Wiring a dimmer turns weird

I finally got around to replacing a dimmer for the classic three pendant lights over the open-plan kitchen/lr counter. These had been dark for months now as I was elsewhere, then procrastinating too much. It ws time.

The old Feit dimmer failed in an unforeseen way: the large rocker on/off switch got internally detached and was now just flapping in the breeze, not clicking or doing anything. The unit is sealed with triangular-slot screws. E-waste.

I had an expensive Lutron dimmer that was originally purchased for that particular spot some years ago, because I read somewhere that Lutrons are good. I am very sensitive to lights that are inconsistent, and dimmers tend to make LED lights vibrate at various frequencies that others don't seem to be bothered by. I am not really fussy, but I hate it when lights go brighter and dimmer.

In fact I rewired the entire floor a few years back, allocating a dedicated circuit for these 3 lights that are on a lot. But I found that the lights were still changing brightness, and that was the LED lambs themselves doing that. I went through many LED brands until something worked well, and never put in the Lutron dimmer as things worked well enough...

Anywho, I pulled out the old dimmer after some trial end error with the breakers (someday I will label them clearly...). It was time to put in the new one, but the color scheme was odd: black, white, green and yellow wires.

Just to be safe, I went to the shitweb to find some instructions. Amazingly, Lutron has a whole 'wizard' webapp to help you wire dimmers, but my color scheme did not match at all. There were blue wires, red wires, but no yellows. Why am I not surprized?

After a little focusing I decided that black and white must connect to the mains and the yellow is the load; green of course is ground... A little more guessing on what wires were load and what mains in the junction box. And it works.

I don't know why everything is always a little different every time. I've been doing this kind of thing my whole life, so it only causes a small pause. How is a regular person supposed to figure things out?

🚀 stack

2023-12-11 · 5 months ago

2 Comments ↓

🍀 gritty · Dec 11 at 23:46:

because literally every corner of the box and instructions they're like, "unsure? hire a professional" I've come across this myself a few times and figured it out as well. replaced some can lights with led and cut new holes. I actually don't mind electrical work.

🍀 gritty · Dec 11 at 23:51:

also, "if you're not a professional you'll probably die". I get it's serious but homeowners should be able to do their own electrical if they're responsible. it's all about liability and getting sued.