How to Install Three-Way Lutron Dimmer Switches
The dimmer switch was invented in 1961 by Joel Spira, founder of the Lutron company, according to the Lutron website. The company now offers more than 11,000 products around the world. A three-way switch operates a fixture from two locations. An example would be a large family room with two entrances located on opposite sides of the room. Switches near each entrance operate the same light, alleviating the need to negotiate 25 feet across the room to reach a switch. A three-way dimmer does the same job; it just dims the lights as well. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Safety goggles
- Screw driver
- Plastic single-gang old work box
- Pencil
- Keyhole saw
- Fish tape
- 14-3 NM cable
- Black electrical tape
- Dual NM cable stripper/cutter
- One foot 14 gauge solid THHN green wire
- Lutron three-way dimmer switch
- Orange wire nuts
- Lutron three-way switch
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Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Turn the circuit breaker off at the main panel to the area you are working.
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2
Disconnect the original switch. Unscrew the two screws that hold the cover plate to the switch. Remove the cover plate. Unscrew the two screws from the top and the bottom of the switch; these physically hold the switch in the electrical switch box. Pull the switch from the box to access the wiring.
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3
Remove the electrical wires from the switch. Loosen the screws on the right side of the switch; remove the wires from beneath them. Discard the switch.
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4
Remove the light fixture from the ceiling. Take the light shade off and the light bulbs out of the light fixture to access the screws that hold the fixture to the ceiling. Remove the screws and remove the fixture to gain access to the wiring. Each light fixture will be manufactured differently.
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5
Disconnect the wiring from the light fixture. Untwist the wire nut that connects the white wire from the light fixture to the power supply white wire. The power supply wires are the wires that connect directly back to either the original switch or directly back to your breaker panel. Disconnect the black wires in the same manner. Disconnect the bare copper ground wire from the green ground wire on the light fixture by untwisting the wire nut. Move your light fixture to a safe location, because you will reinstall it later.
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6
Locate new electrical switch box. A three-way Lutron dimmer switch operates a light from two different locations. Your new electrical switch box should be across the room or at the opposite end of a hallway from your original switch.
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7
Remove knockouts from new plastic single-gang old work box. These knockouts need to be removed for wiring access. Use a screwdriver to pop the top and the bottom knockouts from the box.
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8
Install new plastic single-gang old work box. Trace the template provided with your new switch box onto the wall. Cut around the trace lines using a key hole saw. Remove the piece of Sheetrock you just cut from the wall. Attach the old work box onto the wall, following the manufacturer's directions.
Pull the New Wire
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9
Pull 14-3 NM cable from the new switch box to the light fixture. Following the manufacturer's directions, thread the fish tape from the switch box to the light fixture box. Use black electrical tape to secure the end of the 14-3 NM cable to the end of the fish tape. Reel the fish tape back through the wall, pulling the 14-3 NM cable with it. Leave eight to 10 inches of cable at the switch box and the light fixture box.
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10
Strip the 14-3 NM cable. Use a dual NM cable stripper/cutter to strip the plastic sheath off the NM cable. Strip the sheath as far back to the electrical boxes that you can reach. Strip ½ inch of insulation off the ends of the individual wires that were encased in the plastic sheath. Strip the wires in both the electrical box for the light and the new electrical box for the switch. Label both ends of the white wires in this length of 14-3 NM cable with a piece of black electrical tape around the ends. The tape should be touching the white insulation only. Do not label any other wires in this manner.
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11
Disconnect the white wires located in the electrical switch box by untwisting the wire nuts. Disconnect the bare copper ground wires in the same manner.
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12
Remove the original 14-2 NM cable from original switch box and light box. Beginning at the light fixture box, attach the new 14-3 NM cable and the original 14-2 NM cable security to each other with black electrical tape. Remove the original 14-2 NM cable from the wall by grasping the ends of the original cable located in the original light switch box and pulling the old cable from the wall, replacing it with the 14-3 NM cable as you pull the old cable. Leave eight to 10 inches of 14-3 NM cable in the original switch box and light fixture box.
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13
Strip the 14-3 NM cable. Use a dual NM cable stripper/cutter to strip the plastic sheath off of the NM cable. Strip the sheath as far back to the electrical boxes as you can reach. Strip a 1/2-inch insulation off the ends of the individual wires that were encased in the plastic sheath. Strip the wires in both the electrical box for the light and the original switch box.
Make a ground wire pigtail. Cut a 6-inch piece of 14-gauge solid THHN green wire and strip a 1/2-inch insulation off both ends of the pigtail. Set aside for later use.
Wire the Three-Way Lutron Dimmer Switch
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14
Install the Lutron three-way dimmer switch into the original switch box. The dimmer switch has a total of four screws, a copper common, two brass feed through, and a green ground. Connect the two white wires together by twisting an orange wire nut onto them. Push them into the electrical box.
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Connect the red wire to one of the brass screws. Tighten.
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16
Connect the black power supply wire, the wire that connects back to the breaker panel, to the copper screw and tighten.
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Connect the white wire labeled with black tape to the other brass screw and tighten.
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18
Connect the green pigtail to the bare copper wire from the power supply and the bare copper wire that connects to the light fixture by twisting an orange wire nut onto them. Connect the other end of the green pigtail to the green ground screw on the three-way dimmer.
Push all wires into the original switch box. Attach the switch to the box with screws at the top and the bottom of the switch. Attach the switch cover plate to the switch with screws at the top and the bottom of the switch cover plate.
Wire the Three-Way Switch
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19
Install the Lutron three-way switch into the new switch box. This switch will not be a dimmer switch as you can only have one dimmer on the circuit.
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20
Connect the red wire to one of the brass screws. Tighten.
Connect the black wire to the copper screw. Tighten.
Connect the white wire labeled with black tape to the other brass screw. Tighten.
Connect the bare copper wire to the green ground screw. Tighten.
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21
Push all wires into the new switch box. Attach the switch to the box with screws at the top and the bottom of the switch. Attach the switch cover plate to the switch with screws at the top and the bottom of the switch cover plate.
Wire the Light Fixture
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Connect the red wires together by twisting an orange wire nut onto them. Push the red wires into the light fixture box.
Connect the bare copper wires together by twisting an orange wire nut onto them. Push the bare copper wires into the light fixture box.
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Connect the white wire from the dimmer switch to the white wire on the light fixture by twisting an orange wire nut onto them.
Connect the black wire from the dimmer switch to the white wire labeled with black electrical tape by twisting an orange wire nut onto them.
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24
Connect the black wire from the light fixture to the black wire from the three-way switch installed in the new switch box. Twist an orange wire nut onto the wires to hold them together.
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25
Attach the light fixture to the ceiling. Push remaining wires into the light fixture box. Attach the light to the light fixture box, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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Turn the circuit breaker back on.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Every light fixture varies slightly in the way it will be held to the ceiling. Once the shade and the light bulbs are removed, the installation should become evident. If you are still unable to determine how to remove your light fixture, a trip to your local home improvement center's lighting department should help resolve the situation. Locate a fixture similar to yours and ask the store associate for instructions on how to remove the light. They should be able to tell you how that fixture is installed or ask them to copy the instruction for you.
You can only have one dimmer switch on a circuit.
Always make sure you disconnect the electricity to the area you are working in to avoid electric shock.
References
- Photo Credit light switch image by David Ng from Fotolia.com
