[Nessa2003]

Hi there, I had an electrician come and re-wire our main floor. He added spot lights everywhere. At the time we did not have a chandelier for our dinning room. Now, we have purchased it and are trying to install it, however are having a little difficulty. Here is our problem; in the dinning room we have two dimmers, one controls the spots, the other the chandelier. In the dimmer boxes I have three black wires, three white wires and one red. All white are connected. Then I have one black connected to one black wire from both dimmers (so three blacks) then one black is connected to the red wire of one dimmer and the other black connected to the other red wire of the other dimmer, and the red is just cap off. In the chandelier box I have two white wires connected to the ribbed transparent chandelier wire and two black wires connected to the smooth transparent chandelier and a red wire cap off. Now the dimmer for the spots works, but the chandelier one doesn't. The lights are on, but won't turn off or dimme.
Does it have to do with the red wire? And where do I connect it?
Thank you for your answers.

[ballengerb1]

That red wires tells me that there is likely a second switch controlling the chandeleir, is that possible in your case? Red wires are most frequently travelers in a 3 way switch.

[Nessa2003]

Hi Ballengerb1,

Unfortunetly no, there is no second switch controlling the chandelier. I'm wondering if he wired it like a fan/light combo? Could it be that I need to connect the red to a white (which would then become hot) in the chandelier box and it the switch box cap of red and connect the white to the black??

[ballengerb1]

Could've be an old fan light but why guess. Call your electrican and ask him how he wired that box.

[Nessa2003]

Unfortunetly we left on bad terms, because he came back with a bill 4 times what he had quoted verbally. :(

[ballengerb1]

Yes, you might not trust his answer.

[hkstroud]

If I understand you correctly, the red wire of the dimmer that is suppose to control the chandelier is connect to the black of the 3-wire cable which goes to the ceiling box. In the ceiling box the black of the 3-wire cable is connected to another black wire. The red of the 3-wire cable is capped at both the switch and the ceiling.

If all that is correct, I suspect the electrician made an error in his connections. Somewhere there should be another light or an outlet that is turned on and off by the dimmer switch that is suppose to control the chandelier. Plug a lamp in each outlet and see if the switch turns it on and off.

[ballengerb1]

Good thinking Harold. If it turns out to be the case a fan dimmer should not be allowed to control outlets.

[Nessa2003]

Hi Harold, yes you understood me correctly, I shall try that tomorrow and let you know the results.

I'm starting to question this electrician work, since I also noticed that he cut really short the green (ground) wires and did not connect them to the copper wire on the back of the metal box.

Should I change the dimmers so that I can ground them myself? I'm starting to think that I need to open up all my plug. :(

Thank you for you responses. Please come and check on me tomorrow, I'll give an update and I might still need your expertise :)