How to Install a Light Dimming Switch

Installing a light dimming switch provides several advantages. It will allow you to set the mood for special occasions and it will also help you save money on your electric bill! You don’t always need a bright light and those little plug-in night lights don’t always provide enough light. With a dimmer switch you’ll be able to perfectly adjust the lighting to the level you want it. I hadn’t ever had a light dimming switch in our home until I had my first baby. The small lamp I had on the nightstand cast enough light to see in a small area, but a dimming switch on the ceiling light gave me a better view of the crib.

Even if you’re not an experienced handyman or “handywoman”, you should be able to install a dimming switch without any problems at all. And, depending on the type of screws in your switch plate cover, you’ll only need one or two screwdrivers to do the job.

The most important part of installing anything electrical is to make sure that you turn the power off at the breaker box. Some breakers are marked for each room that they go to, but if yours isn’t marked, turn the light on and flip the breakers until it goes off.

Remove the screw from the light switch cover, then remove the screws from the top and bottom of the light switch so that you can pull it out. There will be three wires that are held in place by screws, loosen the screws to remove the light switch.

Most dimmer switches have a push-in connection for the wires. The wires will need to be straightened to fit into the connection. You can usually just straighten them with your fingers, but if it’s too hard to bend the wire you can use ordinary pliers.

If the wires are bent really bad, you may need to cut off the bent part and strip some of the rubber like insulation off of the wire with a knife. You can hold the wire up to the push-in connection to see exactly how much of the wire needs to be exposed.

Once you’ve gotten the wires ready, insert them into the back of the switch in the grooves. Tighten the retaining screw to hold the wire firmly into place. If you’re not sure where to put the right colored wire, check the instructions.

There will be a white wire and a black one, the other wire may not have any covering on it and may just be copper. That is an extra ground wire and most switches will have a screw near the bottom that this wire is attached with.

Once you’ve gotten all of the wires attached, bend them slightly so that the body of the dimming switch will fit back into the switch box. Then replace the two screws at the top and bottom to hold it into place.

There are mainly two types of light dimming switches, one will look just like a regular light switch and one will have a round knob. If you have one that’s like a light switch you won’t need a special cover and you can even use the one that you took off. But, if you have the dial type, you’ll need to get a new cover for it to fit correctly.

Some light dimming switches can have around 40 different settings. You can also find them that have remote controls so that you don’t even have to get up to adjust the lighting!