HooWee! Will this blowed up "real good"?

[Rodger.Rowden]

I am finishing up some wiring (long story) and I have some switches to put into my basement. At the top of the stairs, there is a 3way switch and at the bottom there is another 3way ganged with a dimmer for some pot lights (6 incandescents).

From the box at the top, there is a run of 14/2 going to 2 pot lights

that light the stairs and a run of 14/3 going to the 2-gang box at the bottom of the stairs.

Also in the bottom, I have 14/2 coming from the service panel and 14/2 going to the 6 pots in another area of the basement.

I want to control the 2 pots from the top and bottom of the stairs and the 6pots from the dimmer at the bottom.

0 === 0 =====[S3] _| ||| _| ||| stairs _| ||| _| ||| 0 0 0 _| [S3][Dim]====== || 0 0 0 || || || ==========[Service Panel]

||| - 14/3 = or || - 14/2

0 - Pots

In the top S3, I have the neutrals tied together, the red and black hot from the 14/3 connected to the travelers and the hot to the 2 pots attached to the common.

In the bottom S3, I have the 3 neutrals tied and the hot from the service panel goes to the common *and then pigtails to the dimmer* (the other dimmer pigtails to the hot to the 6 pots). The hots from the 3wire to the upstairs switch connected to the travelers.

All are properly grounded, but I am not 100% on the "borrowing" the hot from the 3ways to run the 6pots.

It's basically a set of 3way switches with the fixture at the end of the run (the 2 opts) and a separate single pole dimmer to 6pots ganged with the closest switch to the panel.

I hope this makes sense and that I accurately described the present configuration!

Thoughts?

- Rodger

[Rodger]

It's like this:

With the addition of a dimmer ganged with the left switch that goes via 14/2 to a run of 6 pot lights.

- Rodger

[gorehound]

----- Original Message ----- From: Newsgroups: alt.home.repair Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 2:53 PM Subject: HooWee! Will this blowed up "real good"?

Rodger,

I'm not sure what exactly your question is. It sounds like the configuration is correct. Are you unsure how to *pigtail* the hot at the first switch with the dimmer? If that's the case take two pieces of black 14 about 8 inches long and tie one end of one piece to the 3way common and one end of the other piece to the dimmer then take the opposite ends of the two 8 inch blacks and tie them into the feed with a wirenut. If you are asking if it is alright to *tap into* the hot, I don't see any reason why you would not be allowed to. You are only looking at a little more than 6 1/2 amps if all 8 pots have 100 watt bulbs in them so 14 should handle it. You need to have a

15A breaker max if you are using #14 wire. I am also assuming this is one circuit.

Shane