Since you're using white as a non-neutral, you MUST mark it with a hot color - since you have to anyway, I recommend again yellow tape on both travelers. If you're wiring it with travelers and switched-hot going to the far switch, you are not allowed to use white for switched-hot - Code again. (yellow = brass screws on the switches - get it? :) I recommend marking the other 2 wires with yellow tape to designate them as travelers - that's not Code, but it will make things vastly easier to hook up and troubleshoot later. I recommend sending always-hot to the far switch - if you do that, you MUST use white for always-hot, and you MUST re-mark both ends with black tape - that's Code. Then, from that switch, you send "switched-hot" and "neutral" onward to the lamps, and daisy-chain the lamps in the normal way. (heck you're using 2 cables anyway, why not just have one bypass the lamps altogether?) but this is very foolish for 2 reasons: #1 box fill, and #2 you would need /4 or /5 cable and they usually recommend using 2 cables instead, and that's a code violation. I have no idea why some sites recommend running the travelers through every intermediate light box. Then, have a separate /3 cable that bypasses the lamps entirely and goes straight over to the other 3-way switch. Is there a standard way this is done?ĭon't even try to run the 3-way switch leg through all the lamp boxes.īring power into the "main" or more accessible entrance - the one where you would want to put a smart switch. That goes against what I know about junction boxes (accessible and fastened to a structural member). The only way I can come up with is to do the three wire wiring in a covered junction box, with a two wire drop from there to the little black box, then insert the whole assembly into the hole and rest it on the drywall. The black box is simply inserted into the hole for the light and rests on the drywall above. With two 14/3 wires w/ ground, plus the factory pigtails, I can't imagine getting all those wires and wire nuts inside the little black box. My problem is that I want one of the lights on a three way switch circuit from the entry door to the exit door. The wiring box is very small, and contains hot and neutral pigtails with the fittings to insert supply wiring. These are the lights with the small wiring box connected to the light itself, which snaps into a hole in the ceiling. Drywall ceiling with loose fill insulation within the trusses and batts over that. Fold the wires into the switch box and use your screwdriver to install the dimmer and cover plate.I'm adding canless recessed light fixtures to my man cave. Then connect the remaining two wires, the order doesn’t matter. If it’s a 3-way circuit, connect the wire that you labeled “common” to the common wire on the dimmer. If it’s a single pole circuit, the order of the wires usually doesn’t matter. Strip the insulation on all the wires about 3/4 of an inch. If it’s a 3-way switch, label the wire that is connected to the “common” screw (usually a black screw) before removing the wire. Remove the wires connected to the switch. Remove the old switch and use your live wire tester to be sure the power is off. Here’s a summary of the steps to install a dimmer: I recommend watching the video first so that you are familiar with the overall process, and then refer to the steps listed below it as needed. I’ve listed the steps below, and included a video by the Home Depot that walks you through the process. Once you have your new dimmer and tools, this project should take 20-minutes or less depending on your level of experience. Some dimmers are universal and will work for both single-pole and three-way circuits, but read the packaging to be sure. When purchasing your new dimmer switch, you’ll need to know whether the lighting circuit is a single-pole (lights controlled from one location) or a three-way (lights controlled from two locations).
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