Let's start at the beginning please. You have a source cable fed into an overhead outlet box or to a switch outlet box on the wall? This is critical because it tells me what kind of arrangement you actually have.
If the source is in the ceiling, then you are using switch loops and the wiring gets tricky because you have to "re-task" the Neutral (White) wire (Assuming you are here in the U.S.A.) that goes to the switch because it will become the feed to the wall switch.
However, is the feed is at the switch, then it is much simpler. Please let me know what you have in the form of wiring.
Also as an FYI, if you are using special switches, you may have to have equipment grounding conductor present at the switch. The electrical code no longer allows the use of a Neutral (White) conductor as a grounding conductor.
SOURCE: I have installed a Lutron Diva Single-Pole dimmer,
No it means you have a short somewhere in the wireing. disconnect the power unhook the switches and use an ohm meter to test the wires to see if you have contact between the wires, black to white and black to bare ground wire. if it's a three way wire test all of them, if you used tsaoles to hold it in place check where you put the staples in you may find you have a staple ran threw two wires. Or if you pulled the wire and pulled it around a hard corner you may have pulled the insolation off somewhere the above test will confirm this. This is assumeming you are testing line voltage without a step down transformer or any other device in the circut
SOURCE: i have to install a dimmer switch on 2 lights
ok lets try to straighten this out. usually one light will feed the next. so you have to intercept the wire before it goes to the first light. once you find the wire that goes to first of the lights in series seperate the cable to expose the white (neutral), black (hot) and the green (ground) if there is one. If it is metal wrapped cable then the wrap is the ground which grounds the box, which grounds the switch.... So now, the dimmer will break only the black (hot) lead. the white and the green pass through to the light (s). Connect the black lead from the breaker to either wire on the dimmer and the wire coming from the light to the other wire on the dimmer. ground to ground if there is one, otherwise the dimmer will ground itself to the box if its metal.
SOURCE: Would this work or burn
This should work just fine as long as the breaker it is going to is at least 20 amps as this is the amount of amps that both fans would be drawing at once if the were both on. The 12/2 wire should be plenty to supply the 20 amps needed for the fans.
SOURCE: Would this work or burn
Yes everything would work perfectly. I see no problems in your plan. Even if both fans were run off of one switch they would not burn out, the circuit it appropriately sized. You could even go a step down to save yourself some money and use 14/2 and 14/3 (supposing its only the fans running on the circuit). You can run up to 16 amps on 12 AWG wire and up to 12 amps on 14 AWG wire (80% of breaker tolerance). Also when it get to the fans use a wire junction box run your 3 wire cable in there and branch out to your fans from there with separate 2 wire cables. I believe that was your plan just wanted to clarify. Good luck!!
SOURCE: i just bought a switch
The key seems to be that you changed wiring in the ceiling box.
I suggest you make a drawing of the wires before and after. Track the route that the Hot wire takes.
The key question is this: Does Hot wire from breaker box arrive in the ceiling box first? Or does it arrive in wall box first?
I think Hot from breaker arrives in wall box first. And from there Hot wire goes to ceiling box ... and from ceiling box the hot wire goes to other plugs in room. If this is true, you will be one wire short for installing fan control switch.
I always make a drawing of existing wires before starting, so I can put it back the way it was. It sounds like you got a good handle on which wire goes where.
We used to solve the one-wire-short problem by making a simple project bigger. Figure out which direction ceiling joist run. See if you can slide fish line from fan ceiling box over to wall. If that works. Over at the wall, chop small hole in ceiling so you can feed wire up to fish line. Pull wire over to ceiling box. Next, staple other end of wire along ceiling over to location above wall box. Chop another small hole so you can feed wire down to wall box. And then install beautiful crown molding to hide the mess, and paint the room so you need new furniture.
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