the amount of voltage flow to a light which makes it dim at a low setting to a fully bright light at maximum setting. Now a typical circuit will contain a 3-wire cable known as romex.
Is L1 live or neutral?
The faceplate of a single, one-way switch has two terminals: “L1” is the terminal to which the neutral core wire is attached – the blue wire (traditionally black, before the change). “COM” or “Common” is the terminal to which the live core wire is attached – this is the brown wire (formerly red).
Are dimmer switches two way?
Two way dimming allows you to dim a light fixture from two locations. You can’t use ordinary rotary dimmer switches to do this because you could potentially dim the light down to 10% with one dimmer, then walk over to the other dimmer and attempt to dim the light to below 0%.
What wires go to L1 L2?
The yellow wire goes into the common terminal, red goes into the L1 terminal and blue goes into the L2 terminal. The grey wire goes in the common terminal, the brown wire goes in the L1 terminal and the black wire goes in the L2 terminal.
Why are my dimmable lights not dimming?
One of the most apparent reasons for dimmer switches not being able to dim all the way is the lack of compatibility between the dimmer and bulb you have used. There are dimmable bulbs and non-dimmable bulbs; if you were to use a non-dimmable bulb with a dimmer switch, it wouldn’t work out at all.
How do I install a dimmer switch without a ground wire?
In that case, an exception in article 404.9(B) of the current National Electric Code (NEC) allows a dimmer without a connecting ground wire to still be installed if it is a replacement. Simply remove the dimmer wire, or cut it short and cap it with a wire nut.
Can you have 2 dimmers on a 3-way switch?
The answer is no. If you set up a 3-way switch for your light, there can’t be multiple dimmers. However, there are workarounds to this. Such as placing one dimmer on the line leading into the first switch.
What happens if you dim a non dimmable bulb?
So what happens if you use non-dimmable LEDs on a dimmer? Well, at best the bulb just won’t dim properly. But non-dimmable LEDs are only designed to be either fully powered ON or OFF, which means the circuitry inside won’t be able to handle low or pulsing current levels and will eventually become damaged.
Can all LED lights be dimmed?
The answer is simple. Yes you can dim LED, but not all LED bulbs are dimmable. How does dimming a LED bulb work? The luminous element in a LED lamp is a LED.
How do I know what kind of dimmer switch I have?
Determine the number of switches that control the light group. If only one switch controls the light, purchase a single-pole dimmer. If two switches control a single light or a group of lights, you will need a 3-way dimmer. Then look at the bulb type you are going to be using and pick the right type of dimmer.
What is the dimmable symbol?
The Dimmable Symbol, when you see this displayed on a LED lamp box it means the lamp can be used on a dimmer switch so that the light can be adjusted from dim to bright.
Can you install a dimmer switch on any outlet?
Dimmer switches shouldn’t be used on wall outlets because it is against the electrical code. Installing a dimmer switch on an outlet and then plugging in another appliance on the circuit can cause a short-circuit event or even an electrical fire.
What bulbs are dimmable?
The most common bulbs that can be dimmed are: Fluorescent light bulbs. LED light bulbs. Incandescent and halogen light bulbs.
