PLEASE HELP: 2-Way Dimmer Switch

[aidan1979]

Hi Everyone

Can someone please help with the following? Thanks!

I have bought two 1 gang 2-way 400W dimmers. I plan on using them in the hallway to control 6 x 50W mains voltage downlights (i.e. 300W).

However, when I connected them (1.5mm wire from JB to 1st dimmer with 1.0mm 3-core and earth between the dimmers) the lights don't work (i.e. they flicker and barely light up).

The strange thing is that before I bought the second 400W dimmer I checked that everything was OK using a 400W dimmer and a 2 gang 2-way 250W dimmer and this worked fine (other than the 250W dimmer which made a lot of buzzing but I took this to be because of the fact that it was only 250W). I have replaced the 250W 2-gang dimmer with two different 400W 1-gang dimmers but it still doesn't work.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yes - buy a master/slave dimmer pair.

You cannot use two ordinary dimmers together in a 2-way switching circuit.

 

[aidan1979]

Do you know of any company/brand that sell/make them as the only ones I can find on the internet are the touch sensitive/remote type and not the normal "Knob" dimmer.

Also, do you know why the lights and dimmers worked when it was a 1-gang 2-way wired to a 2-gang 2-way dimmer (problem being that the 2 way dimmer was 250W not 400W and so couldn't keep using it).

 

[Steve]

1. Do you know of any company/brand that sell/make them as the only ones I can find on the internet are the touch sensitive/remote type and not the normal "Knob" dimmer.

2. Also, do you know why the lights and dimmers worked when it was a 1-gang 2-way wired to a 2-gang 2-way dimmer (problem being that the 2 way dimmer was 250W not 400W and so couldn't keep using it).

1. i highly recommend the varilight dimmers you found. they are very good kit, work better than knob dimmers and probably last longer too. You CAN use a normal dimmer and a normal switch together, if thats any help.

2. not sure what you mean, clarify?

 

[aidan1979]

What I meant was that before I connected two 1-gang 2-way dimmers I tested that the lights were ok, etc. by connecting a 1-gang two way and a 2 gang 2 way (because i didn't have any spare 1-gang dimmers). I then went and bought a 1-gang and the above problems arose.

What I don't understand is why it worked perfectly with a 1-gang two-way dimmer and why it doesn't work with a 1-gang 2-way dimmer.

Just so you know, the reason I didn't keep the 2-gang dimmer is because there are 6 x 50W lights and the 2-gang dimmer was only for 250W.

 

[breezer]

it can not work properly.

it may give the appearance it works if you have one dimmer off and adjsut the other one , then turn this one off and adjust the first.

if you look in the referance section as to how the way is wired you will see that you actualy have the l1 and l2 in paralell the actual switch only chages between either one but if one is left on and you operate the other they are both "live" across the supply so it wont work