Dimmer Switch wiring instuctions

thistleboon

I am trying to reconnect the dimmer swich, but have lost the instructions

Does anyone have the info please

grumbler

DIMMER SWITCHES

If you post your model you will probably get more specific advice.

thistleboon

crabtree 2 way, with 4 terminals on the plate, 1 marked C, L1, L2, and a 4th S

bockster

generally, for a single simple dimmer, and one way switching to the lamp, with one grey cable entering the back box, red will go to terminal 'c' or 'common', and black (with red tape?) to 'a1'. obviously connect the earth to both front plate and back box if both metal!

take care when refitting the front plate that you do not screw into the wires behind! an easy mistake to make.

please take all usual precautions with electricity, especially have the circuit turned off when doing work!!!if your wiring or dimmer is more complicated and/or you are unsure, you may be better off getting someone qualified in.

BE CAREFUL! BE ALIVE!

thistleboon

Perhaps I should give more details about the system. The switch controls 3 wall lights, The connections in the box are as follows:
1 red cable- live
3 black cables joined together with a piece of connector strip.
2 red cables joined together.

After blowing the fuse out twice, I ended up with the live cable inserted in L1 and the pair of red cables inserted in the common connection; the lights worked, but not the dimmer!

The whole problem has occurred because some time ago I disconnected the wall lights. I now want to reinstate them and can't remenber the wiring setup. I put it down to old age!!

grumbler

http://www.crabtree.co.za/downloads.html

Technical Data - 788k

thistleboon

Thanks for that, have looked at the diagrams, but the layouts of the switches do not match the switch In question. I've tried to work out how all the lights are connected together in relation to the dimmer switch, I still have the 3 black wires conected together and not connected to any terminal on the dimmer, 2 red wires connected together and inserted in the common terminal and finally, one red wire (which is live) connected to the L1 terminal. This configuration lets the lights work, but the dimming action doesn't!

bockster

i'm trying to understand why so many grey cables to your dimmer? can you check how many greys to each of the wall lights? i suspect 2 greys to one lamp and one to each of the others. if so have you tried the single live red in 'c' and the other two reds in 'a1' with the blacks as they are.
if that does'nt work i'm thinking is the dimmer o.k? is it rated for the wattage of all three lamps together? is what you are doing interfering with any other lamps in other rooms etc?

kevc_2

I suspect that the wiring was initially installed for separate wall light switching(for two gang switch).The live(single red) should be into the C terminal .The two reds into the L1 terminal.The two blacks should be left in the terminal block and bound with insulation tape.If this does not work then you may have blown the coil in the switch and this usually leaves the switch undimmable(is there such a word?)Sometimes you can use L2 instead of L1 as thisis used in two way switching(more than one switch operating a light)Hope this helps.

tomstickland

How many connections does the dimmer have?
The ones I fitted had 4 connections.
live
neutral
dimmed live
dimmed neutral

I GUESS from your desription that there's one feed to the box and then two cables go out to the lights.

Turn the mains off, get a circuit tester and work out which wire goes where.