I have a two-switch receptacle with one operating the kitchen light and the other operating recessed lights in the living room. I want to replace the latter switch with a dimmer switch. I have a three-switch receptacle across the room that controls the porch light, the ceiling fan, and the light on the ceiling fan. I have replaced the switch that controls the recessed lighting with a dimmer switch. Now, the fixtures that are controlled by the switch across the room from the dimmer switch only work if the dimmer switch is turned all the way on.

The switch that I replaced the dimmer switch with had a bare wire (ground) that connected to a dark blue screw on the top left of the switch. I had a black (hot) wire that went into the top push-to-release hole at the top terminal, and I had two black wires that connected on the bottom: one went to the screw and the other went to the other push-to-release hole. I don’t think this is a three-way switch because there was not any terminals on the same side of the switch as the ground wire. When I installed the dimmer switch, I connected the bare wire with the green wire of the dimmer switch with a wire nut. I connected the black wire of the dimmer switch to the black wire that went to the top of the other switch. I then connected the red wire of the dimmer switch to the two remaining black wires (the two that connected at the bottom terminal of the other switch) with a wire nut.

If this was a three-way switch, that switch would have controlled something else, but that switch only controls the recessed lighting. It seems like somehow the switch that controls the recessed lighting is in series with the receptacle across the room.

What have I done wrong, and what can I do to fix the problem? I suspect it has something to do with the two wires that shared the bottom terminal.
I see now that one of the wires that went to the bottom of the regular switch was grey instead of black. So there was a black wire and a grey wire that went to the bottom of the former switch. I don’t remember which one went where, though.

We just put in an offer for a home. Built in 1978 and upgraded, but didn’t have enough light in a few key spots. It did not appear to already be wired for anything. About how much would an electrician charge for (and this is just my initial thought):

About 6 recessed lights for a family room (again it was just blank ceiling so they would have to do wiring and everything)
One chandelier in a living room with a vaulted ceiling (again it is not wired…a blank ceiling).

Any ballpark estimate would be great. I am deciding which direction to go depending on costs and want to start shopping around as soon as we go under contract.

Thanks!

My kitchen recessed ligting has failed and I have dimmer switches on them. This happened one night when a huge bolt of lightning struck (although it did not hit the house). The lights won’t turn on and I am figuring the two dimmer switches were fried. Is this the most likely scenario? Thanks.

I replaced halogen bulbs with the new CFL bulbs for my recess lightings in my living room. When i switched on the recess lights, i heard a pop sound from one of the bulbs (mostly from overhead). I replaced the old halogen bulbs back – and now the recess light does not work!

Any ideas?

I did not know that CFL bulbs cannot be used in recess lights with dimmers.
so, i tried looking for circuit breaker for this recess lighting…. could not locate one. how do i locate it? sorry for this dumb question, i just recently moved to this house – need to get accustomed.
alvarz,
so what do i have to do after i bring down the fixures?

I replaced halogen bulbs with the new CFL bulbs for my recess lightings in my living room. When i switched on the recess lights, i heard a pop sound from one of the bulbs (mostly from overhead). I replaced the old halogen bulbs back – and now the recess light does not work!

Any ideas?

I did not know that CFL bulbs cannot be used in recess lights with dimmers.
so, i tried looking for circuit breaker for this recess lighting…. could not locate one. how do i locate it? sorry for this dumb question, i just recently moved to this house – need to get accustomed.
alvarz,
so what do i have to do after i bring down the fixures?

I am trying to switch to dimmable fluorescent bulbs and I have several different types of cans. The socket is not visible at this point. Do I need to disassemble the whole thing?

The recessed lighting fixtures are 6" and i want all the rooms in my home to be well lit with ambient light.
Well i want the cheapest one like energy consumptionwise not actual retail price for the can.

I’m replacing some standard dimmers with Lutron Maestro IR dimmers and I’m not sure if I should purchase the "single-location" dimmer or "multi-location" dimmer. The 2 dimmers I’m replacing are in on gang-box and control two different sets of recessed lights in my tv room. Since I don’t know much about this electrical stuff, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Rent.com don’t offer escrow.
Please beware. Don’t lose your time and also your money.

This Newly Renovated Condo is located in the Heart of Back Bay on Harcourt Street.Harcourt Street is located just off the busy streets of Newbury and Boylston. You have the convenience of being just two blocks away, without the inconvenience of double parked cars and countless pedestrians.The unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, and two garage spots are easily accessible from the elevator straight to the garage!!!

OK, here’s one for all you electrical geniuses out there! I am presently doing some carpentry work on the new home of a customer, and they asked me to look at two ceiling fans that do not work. Here’s the situation: The fans are located in two rooms that sit next to one another, in fact they are almost identical. Neither fan has a light kit installed, although the wiring is available for one. On each fan there is one pull chain, located in the area where the light kit goes. On each wall entering the room, there is a wall plate with two switches; one operates recessed lighting in each respective room, and the other you would guess would turn the fan on and off. However, the fans will not operate either by using the pull chain or by flicking on the wall switch. Although I am a carpenter by trade, I’m usually pretty savvy when it comes to solving situations like this, but this one has me stumped. Any ideas? Both fans are relatively new, say within five years or so. Thanks in advance!