Wiring ceiling fan to a light/fan dimmer swich

Leviton 6161 is shown on Leviton as 500 watt incandescent-only 4-level dimmer that cannot control a fan.
If this is a ceiling fan and light, then search for fan light dimmer, or fan control,

If this is bathroom fan-light installation, you are needing a countdown timer rated for both bulb and fan... which will require Neutral wire...
Different timer choices with manuals appear following link:
http://waterheatertimer.org/Countdown-timer-horsepower-ratings.html#Leviton

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

Try the link below for a diagram.
I would think that you have one black feed and two black legs going out, and three common wires that should be wired together with a wire nut. Is this for a ceiling fan with a light? or ?

Question needs more details. Let me answer as if you have one light and one switch, and one cable coming into switch box from ceiling.

Usually a switch-dimmer combo operates 2 different Loads (lights).
One light is controlled by switch, other by dimmer.

If power source is in ceiling, then one cable enters switch box.
Cable has black, white and ground wires
Old switch had 2 brass screws where black and white wires connect
Black wire brings Hot down from ceiling, and white wire connects back to Load (fan).
Neutral wires are in ceiling box, and not inside switch box, and are discussed.

With new dimmer: Black Hot wire from ceiling connects to dimmer black wire.
White Load wire connects to one of the red wires.
The other red wire goes to another Load, which is unknown at this point.

Add a comment for more free help. Say what cables and wires enter box, and what Loads you are controlling. Also add exact model number so expert can reference manual. Levition instruction sheets and manuals usually have toll free number.

Also take advantage of fixya expert assistance live.
For a price, expert works with you via e-mail or phone while you work on circuit or any do-it-yourself project.
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This is not something that can be easily diagnosed over forums like this, because you've got a lot of possibilities for how this is wired in your home and you didn't provide that much detail. Specifically, why a 3-way device, is there another 3-pole switch in the circuit? Also, did this replace a standard light swtich, and did that light switch also control the receptacles? Another warning, if this is a standard dimmer used for lighting - please don't use on a fan load - standard dimmers don't always account for the possibility of saturating magnetic motor loads or taking out the dimmer if the fan gets locked up - that can legitimately be a safety issue.

All that said, I'll give it a shot...

I suspect that in the box (or in the other 3-way location if there is one) that there are three connections - one that gets power from the breaker, one that delivers power to the fan, and one that delivers power to the receptacles. The power coming from the breaker and going to the receptacles should be tied together and both connected to one screw of the dimmer - the remaining connection for the fan should be connected to another screw of the dimmer. It sounds like what you did was you tied the receptacle wire and the fan wire together. Again, I'm having a hard time describing in more detail than this, mainly because you mentioned the 3-way. So if you need more help, I suggest claifiying:
- What type of circuit is it (how many light switches)
- How many sets of wire are coming through the electrical box at each location?

Good luck.

As a general rule for timers and dimmers:

The Black dimmer wire connects to black hot wire coming from breaker (122V line)
The red dimmer wire connects to Load (wire going to chandelier)

The wall red wire that is capped could be a couple different things. a) It could go to a second switch that was used to control the chandelier. b) it could be another wire that goes to same ceiling box as chandelier to be used to control a fan, except you don't have a fan. In the second case, if you install a fan with a light, you could control fan and light separately.

The green is a ground wire that connects to bare copper wire in box. The bare copper connect back to main breaker box on the Neutral busbar.
White wires that are twisted together inside your light switch box also connect back to to main breaker box on the Neutral busbar.
The ground wire and neutral are a redundant safety system to protect you from electrical devices and appliances that have 'shorted'
The black hot wire connects back to the circuit breaker.

For example, each circuit breaker controls one area of household lighting. The black white and copper wires leave breaker box in a single romex cable. The romex travels to a junction box in the area where the lights are located. The junction box is usually a switch box or a ceiling box. From the junction box, the romex travels to each other switch, light and receptacle box in the area. So each box has 1 hot and 1 neutral and 1 ground that is connected in a line that leads back to breaker box.

Here's a couple pages that make home wiring easier to understand:
http://waterheatertimer.org/See-inside-main-breaker-box.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/240-v-water-heater-circuit.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/Install-owb.html

One black is will hook up to one of the black wires inside the switch box in the wall and the other will hook to the other black wire in the box, The green will connect to the bare copper wire which is the ground wire.

You need the little coupler thing that connects to the ball that makes up the chain. If you dont have the coupler ... you could get one at your local Ace Hardware store ... or you could just purchase a similar switch which would have the coupler on the chain.

I recently purchased a Leviton Dimmer switch which has a brown lead. This switch is to replace 1 of 2, 3 way switches that control the ceiling light in my kitchen. My problem is the new dimmer switch has 4 leads including a brown one which has me confused. I have installed and replaced numerous dimmer switches without difficulty. Please help.

That red wire is hot, it's used in what is called a 'switch loop'. That's where the electrician will bring the hot for the circuit to the light first, then run down to the switch and back with the switched hot for the light. Turn the breaker off!

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sounds like a loose connection to me, check to make sure all connections are tight. sometimes the bulbs themselves don't make a good connection in there socket.

u will have to take the switches out of the wall box and make sure the wires are tight, whether they are on screws or wires connected to wires. if it is wires to wires u may have to take that apart to make sure u don't have a bad connection there.

if it is none of that, then it is time to replace the switches