chris kennedy
Senior Member
- Location
- Miami Fla.
- Occupation
- 60 yr old tool twisting electrician
What would happen? I see nothing in the Hubbell instructions that says you cant.
Dimming line side of GFCI
- Thread starter chris kennedy
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
chris kennedy said:
You cannot dim a receptacle unless it is an approved dimming recep. That info is on the dimmer installation. But you knew that-- Are you just being curious?
chris kennedy
Senior Member
- Location
- Miami Fla.
- Occupation
- 60 yr old tool twisting electrician
ultramegabob
Senior Member
- Location
- Indiana
chris kennedy said:
It should be fun when someone plugs a plasma t.v. or other electronic equipment into it...
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Here is what Lutron sells to dim a recep. You need a special plug for this device
chris kennedy
Senior Member
- Location
- Miami Fla.
- Occupation
- 60 yr old tool twisting electrician
Dennis Alwon said:Here is what Lutron sells to dim a recep. You need a special plug for this device
Thanks Dennis, I am aware of the proper way to dim a receptacle. Please have some coffee and read post one again.:grin:
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
chris kennedy said:
Okay-- now I'm mad.
Coffee makes me crazy- you sure you want me to have some... GTG later.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
chris kennedy said:
Why would Hubbell include this information in the instructions when dimming a receptacle is already prohibited by 404.14(E)?
chris kennedy
Senior Member
- Location
- Miami Fla.
- Occupation
- 60 yr old tool twisting electrician
infinity said:
For guys like we have here?
Then again , I bet they never read GFCI instructions either.you guys keep talking about not being able to dim a receptacle, yet the OP never once mentioned a receptacle. Perhaps he is looking to feed a deadfront GFFI with a dimmer for an underwater light or something.
To answer the OP question, no you cannot feed a conventional GFI from a dimmer. The GFI is expecting clean 120v on its input. The chopped up waveform from a dimmer will either fry the GFI or cause it to not work properly. Leviton or Hubbell or someone makes a GFI designed for dimming use where the device has 2 sets of inputs. One is 120v power to operate the GFI and the second is the input from the dimmer which is passed to the output terminals.
To answer the OP question, no you cannot feed a conventional GFI from a dimmer. The GFI is expecting clean 120v on its input. The chopped up waveform from a dimmer will either fry the GFI or cause it to not work properly. Leviton or Hubbell or someone makes a GFI designed for dimming use where the device has 2 sets of inputs. One is 120v power to operate the GFI and the second is the input from the dimmer which is passed to the output terminals.
dbuckley
Senior Member
- Location
- Canterbury, New Zealand
To add GFCI protection to a dimmed source you need a Levington 36895 GFCI. Its expensive ($90 for a GFCI!!) and YELLOW!!! but it is the right tool for the job.
You cant use a normal GFCI after a dimmer because the GFCI electronics require the fullline voltage to operate, and after a dimmer the line is chopped up by the dimmer's triac.
You cant use a normal GFCI after a dimmer because the GFCI electronics require the fullline voltage to operate, and after a dimmer the line is chopped up by the dimmer's triac.
alfiesauce
Senior Member
I ran into this a couple months ago.
The guy who roughed in a bathroom ran the switch to a gfci and then up to a light. No problem until they wanted the light dimmed.. ofcourse. So then I thought- oh hey no problem- faceless GFCI - and we're set. Nope. GFCI won't trip on a dimmed source.
So I messed around for an hour fishing in extra wires around to make the system work properly - aka- gfci before the dimmer.
The guy who roughed in a bathroom ran the switch to a gfci and then up to a light. No problem until they wanted the light dimmed.. ofcourse. So then I thought- oh hey no problem- faceless GFCI - and we're set. Nope. GFCI won't trip on a dimmed source.
So I messed around for an hour fishing in extra wires around to make the system work properly - aka- gfci before the dimmer.
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