Experienced Electrician! Here to Answer Any and All Growroom Electrical Questions

Just a random household Question....my 8 rec room pot lights are setup on 3 dimmers. 2-4-2. Out of the three only one actually dims,the other two are on/off only but still turn the lights on/off.I replaced one of the dimmers and no luck. At this point its not worth cutting any drywall just to make them dim but it was nice when they worked properly!?

sounds like you have cfls running on a dimmer......

50 Watt Halogen Phillips Flood.Everything worked fine for the first few years and stopped all of a sudden at some point a while back.The house is only 7-8 years old.

by chance, did you replace the one dimmer that actually worked by accident, instead of replacing one of the bad ones?
i know that is a silly question but the dimmer/switch is what controls the lamps. the fixtures themselves, are just fancy connection points with reflectors for the lamps... the switch does all the 'work' as far as controlling the lights. if you lost the capability to dim, than the problem is definitly in the box.

now if your lights come on for a short period, then cutoff for no apparent reason, most recessed can lights have thermal overload switches built into them, so that if the lamp gets too hot, the fixture will cut off. if the power is shut off for 10-15mins, usually the fixture will cool down enough so that thelight comes back on... if thats the case, either get R20 floods (there cooler) instead of PAR halogen lamps, or switch to a lower wattage lamp.

but if what is happening is that the lights will come on or come off, but wont dim, either you have bad dimmers, cfl lamps installed (floro's do not dim, unless you have a special ballast with special wiring) or your replacement dimmer is not wired correctly.

some solid state dimmers (digital, often have LED indicators) are line/load sensitive, in other words, there is a specific connection for the 120v incoming line, and a specific connection for the load that is to be switched. some of these dimmers also require a neutral, and some of them require that at least one working lamp be installed on the circuit. so if your 4 lamp switch is working, and your 2 2lamp switches are not, check to make sure you got working lamps in those fixtures before you tear your walls apart.

I apprenticed for an Electrical company for a few years so I know enough about electrical and have installed my fair share of pot lights in my time.I now insulate houses and am fully aware of the heat shut off,but thats not the problem..everythings fine that way, they just don't dim.
Heres a few pics of the box itself.All i had to do to replace the dimmer was take the Marrette off of the two connection points coming in/out of the dimmer.The dimmer on the left is the one that works.and is the first "2"-4-2.No leds on the dimmers,just simple sliders.All the lamps have been checked and are all working(and are the same as the lamps that are dimming)Can you break down the wiring in the box from these pics?

Sjerpsy said:

I apprenticed for an Electrical company for a few years so I know enough about electrical and have installed my fair share of pot lights in my time.I now insulate houses and am fully aware of the heat shut off,but thats not the problem..everythings fine that way, they just don't dim.
Heres a few pics of the box itself.All i had to do to replace the dimmer was take the Marrette off of the two connection points coming in/out of the dimmer.The dimmer on the left is the one that works.and is the first "2"-4-2.No leds on the dimmers,just simple sliders.All the lamps have been checked and are all working(and are the same as the lamps that are dimming)Can you break down the wiring in the box from these pics?

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the wiring is pretty simple.. i see one line coming in, and 3 switch legs going out, tied to 3 dimmers.
the first pic of the dimmer nameplate is out of focus, i cant read it.
i notice the one switch on the far right appears to be missing a jumper that is installed on the 2 left hand switches.

ps- i was able to pull the model number off of one of those pics, lutron skylark s-600

are those lights on 3 way switches?

IAm5toned said:

not enuf info to answer....
a pic of the nameplate would bemuch better

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Here you go, I hope it's enough info for you...

No 3 ways. Yea i couldn't get the writing to focus for some reason. There is 1 feed on the far left that jumps to the dimmers then from the dimmers back out to the lights.The neutrals are all connected and everything is grounded.I'm assuming its something to do with the pot lights because if all these Marrettes are good and tight....there shouldn't be anything wrong with the wiring in the box?!??

Sjerpsy said:

No 3 ways. Yea i couldn't get the writing to focus for some reason. There is 1 feed on the far left that jumps to the dimmers then from the dimmers back out to the lights.The neutrals are all connected and everything is grounded.I'm assuming its something to do with the pot lights because if all these Marrettes are good and tight....there shouldn't be anything wrong with the wiring in the box?!??

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the wiring in the box looks fine.(edit:- and i say it is fine, because you said before the lights come on or off, but do not dim. so you have a circuit there, its just not being controlled as desired. logic says its a problem with the controller, ie dimmer)
you need to go through a process of elimination to determine the problem. you could start by taking the one dimmer that you know works, disconnecting the lights from it, and then trying it on one of the two circuits your having a problem with. if it works then, you know its a problem with the dimmers, if it still behaves the same way and turns on and off but does not dim, than it will be a problem with the fixtures. troubleshooting is a pain in the ass but the trick to it is starting at one point and eleminating all possibilities before moving on to the next point, which is exactly what i did by asking all the questions up to this point. so weve eliminated all possibilities (wrong lamps, bad lamps, 3 ways, power being on.) besides the switches themselves, the wiring leading to the fixtures, and the fixtures themselves. i do not think it is a problem with the wiring, if it was, they wouldnt be coming on or off when you try it from the switch, and because the fixture itself is such a simple device, my instincts tell me the problem is going to be with the dimmers switches themselves. so try taking the one you know works, and try it on one of the circuits your having problems with, and go from there.

Sub Zero said:

Here you go, I hope it's enough info for you...

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2.56 amps x however many pumps you have.


are you having problems with the pumps kicking a breaker/gfci? try using a motor starter....

okay, say I need to wire together three to four cfl sockets to plug into the same cordfor a comp case.. how can I do this cheaply and not risk fire?

oh you want a silent motor starter eh...
well have i got the thing for you:

CLICK ME!

the damn things are almost silent.. its creepy! expensive, but bad ass

silent doen not equal cheap.... you could get a rated ice cube relay for like 20-25$, but it will still click. nowhere near as loud as a contactor tho

I grow inn detached garage where my main breaker is 100amp, the next box is on my house and it has 100amp. I just found out (due to a trippid breaker) that i have a solo breaker in the back of my house that also is 100amp. Should i change that one to a 125amp and if so do i need to turn power off at the green box.

how do i wire a thermostat to a humidistat and the to a dual outlet while taking my power from a single outlet? i want to use this to control intake and exhaust fans

i81two said:

I grow inn detached garage where my main breaker is 100amp, the next box is on my house and it has 100amp. I just found out (due to a trippid breaker) that i have a solo breaker in the back of my house that also is 100amp. Should i change that one to a 125amp and if so do i need to turn power off at the green box.

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change it too a 125 only if you want to burn your house down.... the 100 kicked for a reason.

outhouse1999 said:

how do i wire a thermostat to a humidistat and the to a dual outlet while taking my power from a single outlet? i want to use this to control intake and exhaust fans

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that would depend on many things, mainly how you wanted the system to work.

the easiest way would be to parallel the load side of all your controls onto the switch leg of the fan circuit.