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Patricia Phalen Posted on Dec 16, 2016
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I want to replace a dimmer switch, with a new one. my new dimmer switch has two black wires and one green. The wires inside my wall has three black wires. How do l connect them?

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lakeareaserv

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  • Expert 96 Answers
  • Posted on Apr 29, 2017
lakeareaserv
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Joined: May 16, 2010
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Assuming you mean the old dimmer switch has three black wires. The old switch is a three way style switch and your new one is a single pole. You will need to take it back and get a three way dimmer switch.

5 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 75 Answers
  • Posted on Dec 21, 2008

SOURCE: Dimmer Switch Installation issue

ALL you really need to worry about is the white and black wire that you hooked up before. The green ground screw is not needed. If you have a bare wire completely bare all the way, you can hook it to the green, but it is not required to work.
The other 2 screws are for the switch. It does not matter which wire goes where, as the switch just puts them together, and takes them apart.

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Anonymous

  • 4090 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 27, 2009

SOURCE: I want to replace dimmer switch with standard switch

the two black wires spliced are Live wires ( same value as RED) the other single black is the return. The two twisted blacks from the wall go into ther active hole of the new switch and the single into the return. No third wire for earth is needed

Anonymous

  • 484 Answers
  • Posted on Nov 21, 2009

SOURCE: I have two wall switches in a hall for an over

You cannot, at least not using the dimmer you have in your hand. The switch with all the wires is a four-way switch, which is used to make a "suicided" 3-way switch. The power comes in AND goes out to the light from that switch. The other switch is a 3-way. Neither one has the "ON" or "OFF" marks on them, do they? You can buy a 3-way dimmer, but i do not know if rotary-style 3-way switches exist. You will have to install the dimmer at the other switch because i am quite certain no 4-way dimmers are available.

Anonymous

  • 66 Answers
  • Posted on Apr 30, 2010

SOURCE: Replace 3 way dimmer but different color wires how to connect?

you will want to make the following connections
existing-black wall to black dimmer now connects to red dimmer
existing black wall to red dimmer now connects to black dimmer
existing red wall to black dimmer now connects to red dimmer
Green wire connects to bare copper wires in wall

Anonymous

  • 4 Answers
  • Posted on Feb 09, 2011

SOURCE: We have a leviton dimmer

HI,
Usually there is only a red wire when there are 2 switches for the same light (a 3way) if that is the case you need a switch that is a 3 way, there are some 3 way dimmers. But you do need to replace both switches.
The other thing may be at the light fiture end. If the red wire is in there it should be connected to a black wire, which should only be connected to each other, that way the curcuit is broken.
or to say one white wire is connect to the light, a black wire connected to the red,(taking power to the switch) a black wire is returning from the light switch is connected to the light. (if it is a 3 way its different...)
Confused... 1st confirm if its a 3 way, second confirm if there is a red wire at the light fixture, from there I can guide you more.

Brett

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0helpful
1answer

I am replacing an old dimmer with a new one.

Easiest Way to Replace a 3-Way Switch If you're simply swapping an old 3-way switch for a new one, use this simple trick to get the wiring right: Before disconnecting any wires on the old switch, find the wire attached to the common screw terminal and label it with a piece of tape. Then, you can disconnect all three wires from the switch, as well as the ground wire. Because the other two wires (the travelers) are interchangeable, it doesn't matter which of the traveler screws you attach them to-there's no need to label them.
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Leviton IPI06-1LM 3 way dimmer switch- not dimming

Hi Sara,

Please read this entirely before attempting.

I am an electrician and would like to help you with this problem. You have provided great detail of your situation, yet I am confused about the statement describing how you wired it:

"-Red Wire (used in 3-way installation-tagged) from switch to the red wire in wall."

Before checking wiring, be sure to shut off the power to the circuit.

The "tagged" wire should be the one you identified with tape (when you removed the original) that was connected to the dark colored (called a "shunt" or "common terminal") screw of the switch.

In a 3 way installation, both red wires from the dimmer switch are used. In a single pole installation, only the UNinsulated red wire is used and the insulated wire is not.

To which wire do you affix the "tag"? If it was a short wire that ran between the the bundled black wires and the shunt terminal screw of the old switch, then the dimmer switch's black wire should be combined with these bundled black wires. One of the dimmer switch's red wires would be connected to the red wire in the box and the dimmer switch's last red wire would be connected to the remaining black wire in the box. I understand that this is the way you have it currently wired - but without being able to dim.

If this is all correct, did you check / change the Minimum Brightness Adjustment setting for the switch as detailed in Step 7 of the directions?

"This Dimmer incorporates a
minimum brightness adjustment
that allows you to set the level of
light when the slider control lever is
in the lowest position.
Move slider to the lowest position.
Using a small, insulated screwdriver,
rotate the adjustment screw as
shown until the desired level of
minimum brightness is obtained."

I hope this helps and good luck!
0helpful
1answer

I'M REPLACING AN OLD LEVITON ROTARY DIMMER WITH A LUTRON PADDLE DIMMER. THIS IS A 3-WAY SWITCH. THE ROTARY DIMMER HAS 2 BLACK WIRES, 1 RED, AND 1 GREEN. THE NEW DIMMER HAS 1 BLACK WIRE, 1 RED, 1...

with a three way switch like this, you will have two traveller wires and a common wire. Look in the instructions for the switch or on the back of the device itself to see if there is a wire labeled "common" or "com". This common wire from the old switch hooks up to the common wire on the new switch. I did a bit of searching on the leviton 6602, but couldn't find anything specifically about the three way version (I would venture to guess, however, that the red wire on the old switch is the common). The common on one of the three way switches will always be a constant hot (or power) wire...the common on the other three way switch will be the "switch leg" or the wire that connects directly to the light. The two travellers go to the other two wires. Check the pamplet that came with the lutron device, it should show which wire is common and which are travellers.
0helpful
1answer

I have a leviton dimmer and no instructions. It has two black wires and one green wire. how do I hook it up as a single pole dimmer?

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.
0helpful
1answer

I am replacing a 3 way light switch with a dimmer switch. The existing switch has the green ground, two black on one side and a red on the other. The new dimmer has the green ground, two red and one black....

There is no universal convention on the color coding of wires for three-way switches, other than green always being ground. Fortunately if you wire it wrong you won't hurt anything, it just won't work right. Two wires are "travelers", they run between one three-way switch and the other. The "travelers" were attached to opposite sides of one end of your old switch. From your description, one is red and one is black. (These two wires are interchangeable, except that in one position both toggles up or both down would ON. In the other position one toggle up and the other down would be ON.) The "third wire" was attached to the other end of the old switch and is black. If you can't tell by just looking at it which lead of the new switch is alone at one end of the new switch (and is therefore mate for the "third wire"), you can just try the combinations. Assuming you still know which black wire is your "third wire" there will only be 3 combos.
2helpful
1answer

Replace 3 way dimmer but different color wires how to connect?

you will want to make the following connections
existing-black wall to black dimmer now connects to red dimmer
existing black wall to red dimmer now connects to black dimmer
existing red wall to black dimmer now connects to red dimmer
Green wire connects to bare copper wires in wall
0helpful
1answer

Connecting 2 dimmers one one wall mount

The dimmer with 4 wires is a 4-way switch, but to use it as a single switch you only need two of the wires. Use one from the top and one from the bottom. Cap off the other two wires on this switch (independently, not together). . From among the 4 wires coming from the wall you need to find the one incoming hot wire, and identify what each of the other 3 wires feeds. Temporarily cap off one of those 4 wires and connect the other three together. Turn on the breaker. If nothing lights up, the single wire is the hot wire. If two things light up, the single wire is the thing that didn't light up. Label your findings so far. Turn off power, then try other combinations until you have identified all 4 of these wires. . Your single hot wire needs to connect to one terminal on all three switches. The other 3 wires will each be connected to the remaining terminal on one of the switches. . I don't know what style your 4 way switch is, but if you find that it operates "up-side-down" (up being off and down being on), then you can remedy that. If your outgoing terminal on that switch was say, the lower left, then swap it with the lower right. . Good luck. Thanks for using FixYa! Al Kupchella
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1answer

The wall switch that I am replacing, with a 3-way dimmer switch, has 2 black wires, 2 red wires and a green wire. The new 3-way dimmer switch has 2 red wires, 1 black wire and 1 green wire. Question: How...

Ok the RED is Phase and the Black is Neutral... Green is Earth. you have an IN, Red wire, and an OUT Red wire, the rest just go color to color. So in the socket, one Red wire goes to one Red wire from the dimmer, the other Red wire in the socket, goes to the other Red from the dimmer, then Black to Black, and Green to Green. Be careful do NOT work on it live.
6helpful
1answer

I want to replace dimmer switch with standard switch

the two black wires spliced are Live wires ( same value as RED) the other single black is the return. The two twisted blacks from the wall go into ther active hole of the new switch and the single into the return. No third wire for earth is needed
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