Hello, I have been trying to install the GE 3-way dimmer, but I am having some troubles. I have read a lot of forum topics on this, and I feel like I am so close to having it working. The Primary switch is working (#see note below) correctly right now, just the Auxiliary switch is not. Here is my situation:
Primary Switch (working):
120v black wire to Line
other black wire to Load
Bare wire to Ground
White wire to Traveller (the old switch used a white wire, but no red wire)
**this switch has no slot for Neutral
**there are two red wires nutted together in the box
Auxiliary Switch (not working):
Bare wire
Black wire
White wire
Red wire
**no other wires in the box?
#if I nut the black a red wire together from the aux switch, the primary switch works, otherwise the primary switch does not work.
I have a multimeter that I can use, but I’m not sure what to look for other than the 120v black wire.
Where the primary switch is, there are 3 switches. One for the light (this is where the primary switch is), one for the fan, and one for another light. The aux switch is by itself.
I took the nut off of the red wires, and one red wire is a ground wire. I’m not really sure what to do to find out any information about the other wires.
The original main switch had the following wires connected to it:
2 black wires, one white wire, and ground.
The original secondary switch had:
one hot black wire, one red wire, one white wire, and ground
I do not know exactly how to identify the traveller wire on both ends. Possibly I need to get a short wire and nut it with the other nutted red wires and put that in as traveller on the primary switch?
I used a multimeter continuity test with one end touching the ground wire, and the other end touching one of the red wires and it beeped. I was under the impression that meant that the red wire was ground. My mistake. I only stated what was on the original switches to say that the primary switch did not have a red wire connected, which confused me. I will go home and look at this some more and give more information. Or I will call an electrician.
Do not use a “mutlimeter continuity test” to find out what wires do what. A continuity tester may not give you the results you want. Ground wires and neutral wires are generally connected together at the switch panel, so would show continuity without telling you anything about what the wires are for.
I second the recomendation to call an licensed electrician.
Ok, I now have every wire figured out. I have the primary switch connected and working. The auxiliary switch, when pressed, slightly dims the lights. I have attached some helpful images that draw out my situation. In the second image I took out the green ground wires to make it less confusing (I have the ground wires hooked up correctly I’m most certain). In both images grey is neutral, green is ground, one red is a traveller, one red is a load, blacks from breaker are all hot, other blacks are load.
I am now wondering if the aux switch is defective. Thank you for your help.
[quote=“crayoneater, post:7, topic:183307”]Ok, I now have every wire figured out. I have the primary switch connected and working. The auxiliary switch, when pressed, slightly dims the lights. I have attached some helpful images that draw out my situation. In the second image I took out the green ground wires to make it less confusing (I have the ground wires hooked up correctly I’m most certain). In both images grey is neutral, green is ground, one red is a traveller, one red is a load, blacks from breaker are all hot, other blacks are load.
I am now wondering if the aux switch is defective. Thank you for your help.[/quote]
Did you buy it from Amazon? Looks like wiring is fine and there was alot of these problems posted here some time ago. If correct wiring and was purchased from amazon that probley your problem.
Your main switch is working so that’s good. You aux switch only has a neutral and the traveler between the 2 switches (which should be hot coming out of the main switch. I think the Amazon problem was found that not power was coming out of the Main switch going to the aux. So the problem was not really the AUX switch that was bad it’s the main even tho the main works by it’s self.
Diagram Switch2.png looks correct. As @integlikewhoa, there have been bad aux switches and that may be your problem. It may also be the case that you once had a good aux and in miswiring it, it is now bad.
I would try replacing the aux, or the set. But, your wiring appears to be correct.
It might not be easy but if you search for amazon and bad switches or something like that I know I was part of at-least 3 or 4 threads around 6 months to a year ago that the problem was related to a bad batch from amazon. Amazon even posted a temporary warning that something was wrong and they were looking into it. I thought that was over some time ago, but maybe a few still lingering around.
Again the problem was with the main switch if I remember correctly (even tho that one is currently working) so make sure you replace one at a time and test both not just the AUX switch only as I’ll bet your AUX switch is fine at this point.
Please report back for others to see the solution. Thanks,
It was in fact the primary switch at fault. I ended up using the original (defective) dimmer in another location that doesn’t need 3 way, and I bought a new dimmer from Lowes for my 3 way set up. Everything is working now. Thanks everybody for the help.
I did find another thread referencing the bad switches from Amazon. I decided not to return my switch since I will just use it in another room.
Sorry for the pile-on, but I just got one of these GE 3-way dimmers kits as well. (Note: I’m a DIY guy, not an electrician; sorry if my terminology below is off.)
My existing installation is also a 3-way setup (non-z-wave), with 3-way dimmer on one and 3-way switch on the other. However, there seems to be only a single 4-wire cable coming into each box (black/white/red/ground). From metering the wires, I suspect that the hot (black) line goes directly to the load (a set of 6 recessed ceiling fixtures), and is then spliced to each of the wall boxes, the neutral is spliced to each wall box as well, and the red is the traveller that goes between switches. Something like:
black → load → black *-> switch1 and switch2
neutral *-> switch 1 and switch 2
switch1 → red → switch2 (traveller)
I suspect that this wiring is incompatible with the GE dimmer kit, since it requires the line to come to the primary wall box first, and then go to the load, not to the load first as in my case. So I’ll probably have to fish some cable to wire it up. Is that correct?
Sorry for the pile-on, but I just got one of these GE 3-way dimmers kits as well. (Note: I’m a DIY guy, not an electrician; sorry if my terminology below is off.)
My existing installation is also a 3-way setup (non-z-wave), with 3-way dimmer on one and 3-way switch on the other. However, there seems to be only a single 4-wire cable coming into each box (black/white/red/ground). From metering the wires, I suspect that the hot (black) line goes directly to the load (a set of 6 recessed ceiling fixtures), and is then spliced to each of the wall boxes, the neutral is spliced to each wall box as well, and the red is the traveller that goes between switches. Something like:
black → load → black *-> switch1 and switch2
neutral *-> switch 1 and switch 2
switch1 → red → switch2 (traveller)
I suspect that this wiring is incompatible with the GE dimmer kit, since it requires the line to come to the primary wall box first, and then go to the load, not to the load first as in my case. So I’ll probably have to fish some cable to wire it up. Is that correct?[/quote]
I don’t think you’ll need to fish any wires and I also think your wiring is not correct. I would suggest you recheck your wiring better. Altho it would not be uncommon to see the line go to the load first it would be un common to see the line go to each switch after the load.
Best way would be to remove both switches from the wall, disconnect all the wires (noting how they go back) and then test.
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