URGENT - Dimmer switch wiring help!

[Muzza80]

Hi all, sorry about the urgency here but im currently in darkness in my kitchen.

I've just fitted 2 x dimmable spot bar (4 x halogen bulbs on each) lights in my kitchen.

There's just one switch, it worked fine with the old switch.

When I removed the switch the only points on the back is 2 x L1 (no L2, no ~), one had 2 brown wires going in the other had 1 brown wire going in... the other wires in the back box are 3 blue ones twisted together and covered with a plastic connector block and they go nowhere and there's 3 earths twisted together going to the earth point in the back box.

My new dimmer from B&Q has L1, L2 & ~

I wired the 3 brown into L1, the 3 blue into ~ and run an earth from the switch earth point into the earth on the back box.

The lights came on but the switch would not dim or switch them off.......??


Any ideas???

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Not so much ideas as questions.

Like what wattage was the old lighting and what is the new, and is it an improvement?

And like why did you connect all 3 browns together when they weren't before, and it worked OK before?

And like why did you think you should connect the blue wires to your switch when they weren't before, and it worked OK before?

And like why did you think you should connect ever connect neutrals to the switch anyway?

And above all like why did you think it would be OK for you to fiddle with your wiring when you know that you don't have the first idea how it works?


You're lucky it's not just the kitchen that's in darkness, and that the MCB/fuse for the lighting circuit didn't go, but you've almost certainly fried the dimmer.

Put the old switch back the way it was, and spend a bit of time learning how things work before you start doing things, not after you've messed up.

• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/electricity.html
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/domesticinstallations.html
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:books
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics[/list]

 

[TicklyT]

Your new dimmer is probably now FUBAR. You have connected it as a short sircuit directly across the supply, and probably fried it.

When you get another dimmer, (or replace it with the original switch for now), you need to duplicate the original wiring. That is, all blues together, and not connected to the switch, two browns in one switch terminal, and one in the other (you do know which two browns were together I hope - get that wrong, and the switch ends up switching several lights you don't want it to).

The two browns together would usually connect to ~, and the single brown to L1.

 

[pjcomp]

Your three blues are the neutrals, the two browns were the lives going to the light fittings, the single live was the incoming electricity. By putting the three browns together you've got a permanently live conenction straight through, unswitcehd.

You need to identify which one is the incoming power and which two are the outgoing switched.

The single brown then goes to the ~, the two browns to L1, the blues together in the conenctor block, and the earths to the earth connection.

To identify which of the browns is the incoming power and which are the switch wires, you'll need a meter or an electrician. You can do it by trial and error but it's not the best way .....

PJ

 

[johnnykc]

Hi all, sorry about the urgency here but im currently in darkness in my kitchen.

Right...press the 'Fn' button on your keyboard at the same time as the 'brightness' icon....normally found at the top of your computer keyboard....hey presto

 

[Muzza80]

pjcomp & TicklyT thanks for the helpful replies, much apprecited.

I actually followed the dodgy diagram that came with the dimmer but I'll put my hands up and say that I clearly am a complete novice.. I did manage to change all the double sockets, cooker switch, immersion timer override thingy, fused switches for appliances and the two lights so was feeling pretty confident lol

Dimmer was fried yes, re-fitted old switch and got another dimmer tonight.

Just a quicky....

pjcomp you said "The single brown then goes to the ~, the two browns to L1"

but

TicklyT you said"The two browns together would usually connect to ~, and the single brown to L1"

Can you clarify which is correct?

Thanks again!

 

[Weavertronix]

It doesn't matter as long as you get the right two together, otherwise the dimmer will try to dim the lights in another room and you may end up frying the new dimmer.

Saying that though I agree with BAS in that you shouldn't be messing about with electricity if you haven't got a clue - electricity can kill.