Why does my dimmer switch have 4 wires?

Since the switch cuts the power on and off, there will be a black wire coming into the switch and a black wire leaving. The whites are normally just connected together with a wire nut and the coppers are connected together with a wire nut or grounded to a metal junction box. So the new switch has four wires.

Does a dimmer switch need 3 wires?





A 3-wire NM connects the travelers of the dimmer to the travelers of the 3-way switch. Traveler wires are interchangeable on each switch. The 3-way dimmer and 3-way switch are also interchangeable. The common terminal of the 3-way switch connects to the light fixture(s).

Can you replace a 4 way switch with a dimmer?

While no 4-way dimmer exists, there are 3-way dimmers that you could replace one of your two 3-way switches with. You can only have one, the other switch plus the one or more 4-way switches in the middle must be toggle switches.

How do you wire a Lutron Caseta 3-way dimmer?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Then connect the last dimmer wire to both remaining wall box wires using a third wire connector tuck the wires back into the wallbox. Align the caseta wireless dimmer with the wallbox.

How do you wire a 4 way switch to a 3 way switch?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: First thing we're going to do is connect together the ground wires. We have the ground wire from the power cable and the ground wire from the cable that goes to the next switch box.

Can I use a 4 way switch as a 3 way?





A 4way switch will not work in place of a 3way. The common toggle (in), whether up or down on a 3way switch, comes in contact with both switch leg (out) terminals. A 4way switch will not accomplish this. The 4way is more like two “separate” single gang switches, they will not work in unison as one.

How do you install a Lutron 3 way dimmer switch?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: To get started remove the knob and light ring from the dahlia dimmer. First pull hard on the knob to expose the light ring then remove the ring by pinching both sides and pulling away from the device.

How does a 3 wire dimmer switch work?

3-Wire Basics



It allows dimmers to set the intensity of ballasts by providing a line- voltage phase-control signal from the dimmer to the ballast on a dimmed hot wire. The dimmer separately switches the power to the ballast over a dimmed hot wire.

Do you need a neutral wire for a dimmer switch?

If the light is off, without a neutral you won’t have a complete circuit to power the smart dimmer circuitry.

Does Lutron Caseta work with 3-way switch?



Lutron Caseta Switch & Remote-Wireless Control | 3-Way Switch | Compatible with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and the Google Assistant | P-PKG1WS-WH | White.

Does Lutron Caseta require neutral wire?

The Lutron Caseta Bridge skips the need for a neutral wire. Part of the need for a neutral wire is keeping your smart switch powered on all day and all night. This is required for keeping your smart switch connected with your smart environment and the internet.

What is the red wire on a Lutron dimmer switch?

The Red is typically the switched load and should be connected to the light black (not the black from the circuit panel). The black light load wire should not have voltage to neutral when disconnected and the circuit breaker is on.

Can I use a 3 way dimmer on a 4 way circuit?



Anyway, in a 4-way circuit (or more-way), you can replace either 3-way on/off switch (which will either be the first or last switch) with a 3-way dimmer. But it must be a 3-way dimmer, not a basic dimmer.

How do you wire a 4 pole switch?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: One wire on each of the brass screws it doesn't matter which color goes on which brass screw. Then you take the two wires that are going to box number three.

How do you wire a 4 wire to a 3 wire?

Connect the ground wire of the 3-wire cable to the ground wire of the 4-wire cable. Connect the black wire of the 3-wire circuit to either the red or the black wire of the 4-wire circuit. The red and black wires are the”hot” wires. Either wire can be used to power a circuit.

How can you tell which wire is common on a 4 way switch?

The white wire is marked with black at each splice to identify it as hot. At SW1, the common terminal is connected to the black wire running to the light fixture hot terminal. The black and red wires running between the switches are used to connect the travelers on each switch.

Which wires are hot on a 4 way switch?



Two wires enter the source fixture’s wire box from the circuit breaker; the black one is called “line” or “hot”, and the white wire is neutral (which is grounded at the breaker box).

How do you replace a old 4 way switch?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: If you haven't removed your four-way switch first turn off the electric. And then what we're trying to do is find the matched pair of travelers.

How does a 4 pole switch work?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: You will see that it is blocked by the other three-way. But if I was to switch to four-way. You will see that the travelers are now criss cross allowing power to be moved over to the other traveler.