Help with double dimmer pleaase!!

[Shar]

Help much appreciated!

I was replacing a double dimmer switch as the dimmer stopped working and was only switching the lights full on and off.

I obviously did it wrong as none of the lights working from the same fuse now work..these are the bedroom lights and the front room lights.

From the wall there are four red wires two of which have had black electritician tape wrapped round them by whoever last changed the lights ..I assumed this was to signify which were the live wires.

Attached to 'C' and one of the 'L1's of the old dimmer was a piece of yellow and green wire, I'm assuming this is an earth wire.

I thought I had connected the new switch correctly but obviously not and am now getting in a pickle what with the bedroom lights not working now either.

The instructions that came with the new dimmer are not clear to me at all so help appreciated.. what should I be connecting to what and as the new dimmer is a plastic one rather than brass do I still need to attach the earth wire? the new dimmer has 2 x L1, 2 x L2 and 2 x C

Could I have blown the main fuse somehow?? or can someone walk me through which wire connects to what?

Many thanks

 

[NuttallsSpark]

Try This

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/MK/WiringDiagrams.pdf

 

[Shar]

Cheers Nutallspark thanks for the diagram link

An update on progress though... I have managed to get one set of lights working off the dimmer (huzzah!!) but... the other set wont work at all.

I wired black to L1 and red to 'c' on both of the points and as I say one set works ... I tried various combinations on the other just incase the wire that had the black tape put round it was incorrectly coded ..but to no joy... could the yellow/green wire I mentioned in my first post have been a bridge of some sort rather than earthing and I need to add that too??
So at the moment I have one set of lights working due to the black to L2 and red to C combination but the other set wont work off that combi or any other that I've tried either.

Unfortunately the bedroom lights still wont work so I assume I've either managed to blow the lights or that dimmer has blown

Any suggestions anyone???

Thanks

 

[NuttallsSpark]

Dont Put the yellow and green cable in any live connections or there will be fireworks Lol

was there a red link between the two C links?

 

[NuttallsSpark]

I understand now from your first post sorry its been a long day on site Lol


you have four reds these are two circuits.

reds with no tape on them are you commons ( C )
reds with the tape are your switched lives ( L1 )

so put both reds in the common and the reds with tape into L1

then use a bit of red cable not the earth stuff as its the wrong colour ID and bridge from C to 2nd C

 

[Shar]

Cheers! NuttalsSparks I will try the c to c tomorrow when theres some light !! lol

will report back as to whether its worked or not ... There was a piece of wire that was yellow and green attached to the old dimmer, I had assumed because of the colours it related to earthing but as it was just attached to the dimmer switch itself and not switch to back box then it must have been what they used for the c connection I missed.

I'll resist the temptation to reuse the wrong colour coded wire to resolve things and get a piece of red from somewhere..lol

Hopefully the bedroom lights might start working again once I've sorted this..but fear the unit has probably blown ... blasted sensitive things these dimmers!

Thanks again the help is appreciated and will certain post back the outcome tomorrow

 

[Shar]

Oooookay miss stoopid is back still with a problem with this blasted dimmer. Although there is some progression lol

sooo... it's a double dimmer switch and I have one red wire to 'c' the other red wire to 'c' one black marked wire to 'L2' the other black marked wire to the other 'L2' and a wire connecting both the 'c's

This set up has the following affect... both sets of lights work off the one dimmer switching on and off and dimming both sets of lights ..the other dimmer of the double dimmer is not functioning at all..

What have I done wrong ...apart from be born before any one else says it lol

assistance appreciated

 

[NuttallsSpark]

Easy I know what you have done

The cable with the black tape attached is the Live cable and the red is the switched live

move the red with tape into the position marked C
and the reds into L1 on both side so basically reverse what u have done. but keep the link between the two C's

 

[Shar]

Ok ta ..will attempt that again tomorrow in daylight ..thanks again and sorry for being as dim as me dimmer switch lol

 

[Shar]

Thanks NuttalsSparks

Found a torch as couldn't bear waiting to sort this til tomorrow.. low and behold there is light!! there is dimmed light!! there is bright light!! at the twist of a couple of dimmer buttons... and the bedroom lights work now too

I shall save this page for future reference and thank you so much for your patience very much appreciated

 

[NuttallsSpark]

thanks for the msg much appreciated

Glad its all sorted