[swolff]

I removed a non-load-bearing wall and all went well. Next I needed to relocate the light switches. All 3 switches were on dimmers and operating correctly. I rewired everything, but now face the problem that only 1 of my 3 lights is working properly. Two of them appear like they are getting too much voltage. They are WAY brighter than they were before and when I move the dimmer setting all the way down, the brightness is cut in half, but still quite bright.

When I tie the switch directly to the light wiring, it does not have any power and the switch does not work. Leaving one wire tied to the switch and the second wire spliced to a hot wire and a wire from the switch is what is causing it to be a super high voltage. I have also tried switching which of the two wires is connected to hot and directly to the switch. There is no difference. Both situations lead to a bulb dangerously bright and a dimmer that only dims halfway at best.

Any suggestions what I might have done wrong?

Thank you.
-Steven Wolff

 

[stickboy1375]

I removed a non-load-bearing wall and all went well. Next I needed to relocate the light switches. All 3 switches were on dimmers and operating correctly. I rewired everything, but now face the problem that only 1 of my 3 lights is working properly. Two of them appear like they are getting too much voltage. They are WAY brighter than they were before and when I move the dimmer setting all the way down, the brightness is cut in half, but still quite bright.

When I tie the switch directly to the light wiring, it does not have any power and the switch does not work. Leaving one wire tied to the switch and the second wire spliced to a hot wire and a wire from the switch is what is causing it to be a super high voltage. I have also tried switching which of the two wires is connected to hot and directly to the switch. There is no difference. Both situations lead to a bulb dangerously bright and a dimmer that only dims halfway at best.


Any suggestions what I might have done wrong?

Thank you.
-Steven Wolff

take some pics on what you did....

 

[oh'mike]

You have a multi wire branch circuit with a missing neutral---this is bad.

I'll leave this for an electrician to answer----you need a two wire tester to find the two different 110 lines (each from different legs) and fix the missing neutral---


This condition will ruin ant electronics--so fix it quickly nefor you fry a computer,t.v. or fridge--Mike---

 

[oh'mike]

Stick boy is an electrician! You will get your answers now---Mike---

 

[dmxtothemax]

a bulb dangerously bright

You have lost your neutral !

This is a dangerous situation !

Is everything else in the house ok ?

Dissconnect everything you have done !
post a pic of all the wiring spots,
clearly showing all wires and there colors !

 

[frenchelectrican]

Either you have two circuits in that switch box or have MWBC mixed up that the two most common cuprit.

Do you have three way switches in that location ?

How many power sources in that switch box ? ( the answer will tell you if you turn off one or duex breakers if two then you have two circuits. )

Merci,
Marc

 

[gregzoll]

Either pushing 240vAC through the bulbs, or lost the Neutral. They will only handle 240VAC for so long, before they either melt the sockets from the heat, the glue becomes so solvent that the bulbs fall out of the metal Edison bases, or you see the Magic Smoke or Fire shooting out of the light fixtures.

 

[usair]

Either pushing 240vAC through the bulbs, or lost the Neutral. They will only handle 240VAC for so long, before they either melt the sockets from the heat, the glue becomes so solvent that the bulbs fall out of the metal Edison bases, or you see the Magic Smoke or Fire shooting out of the light fixtures.

actually the element will burn out and the bulb will no longer work.

 

[Kyle_in_rure]

I'll second the above.

You have a MWBC (multi-wire branch circuit) (two hots, a neutral, and a ground) that has been miswired. You need to check everything you've done, and you need to disconnect ANY appliances connected on these circuits.