Leviton Decora Model No. 6161 4 Level Dimmer w/LED Display
Coming out of the wall is a bare (ground), black (hot), and black w/white stripe (neutral) set of solid conductors.
Coming out of the dimmer switch per the wiring diagram is a green (ground), and two solid black (hot and neutral) set of stranded-wire conductors.
Per the Leviton 6161 wiring diagram, one black conductor is for hot and the other for neutral, with the green conductor being for ground. No differentiation between the two black conductors (on the dimmer) is made. Wired it up, restored breaker, and no-workie. 🙂
Slider at bottom od dimmer is in correct position (to the right) and LED indicator confirms level-selected. Have two 100W incandescent lamps in ceiling and dimmer is rated for 500W single/300W 2-gang applications.
First thought is to unmount and swap black conductors. Any other thoughts?
Replies
This isn't a two way (3 way) circuit right? Your wiring seems right, can't see what's to be gained (or harmed) by swapping the feed but since the LED's are lighting...
There's nothing else downstream right? Can you check the output of the dimmer with a meter? I'm thinking bad dimmer...
Not much help I fear but... HTH
PaulB
No 3-way here. Its a conventional as can be without hanging a ripcord from the ceiling. :) In fact, I just removed an analog dimmer in which you press and hald until you reach the brightness you wanted. I decided to swap it out for a 25/50/75/100% level dimmer unit.
Yeah, I just looked it up on Leviton's site. Pretty no nonsense. I'd say bad dimmer... I had one a few weeks ago.
Just swapped the black conductors. I get the exact same behavor (LEDs work, but no light). Must be a bad dimmer.
Not sure if I should hold the Chainese construction quality at fault, or Leviton. I think I will put a regular on/off switch back in. Dimmers just don't seem to be working well in my home.
I truly think I've seen many more faulty items (plumbing, elec and tools) as this stuff gets offshored to the lowest bidder...
Well, on Sunday I used a feedback web-form on Leviton's website and explained what I did and what I got. They also think its a unit needing replacement. Package says limited 5-year warranty. Website say limited 2-year warranty. Leviton says 'go replace it', which I interpreted as go bother HD and not them. lol
Spent ~30 minutes waiting in a HD Returns line before giving up. Will try again today. I put back the old dimmer switch which still works.
what are you doing up at this stupid hour??
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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Replacement unbit worked just fine. I did not think these things would be so difficult of quality control thing. Leviton = mediocre.
....Leviton = mediocre.always has been.....
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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I'm always open to enlightenment. What are some of the examples of better switch products, including dimmers?
I don't do this professionally, so my sample is relatively small, but I'm a great fan of the Lutron dimmers, particularly the remote control ones. I've also used Lightolier dimmers for a long time, but they are pricey and if you don't have a neutral in the box, check to make sure the dimmer doesn't require it before you buy (in the past some Lightolier dimmers have).
ordinary devices...Hubbell and P&S and some "spec grade" Leviton..( once I needed a 20A ....Hospital Gr. GFI . ....with pilot light ........in RED ) and a Leviton was in my hand the next daydimmers....Lutron.I used Leviton for replacement fixture parts over the years and in that respect they were quite good ..
.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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Edited 9/20/2006 7:57 pm by maddog3
"Coming out of the wall is a bare (ground), black (hot), and black w/white stripe (neutral) set of solid conductors."
If that is all that you have YOU DO NOT HAVE A NEUTRAL.
"Coming out of the dimmer switch per the wiring diagram is a green (ground), and two solid black (hot and neutral) set of stranded-wire conductors."
Again NO NEUTRAL.
"Per the Leviton 6161 wiring diagram, one black conductor is for hot and the other for neutral, with the green conductor being for ground."
DOES IT USE THE WORD NEUTRAL? I have Leviton website and always have problems with it.
I found it on the online catalog, but none of the buttons work to get more details.
"Coming out of the wall is a bare (ground), black (hot), and black w/white stripe (neutral) set of solid conductors."
What you have is a SWITCH leg. If it was wired correctly there will be a white that has been remarked black for the hot. And the black is the switched hot to the light.
This is what you have.
http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/switchoutlet/basiclightswitch/basiiclightswitchsl.htm
A "basic" dimmere does not need or have a dimmer. It is installed in series with the light and either wire can be connected to the load and either to the line.
While this one has steps I think that it would still be a basic dimmer.
Some dimmers, such as those for remote control and chainable dimmers, do need and use neutral connections.
I didn't bother making an issue about the neutral that isn't Bill, because Nuke says there was previously a switch (or dimmer, I forget) that worked... so terminology aside, shouldn't what he did have worked? According to the Leviton website, he has a plain vanilla inline dimmer...
PaulB
Edited 9/17/2006 2:16 pm ET by PaulBinCT
Bill, after your post I decided to take a closer look. Actually, the black conductor with the white stripe coming out of the wall is an incorrect description on my part. Doh! Turns out it is paint that makes a great effort appearing as a stripe!
So, what I have is two solid black conductors coming out of the wall along with a bare conductor (ground?). What is coming off of the dimmer switch is a green conductor (the Leviton diagram identifies as ground) and two black conductors.
I wired the green conductor from the dimmer switch to the bare conductor coming out of the wall. I then wired the two black conductors from the dimmer to the two black conductors coming out of the wall. The LEDs light up when I select a level of lighting, but no lights. I frogged/rolled (telco-speak) the two pairs in case I had it backwards and got the exact same behavior.
If this dimmer requires a neutral and I do not have one then I cannot use this Leviton dimmer switch and will put the old, non-Leviton dimmer back on. Thanks for question both me (my incorrect description of conductors) and the Leviton instructions (which I let you know its worded as such).
BTW, I had the same problem with those dang buttons, too. I sent them an email requesting a follow-up call or email.
"Actually, the black conductor with the white stripe coming out of the wall is an incorrect description on my part. Doh! Turns out it is paint that makes a great effort appearing as a stripe!"Are you saying that a black wire was remarked as white?That is very strange. First is would require the use of some kind of conduit or raceway system.Cable (romex, bx) would not come with 2 black wires.Google found this catalog sheet which says that the 6161 replaces an ordinary single pole switch, which means no neutral. If you had another dimmer working in that spot, then based on their description, this one should work also.I say that it is a bad dimmer. PS, green and bare wires are always ground and don't have any affect on the electrical operation.FWIW Amazon list the 6161, but shows not available. But there is a link to CA prop 65. That is the one that says that anything used in CA might cause cancer, including, but not limited to breathing.
Ok, tomorrow I'll try to exchange the unit for another. I cannot comment on the household wiring as it was run by those that do not speak English.
How about doing a little troubleshooting and trying the light circuit. Shut off the breaker, wire nut light feed wires together and then turn on breaker. See if the lights fire up.
If they do, you have a bad switch. Wouldn't be the first time I saw that. It seems like I average about 1 out of 10 lately.
Edited 9/17/2006 7:31 pm ET by BoJangles
Edited 9/17/2006 7:31 pm ET by BoJangles
Seems to me that if the light doesn't fire up with the wires nutted together then the problem is elsewhere.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Thanks Dan...Fingers weren't typing what they were supposed to :)
Well, what's coming out of the wall is a little odd. Normally on a switch leg you'd just have a length of standard romex -- black, white, and bare -- and the sparky may have been so generous as to wrap tape around the white to designate it as hot. The black wire would not be hot but rather the switched leg.
What you (hopefully) have is not hot and neutral, but rather hot and a wire that runs to the hot side of the light fixture. The neutral is connected to the other side of the light fixture. No neutral in your box.
Normally, with a standard dimmer, you'd connect it just like a regular wall switch, black wire on one side and white/taped wire on the other side. Connect ground wires together, and to the box if it's metal, of course.
If it doesn't work, swapping the two black connectors should not make any difference.
not to be a smart azz....
but are you certain you turned off the right breaker..
....mebbe the new dimmer got connected "hot " and then got fried.... sit happens
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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The ceiling light was working before I did anything. Please keep in mind a previous dimmer (not a Leviton) was installed by me about a year and a half ago and was working yesterday when I started installing the new dimmer switch.
This is an aux. bedroom. The ceiling light in the bedroom and the laundry closet light are on the same circuit, as are the bedroom's electrical outlets. The laundry room's electrical outlets are on another circuit, of course.
I left the laundry closet light ON so that I know I had the right circuit. I also have one of those nifty outlet-testers, which showed the circuit not working after I flipped the breaker. When done, I flipped the breaker back and the LEDs on the new dimmer lit up, but the ceiling light did not.
This morning, with a fresh pair of eyes, shows the wiring diagram with a black from dimmer going to black in wall, and then shows other black from dimmer going to black of 'load'. It actually does a good job of implying (but not stating) to not touch the load's white. I'm thinking bad dimmer switch as others have suggested.
Welcome to the age of electronics!
First of all, it usually does matter which wire , or side of the switch, receives power, and which serves the load.
Secondly, it is often crucial that there be a good ground path.
Without both of these conditions being met, there is a very real chance that the electronics won't work.
Finally, if you wired it "hot," there is a good chance you fried it, and get to buy another one.
> First of all, it usually does matter which wire , or side of the switch, receives power, and which serves the load.Not on most standard dimmers.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Dan, I really, really disagree. Since the advent of electronic dimmers, this has become one of those details that just cannot be overlooked. Sure, it wasn't always this way... but now you really must 'pay attention to detail.' I don't know what type of dimmer he has, but it's one thing he ought to check. I also admit that the wires on the device are not always marked as well as you might like. The same goes for other types of switches... motion sensors, timers, whatever. It's not your Grandpa's switch anymore.
The wires are generally both black, with no way to distinguish between them, and I've never had any trouble with a dimmer not working due to having them reversed. Since it's a two-terminal device, there's no theoretical reason to prefer one direction vs the other. True, a poorly designed unit could be sensitive to capacitance to ground, but the designs are fairly mature, so any such problems would have been eliminated years ago.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Edited 9/21/2006 10:03 am by DanH
Test it on your test-bed to ensure it's working.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright