Why does dimmer switch have 2 black wires?
The two black wires connecting to the black leading to the switch are supplying power to the switch/dimmer. The blue wire from the switch connected to the other black wire is the switched-hot going to the light. The green wire is the ground. It all looks normal.
How do you replace a dimmer switch with two black wires?
Quote from the video:
Cap. Next connect the two remaining wires from the old switch to the two black wires on the new control it doesn't matter which black wire you choose because they're interchangeable.
Why do I have two black wires and one red?
You have a 2-way switch. One of the black wires is probably the line and the other carries power to some other device on the circuit; they are connected together by one using the backstab connector and the other the screw.
What is the black wire on a dimmer switch?
It depends on the dimmer switch. If it’s a single control dimmer then normally the white wire is your hot to the dimmer and the black is the return to power the light. The third wire should be the ground and likely will be a taped up version of the red wire.
How do you wire a switch with two black wires?
Connect the top screw to the wire that feeds to the light. Connect the bottom screw to the hot wire. When you turn the power back on, and if you want to swap the direction of the switch (as in press down to turn off, or turn on), turn off the power and switch the two black wires.
Which wire is hot if both are black?
The black wire is the “hot” wire, it carries the electricity from the breaker panel into the switch or light source. The white wire is the “neutral” wire, it takes any unused electricity and current and sends it back to the breaker panel.
What happens when you have two black wires?
You should see two black wires, each connecting to a different screw on the side of the switch. These are called terminal screws. You will also see two white (neutral) wires that connect to one another in the box.
How do you install a dimmer switch with two wires?
Quote from the video:
Take the ground wire off the existing switch and connect it to the green ground wire on the dimmer. Remove one of the wires from the switch and connect it to either of the black wires on the. Dimmer.
How do you wire two dimmer switches?
Quote from the video:
These are interchangeable. Start by wiring the bear ground wire from the house to the green ground wire on the three-way switch screw on a wire nut and tighten it.
How do you wire a 2 way dimmer switch?
Quote from the video:
We need to place a brown sleeve at each end to warm this is intermittently live lastly to complete the circuit we connect terminal l2 back to the supply for the light fitting.
Where does the black wire go on a light switch?
The black (hot) wire goes to the brass screw or into the hole in the back of the device on the same side as the brass screw. This wire is sometimes red. The green or bare copper (ground) wire, if the device has one, attaches to the green screw terminal on the switch or to the electrical box.
How do you pigtail two black wires?
Quote from the video:
The next thing you want to do is you want to actually separate your wires by color so get all your black wires together all your white wires together and all of your copper ground wires together.
Are dimmer switches wired differently?
Unlike standard switches, most dimmer switches have wire leads that are connected to the circuit wires with wire connectors, rather than using screw terminal connections.
Can you install a dimmer switch on any outlet?
Yes, a dimmer can be used anywhere a switch used to be as long as it has the same current rating as the wiring.
Does it matter which wire goes where on a dimmer switch?
Unless the new dimmer is specifically marked with LINE and LOAD or similar, it doesn’t matter which wire goes to which screw/pigtail in a simple two wire switch or dimmer. Since your new switch can be used as a three way, the instructions should say which screw should not be used.
Does a dimmer switch require special wiring?
New dimmers have either a green grounding wire or a green ground screw that you’ll have to connect to a grounding source if one is available. Houses wired with plastic-sheathed cable almost always have bare copper ground wires that you’ll connect to the toggle dimmer switch.
Can I replace a regular switch with a dimmer switch?
Instead of merely turning lights on or off, get a wide range of light by installing a dimmer switch. Most dimmers are designed to fit a standard wall box opening, which makes it easy to replace the switch for any incandescent or halogen light with a dimmer.
Can you replace a dimmer switch with a regular light switch?
You can replace the dimmer switch with a regular light switch, only from what you have described you need to install a 3-way light switch, not a single pole light switch. The typical connections are as follows: The black wire to the lone screw on the 3-way light switch.
Can you swap a dimmer switch with a regular switch?
If you find yourself with an unnecessary or unhelpful dimmer switch, it’s an easy task to replace it with a standard light switch on your own.
Can you have a dimmer on a 2 way switch?
If you have a 2-way circuit (where the same lights are controlled by two switches) you must choose a push-on/push-off dimmer and replace one of the switches with that dimmer. You can only use one push-on/push-off dimmer in a 2-way circuit. It must be used in conjunction with a normal switch.
