[Fio12701]

Hi everybody.

Replacing a middle switch in a 3 gang box with a dimmer switch.

When I pull the switches, here is what I find:

All three white tied together.
All three blacks coming in, and all three blacks from the switches ties together.

Two incoming greens tied to two switches black screw. The third incoming green attached to the metal box.

Is this right? The green wires connected to the black screw? And the third (now dimmer switch) having no ground?

 

[longdrive]

You probably already know the answer.

 

[Jim Port]

Neutrals should not be green.

 

[anyacolo]

pics please

 

[Fio12701]

Duh. Green grounds are connected to
the black screw. The white neutrals are tied together in the back of the box.

 

[rjniles]

Green wire is not used on the current carrying terminals of a switch. Green is only used as ground.

Sent from my RCT6A03W13E using Tapatalk

 

[Wiredindallas]

Someone is using the green wires as switch legs taking the hots back to lights. They used the 3 insulated wires as if that was a red. The 1 green attached to the box is an actual ground. Not legal, but "safe" as long as no one unaware messes with it. It could be dangerous if someone is not aware of the situation and made any changes to the connections. Now days the ground is bare and they could not have been able to do this. They used the wire on hand instead of buying 3 conductor+ ground.

 

[Wiredindallas]

Correction: they used 2 of the green wires as hots and 1 as a ground.

 

[miamicuse]

These wires are BX or MC cables?

 

[anyacolo]

you should have 3 wires coming out of the dimmer, one being green,


connect the green to the electrical box ground screw(not even really nessessary, but do it if you can)


connect the remaining 2 wires to the green and black that you removed from the switch, one to the green, the other to the black


its simple

 

[joed]

Those cables are not even the proper cable for in walls. It looks like cabtire used for extension cords.
Repeating what other have said green in not allowed to be used for hot.

 

[anyacolo]

Those cables are not even the proper cable for in walls. It looks like cabtire used for extension cords.

no, that wouldn't be solid wire

 

[Fio12701]

you should have 3 wires coming out of the dimmer, one being green,


connect the green to the electrical box ground screw(not even really nessessary, but do it if you can)



connect the remaining 2 wires to the green and black that you removed from the switch, one to the green, the other to the black


its simple

There wasn’t a green connected to the switch I removed. That green was connected to the box.

 

[chetwisner]

This thing is all frigged up. You have a green on the black screw, and a black being backstabbed right behind it, and there's nothing on the other black switch terminal.

Kill the breaker on this, and pull all those wires off the switch and lets rewire it correctly. DO you have a voltmeter?

 

[Missouri Bound]

Hi everybody.


Is this right? The green wires connected to the black screw? And the third (now dimmer switch) having no ground?

Let me ask you a few questions.
Did everything work before you decided to install the dimmer?
I can't tell from the pictures but since that is solid wire, is it cable or is your wiring in conduit? I am suspecting cable.
If it is in conduit, one could change out the colors to make it proper.
If in cable, not so easy. It's probable that someone neglected to purchase the proper wire when doing the installation. Although the circuit is probably safe it is not wired as code stipulates. Green cannot be used for anything except a grounding conductor.
And since that is a metal box, the one green wire that goes to the box is your ground......the only one used correctly.

 

[chetwisner]

Those cables are not even the proper cable for in walls. It looks like cabtire used for extension cords.
Repeating what other have said green in not allowed to be used for hot.

Sorry, Joed, I didn't see your post before I posted.

 

[Missouri Bound]

Kill the breaker on this, and pull all those wires off the switch and lets rewire it correctly. DO you have a voltmeter?

He's not going to be able to do that without tearing up walls.
And a voltmeter isn't going to help. It was working before he opened it up.
Yes, it was wired stupidly but it is unlikely it is unsafe unless he crosses wires when hooking it back up. Having a voltmeter and knowing how to understand circuitry are two different things.

 

[joed]

no, that wouldn't be solid wire

I didn't pay attention that it was solid. It is still an odd cable for house wiring with a black jacket and insulated ground wire.

 

[anyacolo]

There wasn’t a green connected to the switch I removed. That green was connected to the box.

then put it back connected to the box, where it was


the switch you removed must of had two wires connected to it to function properly, which must be the two black wires??

all you need to do is connect those SAME TWO WIRES to your dimmer switch, its easy man

 

[miamicuse]

I didn't pay attention that it was solid. It is still an odd cable for house wiring with a black jacket and insulated ground wire.

My guess is the black colored "jacket" is probably black electrical tape. May be it was a MC or BX cable connection, and perhaps they used anti-short plastic bushings at the end then taped wrapped the bushings and what we saw was the taped ends?