Double Dimmer Not Working

[lucyappleton]

I'm replacing my one way double dimmer switch for two adjoining rooms. In the back box, there are four wires, not including earth wires. Two of the wires are brown and two are brown with blue sleeves. I assume that the ones with sleeves are switched lives.

I bought A new double dimmer and connected it the same as the old one, nothing happened. Tried using the L2 connectors instead, nothing happened. I took the dimmer back to the shop, replaced it, but this one didn't work either. Went out and bought a multi meter, the dimmer didn't show any signs of being connected, although, to be honest, I don't really understand the settings on the multimeter. I took that dimmer back to the shop, changed it and checked it with the multimeter in the car, no sign of a circuit. Went back in the shop and swapped it for a different, more expensive dimmer, still no joy with the multi meter but I've brought it home anyway. I doubt that four dimmers could all be faulty. I just need to try fitting it in the morning.

I've been connecting it as follows:
brown wire - com
brown with blue sleeve - L1
And the same for the other half of the dimmer.

Have I been doing it wrong?
why does the mutimeter suggest it's not working?

Any suggestions would be welcome, Thank you.

 

[333rocky333]

You sure there brown with blue sleeves

 

[riveralt]

Before you removed the old switch did you note down where each of the cables went?

What is the dimmer's range - do you have sufficient lighting to make it work?
For the multimeter turn to the dial to low ohms.
Switch the dimmer on to full and put the meter probes in com and L1 on the first dimmer and you should get a low ohm reading which means there is continuity between the com and L1 - do the same for the second one.

 

[lucyappleton]

You sure there brown with blue sleeves

Sorry, two are brown and two are blue with brown sleeves.

I put the brown ones in the comm holes and the blue with brown sleeeves in the L1 holes.

 

[lucyappleton]

Before you removed the old switch did you note down where each of the cables went?

What is the dimmer's range - do you have sufficient lighting to make it work?
For the multimeter turn to the dial to low ohms.
Switch the dimmer on to full and put the meter probes in com and L1 on the first dimmer and you should get a low ohm reading which means there is continuity between the com and L1 - do the same for the second one.

I didn't note down were each cable went but I remember the browns were in the ~ hole and the blue in the L1.

The range of the one I just got is 40 -400 W I have 5 golfball screw ins in one rose in one room and a standard single light bulb socket in the other.

The lowest setting on the multi meter is 200 ohms and I get no reaction no matter which way I turn it or switch it. It just always says 1.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Was the switch you swapped working or had that stopped functioning?
Do you have transformers connected to lamps?

 

[333rocky333]

May sound silly but you did turn the dimmer on, some are push on/ off as well as rotating for the brightness.

Was there a short wire link between the two brown wire terminals on the old switch

 

[riveralt]

The lowest setting on the multi meter is 200 ohms and I get no reaction no matter which way I turn it or switch it. It just always says 1.

There should be a much lower setting than that.
The continuity between to two terminals could be less than 1 ohm.
What make and model is it?
Is there a continuity mode?

 

[lucyappleton]

Was the switch you swapped working or had that stopped functioning?
Do you have transformers connected to lamps?

The old switch was working apart from one of the dimmers didn't dim but it did switch on. Apart from that, just the knobs were broken.

There's no transformers.

 

[lucyappleton]

May sound silly but you did turn the dimmer on, some are push on/ off as well as rotating for the brightness.

Was there a short wire link between the two brown wire terminals on the old switch

Yes these ones are push on and off. I've tried both and turning them both ways as well.

There was no other wires in there apart from earth.

 

[lucyappleton]

The lowest setting on the multi meter is 200 ohms and I get no reaction no matter which way I turn it or switch it. It just always says 1.

There should be a much lower setting than that.
The continuity between to two terminals could be less than 1 ohm.
What make and model is it?
Is there a continuity mode?

It's only a cheap multi meter. It's a Sinometer M-830B
There doesn't appear to be any continuity mode, The instructions are pretty useless.

 

[riveralt]

May I suggest that you think about replacing the current dimmer with a two gang rocker switch just to make sure you have power to the lights. That should confirm whether your dimmer is busted.

 

[riveralt]

It's only a cheap multi meter. It's a Sinometer M-830B
There doesn't appear to be any continuity mode, The instructions are pretty useless.

Yes sorry about that - don't normally use a dial up multi-meter - I just dug one out of my garage and it too has the lower range of 200 Ohms. I ran it across an old switch and it registered 27ohms - haven't tried it with a dimmer though.
As I said try replacing the dimmer with a two gang switch - it cannot be a coincidence that several dimmers are refusing to work. I'm just wondering whether the wiring is incorrect and you are blowing the dimmer each time you wire it up. Test that the 2 gang is working with the multi-meter first though.

 

[lucyappleton]

strange thing is, the old dimmer works. It's on there now. It's just that one of the dimmers doesn't dim and the plastic has broken on the knobs.

The old dimmer has been there for a while and we've had some pretty strange behaviour from it. Could it have been wired wrong all this time? There's only four wires for two lights. What other way could it be wired?

What sort of config would blow the dimmer?

Could it be that the wires are not as they seem? I assume that they are positive and switched positive. What else would they be if the old dimmer works.

 

[riveralt]

strange thing is, the old dimmer works. It's on there now. It's just that one of the dimmers doesn't dim and the plastic has broken on the knobs.

The old dimmer has been there for a while and we've had some pretty strange behaviour from it. Could it have been wired wrong all this time? There's only four wires for two lights. What other way could it be wired?

The way you have described the wiring is standard in so much that for both switches you have a live coming into the switch and a switch live going out. The fact that you have brown and blue wires would suggest that they were replaced within the last 7/8 years.
Do you have brown and blue wires at the ceiling rose for the lights? If not you may have a junction box hidden between the switch and the lights.

I would still try the standard rocker switch to make sure the lights do work as they should with a normal switch.
That single light isn't a energy saver is it?