Metal plate dimmer

si-mate · 11 Oct 2004

Hi just bought a metal plate dimmer. My old one way switch has a plastic mounting box with a red, black and an earth wire (not used) The new dimmer has L1, L2 and ~ plus an earthing connection on the plate.
Where do all the wires go and how to I manage the earth? Thanks.

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Moved as originally posted in WRONG FORUM (general diy)

sparky24seven · 11 Oct 2004

ya red in to l1 and black into l2 (doesnt really matter which way around on a dimmer)
earth cable to the terminal on the metal face

ban-all-sheds · 11 Oct 2004

sparky24seven said:
ya red in to l1 and black into l2

Yeah, right, that's going to work with a dimmer, isn't it....

si-mate - if you've not done this yet, don't bother. If you have done it, and are wondering why it's not working it's because sparky24seven is wrong.

Connect the red to ~, and the black to either L1 or L2, and the earth to the terminal on the faceplate. If you're putting the switch into a metal box, you should also connect an earth wire, green/yellow sleeved, from that terminal to the earth terminal on the box itself.

si-mate · 12 Oct 2004

Ok thanks, will try that later.

phykell · 13 Oct 2004

The reason you have three terminals is because the dimmer you have is a two-way as opposed to a one way (which would only have two terminals). In other words, the dimmer will switch from ~ (common) to L1 or L2 allowing you to have a second switch (not a second dimmer though!)to provide two-way switching, for example, a landing light.

ban-all-sheds · 13 Oct 2004

Which is why sparky24seven's idea (are those his IQ and shoe size?) of using L1 and L2 would never work - a dimmer switch never connects L1 and L2....

ZenStalinist · 13 Oct 2004

I think he was being sarcastic, and attempting humour.

ban-all-sheds · 13 Oct 2004

Ah - that old get-out....

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Metal plate dimmer

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