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Help with bathroom 3-way dimmer and switch

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  • Mar 2nd, 2006 11:30 pm
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Sr. Member
Jan 19, 2006
937 posts
92 upvotes

Help with bathroom 3-way dimmer and switch

In my bathroom is a dimmer that controls all the bathroom lights. It doesn't turn of, but if you turn the knob all the way down it's off.
In the bedroom next door there is a normal light switch that also controls the on/off lights to the bathroom. It's a 3-way switch.
The bedroom has it's own switch for the bedroom lighting, that's ok.

Right now if you turn the dimmer on or on a bit you can turn them off from the next room with the switch. If the dimmer is all the way down, I'd like to turn the lights on (full) by flipping the switch on the room regardless of the bathroom's dimmer switch.

The switch is pretty much useless now for turning on the lights because naturally, if the lights are off the dimmer's all the way down. It's only good for turning them off. Then if I go to turn on the lights from the bathroom after that happens, they don't come on because the bedroom's switch is off.

Is there a way to turn on the bedroom switch and have the lights go on regardless of the bathroom's dimmer setting? I'm thinking there's not because if that were to happen, and the bedroom switch is set on (and the bathroom was on full) the dimmer wouldn't be functional anymore.

I think I'm just going to replace the dimmer with a 3 way switch.
5 replies
Sr. Member
Dec 22, 2005
751 posts
5 upvotes
Dundas
The is a set of 3-way light swtiches/dimmers on the market. I can't remember the name of the company that makes it but I purchased it at home depot.

It came with two switches in the package and each switch could dim the lights or turn them on full or off regardless of the other switch settings. They cost around $40 if i remember correctly.

Oh just remembered it was by a compnay called Lutron.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Nov 15, 2005
8840 posts
Vancouver
ScoFF wrote:In my bathroom is a dimmer that controls all the bathroom lights. It doesn't turn of, but if you turn the knob all the way down it's off.
Do you have Compact Flourescent lightbulbs? They are not dimmable, well unless you get dimmable CF's.
Sr. Member
Jan 19, 2006
937 posts
92 upvotes
They're normal light bulbs and the current dimmer works fine accept for the fact that the switch in the bedroom can't turn the lights on, only off (because the dimmer in the bathroom is turned all the way down.)

It does push in, nothing happens. Maybe it's broken or maybe it's not supposed to toggle on and off. I assumed turning it down was the way it worked.


FastFokker wrote:Do you have Compact Flourescent lightbulbs? They are not dimmable, well unless you get dimmable CF's.
Sr. Member
Dec 22, 2005
751 posts
5 upvotes
Dundas
The problem you have is that the dimmer is probably not a 'true' 3 way dimmer.

The switch in the bedroom can only turn the light on at the level the dimmer is set. In this case the dimmer is pratically off so it doesn't work.

There are separate dimmers on the market especially for 3 way switches. They have an on/off button as well as an adjuster for light levels. That way you can turn off the dimmer with turning the light level down.

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