I want to install a single pole dimmer. When I opened the switch on the wall, I discovered 3 way wiring. Apparently, this switch was intended to work with another in the room.
I din't want that. I want the dimmer for this single light only. When I disconnected 2 of the black wires (they were joined together with a murette) the other light went off.
How do I connect the single pole to the 3 way wiring?
If two wires were connected under a wirenut, leave them together. If you have a three way switch, it'll have three wires connected to it and possibly a ground wire. By connecting together, two of those three wires, it will cause the light to come on: those are the two that you want to connect to the single pole dimmer. Insulate the third wire. Note: if there is another three way switch in the circuit, flipping it will turn off power to the light
The short answer is you don't, you use a three way dimmer to replace a three way switch. To do anything else is going to take some research to determine how it is currently wired. There are more than one way to wire three way switches and it will not be apparent from looking at just one of the devices. I would also suggest that often three way switches are required by codes and your wiring changes could be a code violation.
It is not clear what you mean by ?3 way wiring." I can only guess that you mean a three way swtich.
Thanks for the speedy responses. I think :) I'm making some progress here.
The wiring is in place for a three way switch. Only a single pole switch was installed however. I have 3 wires coming into the switch box. Each has a black and a white and a ground.
There are 2 lights (A) and (B) in the room. Only one switch currently operates light (A) and the other switch operates light (B). I want to keep it this way. One switch each.
Light (B) though has the wiring for a 3 way. But, only a single pole switch. This is where I want to put the dimmer. I tried just connecting the 2 leads (Both black) from the dimmer to the 2 blacks that operate the single pole switch. No good.
The single pole switch had a black wire connected to the sigle black and a black connected to the 2 joined black wires.
I'm thinking only one of the black wires is hot. Because when I uncouple the 2 that are together, light (A) goes off.
I really hope this isn't as confusing as I am confused.
Leave those together. That feeds power to the other switch.
How do I connect the single pole to the 3 way wiring?
That should work. This makes it sound like the dimmer is bad. Is it a click to turn on type? Look on the web for the defination of a three way switch. It doesn't sound like what you have is a three way situation. Only two single pole switches operating individual lights.
As I said, when you do that you are interrupting the power feed to light A. Richard
Yes. There is a rocker for on off and a slide for the dimmer.
I do think you're confused. You say light B has wiring for 3-way, but it doesn't sound like it to the rest of us- only one hot/black wire in each cable. You say 3 cables enter box; sounds like these are: 1 incoming power, 2 outgoing to light A, 3 outgoing to light B. The dimmer ought to work if you connected as described, and also reconnected those black wires you previously pulled apart. Is there actually another switch which operates the lights?
Well, I might or might not understand, but it's more important that you understand. To do this one should generally make a diagram big enough to explain everything. Then you should think about how rearranging things will get you what you want.
If you are trying to keep either the way it is or the way it should be, or both, in your head, that is too difficultl. And won't be any help later. Once the switch is fixed and the diagram conforms to the facts, save the diagram in your "house" file.
After reading your posts and the replies, it seems you may be confused as to what a three way switch is. Having three wires attached to the switch doesn't make it a three way. Most switches have multiple methods of connecting wires to each terminal. The switch you describe has two black wires connected to one terminal. One brings power to that switch and the other jumpers that power to another location. If you remove those wires from the switch, you need to wirenut them together. One of the wires from your dimmer would also connect to them. The second wire from your dimmer would connect to the wire left on your switch, and of course ground wires should be connected
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