Home Improvement : Switch to a Dimmer for Controlled Brightness : Lighting: Adjustable illumination enhances ambience and lowers electric bills.

One of the easiest ways to enhance your home’s ambience and reduce your electric bill is to install dimmer switches in place of ordinary on-off wall switches in rooms where full brightness is not always necessary.

A dimmer switch replaces most standard wall switches and allows you to adjust the brightness of the light to whatever level is most comfortable. The dimmer also cuts your energy use by reducing the power consumed by the light fixture.

A dimmer switch is an absolute must in a dining room, and is great to have elsewhere in the house where there are ceiling-mounted or recessed lights. I also have them in our bathrooms to keep us from being blinded in the middle of the night.

Installing a dimmer is a home improvement that even electrophobes can make in a few minutes. Of course, before getting started you need to visit a hardware store to purchase the proper switch for your needs.

Dimmers are rated according to the maximum wattage they can control safely. Therefore, take a count of the total bulb wattage controlled by the switch you want to replace before going into the store.

If your total is 500 watts or fewer, I recommend buying a dimmer rated to 600 watts (the most common type). If your total is 900 watts or fewer, I suggest a dimmer rated to 1,000 watts. If you have an unusually powerful switch, more than 900 watts, you should use a dimmer rated to 1,500 watts, available at electrical supply houses.

The most common type of dimmer has a plastic knob that is rotated to control the level of illumination, and a push on/push off feature. The 600-watt knob dimmers fit behind your existing wall plate and are the least expensive available.

The second most common design has a toggle that looks like a normal wall switch but allows full-range dimming by moving the toggle up or down to whatever position offers the desired brightness level.

These are more streamlined than the knob dimmers and eliminate the problem of the knob’s loosening on its stem as it wears out. These also use your old wall plate.

Two other popular dimmer designs are a “slide bar” type that adjusts the illumination by moving a plastic bar up or down, and a “touch plate” model that you simply touch and keep your finger on to control the light level. These two dimmers require special wall plates that normally come with the switch.

Most large hardware stores and home centers carry a good selection of dimmer switches in a variety of colors. Be sure you select a dimmer designed for incandescent lights. A different type of dimmer is required for fluorescent lights or overhead fans. Once you have the appropriate switch, follow these steps for installation:

1--At the fuse box or circuit-breaker panel, remove the fuse or flip off the breaker that controls the light-fixture circuit you are changing the switch for.

If you are not sure which one it is, remove all the fuses or flip off all the breakers. Then, go back to the wall switch and turn it on to ensure that the fixture does not illuminate.

2--Once you are satisfied that the power is off, remove screws and pull the plate off the switch.

3--With the plate off, you will see a screw at the top and a screw at the bottom of the old switch, both of which you will also remove.

4--Pull the old switch from the wall box and remove the two wires attached to it by loosening the brass screws on its side.

5--Attach the two wires coming out of the dimmer (the leads) to the two wires that were fastened to the old switch with special fasteners called wire nuts. (Wire nuts are cone-shaped plastic caps about an inch long that normally come packaged with the dimmer.)

Properly attaching the leads to the two wires coming from the wall box is the key step in the process. First, straighten the bare ends of the wires with pliers. Cut the bare ends to about 5/8 inch. Remove additional insulation from the wires with a knife or wire cutters if necessary. Strip off enough insulation from the dimmer leads to also expose about 5/8 inch of bare wire.

Hold one of the leads from the dimmer next to one of the wires from the wall so that their bare ends are parallel and end at the same point.

Twist the bare ends together with pliers and slip a wire nut over them. Tighten the wire nut by turning it clockwise while applying pressure in the direction of the wires. You will feel significant turning resistance when the wire nut is properly secured.

6--Repeat Step 5 for the two remaining wires.

7--Carefully push the loose wires back into the wall box as far as possible.

8--Position the dimmer into the wall box so that its anchor brackets align with the screw holes at the top and bottom of the wall box.

9--Secure the dimmer in place with the flat-head screws that came with it, and attach the wall plate with its painted-head screws.

10--Back at the fuse box or circuit panel, screw the fuse(s) back in or reactivate the breaker(s) by pushing the toggle fully off before pushing it on.

11--Test the dimmer. Make sure it provides the full range of illumination intended.

Dimming the Lights

Installing a dimmer switch is an easy home-improvement job that makes a big difference in the mood and ambiance of rooms where full brightness is not always needed.

The project begins with a visit to your local hardware store or home center to select the proper switch for your needs.

Three typical dimmers used for incandescent lights are shown at right.

For a simple single-pole dimmer, you generally hook the dimmer wires to the wires you removed from the old switch. But installation procedures may vary, depending on the switch and manufacturer, so it’s important to follow the package instruction.

Most important, before you start the job, turn off the power at the fuse box or circuit-breaker panel.

THREE COMMON DIMMER SWITCHES

* Slide-bar dimmer

* Rotary know dimmer (most common)

* Toggle dimmer (looks like ordinary light switch)

HOW TO CONNECT WIRES

1) Strip 5/8-inch insulation off ends of wires.

2) Twist ends together clockwise.

3) Screw wire nut onto ends to form connection.