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Electrical Wire Connections to Switches and OutletsDo you recommend using push in type wire connectors? Also when using a dimmer in a 4 way switch circuit can you place the dimmer in any of the switch positions? The push in connections are ok, except for 20 amp circuits or high load devices that will be used, especially with outlets. The function of a 4-way dimmer may depend on the type of dimmer you select and the switch wiring configuration as a whole. Lutron dimmers are great when multiple dimmers are required. Different Types of 4-Way SwitchesHi, I was replacing a 4-way switch that seemed to be burned out on one pole and still had problems. After using your web sight and thinking through my problem, I realized that the old 4-way switches (about 23 years old) did not conform to current standards. The inputs and outputs were side to side, respectively, in stead of top and bottom as you show and how my new switch is designed. The old switch was labeled line 1 on one side to help with orientation. You can see the confusion this creates when you try to wire both an old style and new style switch in the same circuit. I eventually got it right! I thought you might want to make a comment somewhere on the page mentioning the different versions of these switches. Unrelated, but also annoying was that who ever wired the house used 14/2 instead of 14/3 travelers so they substituted the ground for neutral and the neutral for the red line just to confuse me more (the inspector must have been sleeping on the job unless this was allowed in the past). Thanks for maintaining this site. It saved me. Thank you Jim! Yes - there definitely is a difference with some 4-ways switches, especially the older ones. Great to hear you got them working. Dave |
