I'm trying to replace 2 dimmer switches with normal switches but I'm confused by how they are wired. Each dimmer controls a different set of lights yet they are connected in a way.
1 dimmer has a red wire on the top right screw, a white on the bottom right and a copper ground on the top left. From the bottom right screw there is an additional small white wire that then jumps to the bottom right screw of the second dimmer. This dimmer has a black wire connected to the top right but no ground.
I was going to just put two new switches into place in the exact same configuration but the lights have been shutting off somewhat randomly and I'm wondering if it's because of how these switches are wired. Is this configuration right? If not how can I fix it?
Best Answer
Sounds to me like the white wire is the ungrounded (hot) conductor, and should be reidentified as such using a bit of black tape/paint/marker. Power comes to the first switch via the white, and then to the second with a white jumper.
The red wire is the switched "hot", which is used to control one light. The black wire is the other switched "hot", and is used to control the other light. The bare wire is ground.
To install two new switches:
When done, it should look something like this.