i am working on a building that has single phase power and i am using hubbel dimmers and 3 speed fan control with dimmer light combo switch. while mounting a light the bracket screw nicked the wires hot to neutral and it blew the switch. is this normal? and why would hot to neutral burn the switch?
dimmers burning up
- Thread starter germ
- Start date
- Status
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Dimmers are sensitive. It doesn't take much to blow them up. Some brands even have a little tab you're supposed to pull out just to change lamps. Most of their instructions will call for you to either have the dimmer in the off position when you're relamping or call for you to turn the breaker off. All dimmers will caution you not to wire them hot. If you wire a dimmer hot, you stand a 50/50 chance of blowing it up. A hard short on the load side of a dimmer, such as you had, is guaranteed to ruin a dimmer. Lesson learned.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Sounds like your short circuit sent the full circuit fault current through the dimmer and blew it up. In your scenario the only current limiting provided was the conductors and the dimming device.
- Status