Dimmer Switches for the Dummy DIYer

dimmer switch wiring

In the pantheon of freelancing morons, we here at the Antisocial Network are firmly convinced that there are few more irritating (and sometimes dangerous) contributors than the ones who complete a DIY project and then run out and write a how-to article based on their "broad expertise." Take, for example, an EzineArticles.com post by some guy named Gary Jackson, which he called "The Right Way to Install a Dimmer Switch." We had a couple of quibbles with what Jackson seems to think is the "right" way...

Oh, Gary got most of the basics right: turn off the power and double-check that it's off; even put a "lockout" on the breaker to make certain someone else doesn't turn the power back on. Where his article went south, however, is when he started thinking that the instruction sheet that came with only dimmer switch he'd ever installed translated to general instructions. It doesn't...

For starters, Jackson never bothered to mention choosing the right switch in the first place: for instance, the least expensive dimmers only work for incandescent lights. They just make compact fluorescent bulbs buzz; you have to match the switch to the bulb type. And then there are his actual "instructions":

"Unscrew the existing plate from the switch you want to replace and pull the switch out of the wall." -- No, Gary, after you take off the plate you need to unscrew the old switch from the electrical box. Then you can "pull the switch out." "Unscrew the wires from the back of the old switch and throw it away." -- We hate to tell you this, but 1) even if the wires are screwed on (many aren't), the screws aren't on the back; 2) it would help people to know how to remove wires that are plugged into the back of a switch,¹ and 3) you're an idiot if you don't diagram or photograph how the old wires were configured.

• "Get you [sic] new dimmer switch out and match up the wires to the ones you just stripped (most dimmers will come with pre stripped wires)." -- No, Gary, they don't: just the type you bought! Not to mention that now is when you're going to want to know how the old switch was wired. For instance, is it a middle or end of run switch; and is the circuit a three-way or two-way? These things are important to "the right way," idiot.
• "Use your pliers to twist the two wires together..." -- If the dimmer switch is prewired, the wires are likely to be stranded. Pliers can easily cut the soft insulation on these wires; so do it by hand.

And there you have it: Jackson thinks he is an expert on electrical switches because he's installed one (maybe two) dimmers. He isn't: he doesn't know enough to pick the right switch, he knows nothing about complications on the circuitry, and his instructions are questionable. Three strikes, Gary, and you're our Dumbass of the Day.

¹ Push a thin-bladed screwdriver as deep as possible into the dash-shaped slot ( – ) immediately adjacent to the wire and pull the wire out of the socket. It will probably be pretty hard to pull.

copyright © 2017-2022 scmrak

DDIY - WIRING