Dimmer Dilmma

[carl2171]

It's like this . . . I had a chandelier that is operated by a dimmer downstairs and a switch upstairs. Everything worked as it should until I replaced the chandelier with a new one. It had one black wire and one white wire, just like the first one. So I made the connection and now, the light comes on fine and can be turned on and off at the upstairs switch and at the downstairs dimmer, BUT the dimmer function doesn't work!! It's just off and on.

What in the world could cause that and what do I do to fix it???

 

[speedy petey]

Did you do this work live? Or with the breaker off?

Sometimes shorting out a circuit with a dimmer on it can kill the dimmer. Could this have happened?

Do the switches at least still work properly, as in on & off?

 

[locknut]

Speedy Pety is likely right. The last dimmer a raw DIY guy handed me to check out was fried inside after he tried connecting it hot.

 

[carl2171]

Thanks to both you guys. Yes, the dimmer still works as an on/off switch. Would it still work if it was "fried" from wiring it hot?? I can't remember if I wired it hot or not, but I just may have.

 

[user 4883]

Yea, you may have fried the rheostat but, didn't fry the on/off contacts.

 

[fluxcapacitor]

did you replace bulbs w/ fixture? if so, you can't use a dimmer switch with most compact fluorescent bulbs! you need to either buy dimmable fluorescents or put incandescent back in.