dimming main light dims wall lights too

[AdRock]

I have replaced a double dimmer switch ehich was old and tacky with a new dimmer switch and it was wired just the same as the old one.

What happens is that there is only power to the wall lights when the power to the ceiling light is on.

If i have the ceiling light on full I can dim the walls lights and have them full but if i dim the ceiling light or turn it off, the same thing happens with the wall lights.

The old dimmer switch never had this problem but i noticed that on the inside of the old dimmer was one black box whereas on the new dimmer there are 2 seperate boxes

 

[Taylortwocities]

I have replaced a double dimmer switch ehich was old and tacky with a new dimmer switch and it was wired just the same as the old one.

But it sounds like you didn't wire it the same! Is there a strap connecting two terminals (usually C) together? It sounds like that may be done incorrectly.

Tell us what wires went into what terminals on the old switch and what wires you have connected where on the new switch. Pictures are sometimes best.

 

[1john]

swap the two wires around on the switch fot the main light, leave the link as it is.

 

[AdRock]

Here are 2 images of the light switch and the ceiling light wiring.

Is there something wrong with the wiring in the switch or is it the ceiling wiring (don't think it would be that but i haven't got a clue)

The blue wire gets split into 2 and goes to the bit with the arrow and wavy line through it (blue and brown wire...that's all i had knocking aroud)

Untitled

• AdRock
• 11 Mar 2010
• 1

Untitled

• AdRock
• 11 Mar 2010
• 1

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[ban-all-sheds]

What do you mean "knocking around"?

Did you, or did you not, just replace the old switch, transferring all the wires which were there from whichever terminals they were in in the old one to the corresponding terminals in the new one?

And where are the earth wires for the switch?

 

[AdRock]

The brown wires went to the same as on the old switch.

The blue one went to one and from from that went to the other so it is how the old switch was.

And there were no earth wires when i changed the switch.


We've only been in this house for a couple of months.

 

[flameport]

Given the state of the rest of the installation (as seen in the other thread //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=217283 ), you should forget about using any metal switches.

 

[Steve]

And there were no earth wires when i changed the switch.

THEN YOU MUST NOT FIT ANY METAL SWITCHES AT THIS POINT UNTIL IT HAS BEEN REWIRED. Remove that switch without delay! (When it gets light) There is a serious danger that the faceplate could become live if a wire gets dislodged. For your and your family's sake, remove that switch and re-fit the plastic one until your electrician arrives!


This is odd. Why has the lightswitch got new colour wiring, yet no earth? Some real cowboy business here. I'd get it inspected ASAP. Were no wiring faults flagged up in a survey?

 

[AdRock]

What colour would the earth be becuase I can have a look inside in case the person who put the old switch tucked it up inside.

The dimmer switch i replaced was a brass one which was old and the people we bought the house off lived here for 3 years.

We're not using the light switch at the moment anyway as we're using table lamps instead

 

[flameport]

The earth is a bare copper wire which should have green/yellow striped sleeving over it (or in your case, probably solid green, due to the age of the wiring).
Even if the wire is there, it needs to be tested to ensure the other end is actually connected.

Metal switches will work without the earth connected. This does not mean they are safe.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The brown wires went to the same as on the old switch.

The blue one went to one and from from that went to the other so it is how the old switch was.

Think about it.

That simply cannot be the case, can it, unless before you were having the same functional problems you are having now.

If it was working OK before, and if you had wired the new switch as it was before then it would still be working as it was before. It isn't working now because you didn't wire it as it was before.

What puzzles me though, looking at the photo, is that the problem you describe would happen if one of the brown wires coming in was the permanent live and the switched lives went out on the other brown and the blue. But the blue going into the choc-block and coming out as a brown and a blue would only make sense if the incoming blue was the permanent live and both the incoming browns were switched live, because you'd never want to join 2 switch outputs into one.

Are you sure you didn't change anything that went into the choc block?

I'm still not sure we've got to the bottom of

(blue and brown wire...that's all i had knocking aroud)

...

Can I see a brown conductor below and behind the choc block?

And there were no earth wires when i changed the switch.

Then you must not use metal switches, and TBH if the previous occupant was the sort of dipstick who didn't run earths to switches and by the looks of it wired part of his lighting circuit in 0.5mm² or 0.75mm² flex then you really should have the whole house checked out - god knows what else he might have done.

 

[Johnmelad502]

The blue wire going into the top right of the switch, looks as if it has been fried!

 

[TicklyT]

There's a few nicks in the insulation of the brown wires, and some bare copper on show from that choc bloc - looks VERY close to ending up with a live switch face plate to me