Dimmer Switch Affects Wall Outlets?

I installed a dimmer switch to control my overhead ceiling lights, but I did not anticipate that the wall outlets would be controlled by the dimmer switch too. Is there a simple way to separate them so the wall outlet receives the full volume of electrical output while the ceiling lights are dimmed?

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Judy
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts

January 27, 20170 found this helpful

I copied and pasted this thread from reddit:www.reddit.com/.../

Update: Problem solved! Thank you, secondarycontrol! Thank you Reddit! <3
Before I begin, the power is OFF at the breaker in all of these pictures. It's still off right now. No worries. Also, I'm in America.
I bought a single dimmer switch (TGCL-153PH-WH) to replace one of my lightswitches and thought it would be a simple job that I could handle without any electrical knowledge at all (I've done ceiling fans, so I thought this would be similar or easier). But as it turns out, it's not a simple "put the wires in the same spot as they were on the old switch" sort of job. I even read the instructions, but they're not the best instructions I've ever seen (the most electrical work I've ever done is installing a few of those "5-minute fans" that spell out the instructions for complete retards like me).

I connected the wires to where I thought they should logically go and when I put the power back on, the dimmer switch worked fine, but now all the outlets in the room no longer work. Googling my problem led me to this page, and so it sounds like my problem is that the "feed through hot" is not properly connected. I'm sure that's electrician lingo for something, but it sounds like I broke the circuit that feeds through from the lightswitch to all the outlets.
Here are some pictures of what I'm dealing with.
There's two black wires and one copper wire (it's painted white further up, but I'm pretty sure it's still ground) coming from the wall
There's one black wire coming from the light switch plate in the middle
There's 3 lugs and one green wire coming from the dimmer switch

The way I had it set up before was:
Copper wire and green wire together in a wire nut
Two black wires from the wall around the two lugs on the right side of the dimmer switch.
Black wire from the middle lightswitch around the single lug on the left side of the dimmer switch.
When I turned the power back on, the dimmer switch and the lights it controlled worked fine, but the outlets in the rest of the room don't. Where did I go wrong and how do I fix it?
Also, if you need more pictures, please let me know and I will quickly accomodate.
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[]secondarycontrol 4 points 1 year ago
Three-way (you have another switch that also controls that light?) application?
You noted which wires went where on the old switch?
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[]eye_spi 4 points 1 year ago
The black wire from the middle lightswitch was around the lug on the bottom right (so it connected the two lightswitches). I have a feeling that this wire is the source of my troubles.
You are exactly right. The connection to the other switches is the "hot feed-through" that ties other loads into the circuit. If you connect that wire from the other switch to the hot line on your new switch (the same wire it was connected to before), you should be all set.
P.S. Don't let the loudmouths get you down. This isn't complicated enough to require an electrician, but it is a challenge with little or no experience. You're handling it safely and doing a good job. Just be sure that you don't leave exposed conductor anywhere to create a short and you'll be fine.

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[][deleted] 2 points 1 year ago
On the original switch you had two wires on the same terminal. One in the push to connect and one on the terminal itself. If you know for sure which two wires those are, you need to connect them to the bottom terminal on the side of the switch that has two terminals. The single wire by itself needs to be connected to the terminal on the side of the switch that only has one terminal. The bare wire is ground, hook it up as you had it, and the white on that bare wire is just over spray from the painters.
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Comments, continued...

[]LancerDrainI 1 point 1 year ago
I'm looking at your images and the instructions at Fig. 6A2 (you are using a single pole switch, not the 3-way shown in 6B2). You had the bare wire connected to the green wire from the switch. That's right. Then you said you connected the two black wires to the lugs on the same side of the dimmer. That is not what is shown in the instructions you should be using. Use the bottom lugs on both sides of the dimmer box.
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[]Ozner12345 1 point 1 year ago
Nice job! Glad you git it fixed!
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[+]SilentlyTalkative comment score below threshold (2 children)
[][deleted] -2 points 1 year ago
Hint: Step #4 in the instructions is where you lost it. If you MUST continue on your own.
Hint2: Call an electrician. It isn't necessarily hard, but can be very dangerous if done wrong.
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[]libbykino[S] 1 point 1 year ago
Step 4 appears to be simply disconnecting the old wires, so I'm having trouble understanding where I went wrong there. The directions for "multigang and mixed bulb type installations" suggest that I may have to take all of the switches out and rewire the whole thing, in which case you're right that this is beyond my abilities and I'll need to call someone, but I'm really not convinced that this is my problem.
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[][deleted] 1 point 1 year ago
Sorry haven't checked this account in a while... Based on symptoms described, you had two wires swapped (and one was your supply wire), did you get it going?
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jean

January 27, 20170 found this helpful

you need to talkto an electirician . this is not right, the way it was wired in the first place. someone cut corners..... yo cannot be to careful when do ing your own electircal work ...

jennj0ycell

January 30, 20170 found this helpful

I am aware that my home's wiring has been missed handled. I bought it from people who purchased for $20,000.00 and flipped it to me for $91,500.00. The city signed off on the wiring. I even contacted the company that did the electrical work and asked them to properly label my fuse box, they sent someone, he came out, added some additional miss-labeling and left. I called the city but they replied that the wiring met their criteria and I could not force the company to correct their improper and, in my opinion, potentially hazardous work. Thank you City of Albany Oregon.

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