Wiring dimmer from mains

[bunglehaze]

Hi folks,

I dont know why.. I can manage to fit an entire kitchen - renovate a whole house but when it comes to wiring in a dimmer switch I am baffled!!!

Im not wiring from the house electrics, but instead am using my dimmer to control a pair of lamps plugged into the wall socket.
Can any of you kind folks able to direct me as to which wires should go where???
I think all the L1's L2's and the a/c symbol with a diagonal arrow thru it has got too much for my tiny mind!

Please help

cheers

leigh

 

[breezer]

you say to control a pair of lamps plugged into the wall socket.

I take it you are saying you have two lights that you plug in to a normal socket and you want to be able to dim them both at the same time?

 

[bunglehaze]

Basically yes..

Both lights are already connected by a junction box with a single length of wire to go to the switch (the lights are attached to a stud wall too), it probably sounds really dumb but I just cant get my head around which wires go where on this one.

The dimmer is flush mounted in the same stud wall as the lights so it is to give the effect that they are wired in as normal - but plugged into the wall rather than connected to the main house wiring.

Any help you can give will be [h2]really[/h2] gratefully received

cheers

leigh

 

[breezer]

the wire from the plug will need to be connected as follows in the switch:

all 3 blue wires together in a connector block

the two brown wires from the lights into L1

and the brown from the plug into the ac terminal

 

[bunglehaze]

hmmmmm, already tried that and it didnt work....

Will go and double check everything is hooked up properly, thanks very much

leigh

 

[breezer]

you are using ordainairy filament lamps arent you?

also check the connections, plug fuse and different dimmer switch (also try the socket with a known working light)

 

[bunglehaze]

yep standard filament lamps, already checked the fuse (replaced), plugged another lamp in at the moment to work with so thats ok - possibly a duff dimmer I suppose, it wouldn't surprise me.. I bought it fromhomebase and by the looks of a few other posts on here they come with the wrong wiring instructions in the first place.

cheers

leigh

 

[bunglehaze]

Just checked it with a standard switch and it works - figures.

All this time i thought I was going wrong and I just got a duff dimmer..

cheers

leigh

 

[breezer]

the obvious thing to do now is swap the dimmer with the switch

 

[bunglehaze]

well.. until tomorrow and then I will have another go - luckily its not a hugely urgent job.

cheers

leigh