Rheostat problem

[GerryB]

I had to turn a box around today to the other side of the wall, 2gang plastic and romex. It had a 3-way dimmer for the recess lights and a 3 speed fan control switch. Everything was working, cleaned up, HO said "we have a problem". With the recess lights in a dimmed position they would blink every time you clicked a speed on the fan control, or if you wiggled the fan control. Not on full brilliance though. It's a very old 3-way dimmer and fan control. I told the HO it was probably always like that and they never noticed and that the fan motor draw might be causing it, (except it blinks like I said wiggling the control). It's the same feed for both devices. Any thoughts?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

My first thought is a bad control or dimmer. Are the lights cfl or incandescent?

 

[GerryB]

That's what I told them. They're pretty old, no ground screw or anything. Incandescent bulbs. There were 2 black wires and a white spliced together in the box also. I didn't even think of them, just marked them and put them back. So then later I thought well maybe that was the feed, even though I thought I had checked them and there was no power. So I stopped on the way home and what they did was the white was the return for the other 3-way and the blacks each went to a light. So there still blinking. Now I was thinking code wise I believe on a switch if you feed the white technically you are supposed to put black tape on both ends, one inspector told me that. Should that apply to 3-way wiring?

 

[Gac66610]

yeah, its suppose to be re-identified, but it wont fix the blinker

I have gotten in the habit of checking items like this before working on them, so they can't come back to me saying I broke it
I would also imagine if you get your ear closer to the fan control you'll hear crackling, had one of those i had to replace cause I didnt check it first

if its old, its probably time to change it
I don't supply those either:happyno:

 

[GerryB]

Thanks for the chuckle. I thought electrical tape fixed everything?

 

[kbsparky]

No, I think it's supposed to be "duct tape will fix everything" ...