How to Install a Dimmer on a Light Switch
For added light ambiance in a room, you don't necessarily need to replace your overhead lighting. You can just replace your standard on/off light switch with a dimmer switch that allows you to lower the lights by merely turning a disk. Dimmer switches dole out power gradually rather than turning it completely on or off all at once. They are made to hook up to standard light switch boxes and don't need any special wiring. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Cut off power at the fuse box.
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2
Remove the plate around the old light switch by taking out the screws that hold it there. On the exposed light switch, remove the top and bottom screws that affix it to the electrical box and pull it outside the wall. Remove the white and black (or red) wires from the old switch by unscrewing the screws that hold them in place. In some units, you'll have to use the point of the screwdriver to press a release next the wires to get them out of the unit.
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3
Wire the new light dimmer switch by taking the wires from the electrical box and bending them around the appropriate screws on the dimmer, which will be marked "white'' and "black'' (or "hot''). Some units connect by pushing the ends of the wires into holes next to the screws.
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4
Wrap electrician's tape around the back of the unit, covering any area where there is exposed wire.
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If there is a bare copper grounding wire coming out from the wall, twist it around the green grounding screw on the dimmer switch unit. The grounding wire won't have any insulation on it, and doesn't have to be wrapped with electrician's tape.
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Tuck the wires back inside the electrical box, set the dimmer switch unit against it, and attach with the provided screws at the top and bottom of the unit. Finish by pressing on and screwing in the plate cover that the unit came with, or with your own plate cover. Turn the power back on.
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Tips & Warnings
In older homes, the two wires from the wall might not be color coded. In that case, take note of which of them is attached to the "white'' and "black" (or "hot") screws of the old light switch, and mark the "black" (or "hot") wire with a piece of tape so you know which is which when you attach to new dimmer switch.
Never work on an electrical system without cutting power off at the fuse box.
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