Ok, with that being said I’d rather have dumb switches on the 3 way at both boxes. I have 3 Inovelli dimmers and I’d rather them go on the 3 other switches on the box with 4. Is that doable?
Ok, so if i understand you correctly, now that we have done all the diagnosis on the 3-way switch leg, you’ve decided you don’t want a dimmer there. You are going to replace the three 2-way dimmers in the basement. Yes that is doable as I decscribed before, subject to the limitations of non-neutral installations.
Here is your wiring diagram:
You just need to determine which of the two conductors presently attached to the switch is hot. Remove both conductors from the switch and individually test between the conductor and the bare metal ground. The one that has 120V goes to the Line on the Inovelli. The other one goes to the Load.
Yea, I apologize for the miscommunication. I thought that determining the set up of the 3 way was a prerequisite to doing anything on the other switches.
NP. Not totally worthless. If your configuration was different, you would have had a neutral in the 4 gang box.
So in the diagram you sent there are just two wires but mine appears to have 3, which you can see in the picture above. Am I missing something?
Disregard my last question. I got it to work. Thanks so much for the help!
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This is another box of mine. Because it has the same switch as the box we were talking about before could I do the same swap? I’d like to switch out either of the middle 2 for a dimmer.
@Bry so I’ve decided that I am going to put an Inovelli on/off switch on the 3 way on the 4 gang box and then have Inovelli dimmers on the other 3. Is this doable? Can I still have dumb switch on the 3 way at the other end?
So I have no idea which of the four switches in the box is the 3-way. Let’s label the switches A, B, C and D. Which one is the three way?
I need to see pictures of the 3-way switch and inside the box. I also need to see pictures of the other box, same thing. I have to be able to see the connections to the switches as well as all of the cables inside of the box.
Your wiring will dictate where the Inovelli goes and whether or not you can use the dumb switch with it. For the 2-ways, the wiring will dictate if you can even use a switch as opposed to a dimmer.
@Bry sorry, I should have been more clear. It’s the 3 way that we were originally talking about. The one where you said basically said, so now that we’ve done all of the work on this 3 way you want to put the dimmer somewhere else. Well, now I’ve decided I want to put an Inovelli on/off at that 3 way.
Ok, so this is the original 3-way that we looked at where there is a junction box on the other side of the wall of the 4-gang box. This is also the one where you tested the black wires for voltage and we determined that the hot is being fed from upstairs and the load to the lights is being routed from the 4-gang box to that junction box and then to two sets of lights.
Sorry for asking for more pictures, as I had thought we were working on a new box. Got it now.
So since you want to use an Inovelli switch with a dumb switch, the only configuration is to put the Inovelli at the top of the stairs where the power is being fed (where you found the constant 120V) and the dumb switch in the downstairs box in the 4-gang box.
Here is your wiring diagram. The switch on the left is upstairs .
Well the whole reason I wanted to do the Inovelli on/off switch downstairs was so that I could have a uniform look across the 4 gang box. Which it sounds like you are saying wouldn’t work. Is that right? It may be petty but having 3 dimmers and then a regular switch bothers me but it sounds like nothing can be done.
That’s the only configuration using a dumb switch. If you want the Inovelli downstairs, then you need to mate it with an Aux switch. The switch on the left is upstairs:
Ok, so to clarify… I would need to replace the switch on the right at the 2 gang box (upstairs) with an aux switch in order to have an Ino on/off switch in the A position (farthest left) at the 4 gang box (downstairs)?
If that is the case, do you have a recommended aux switch?
For the other 2 spots on the 4 gang (because 1 dimmer is already installed) can I just do exactly what I did with the dimmer that was already installed?
Lastly, would you like me to start a separate post for this?
Yes, because your power feeds from the top of the steps.
From Inovelli:
As of now, these auxiliary switches are the only ones supported:
The three switches to the right in the 4-gang box are all power-to-the-light non-neutrals. I THINK you were able to replace one dimmer with an Inovelli. If so, the other two are identical, so same wiring config. If you can’t get those going, the please do another thread for them.
Correct, I was able to replace one dimmer with an Inovelli. I will attempt the other 2 this weekend.
So, on the 2 gang box can I just leave the dumb switch on the left alone?
Isn’t the left switch in the 2-gang the upstairs part of the 3-way you’ve been asking about? When I asked you for a picture of the other half of the 3-way you sent me a picture showing the connections to that switch, so I am assuming that it is.
This is the upstairs switch I am asking about. If I understand correctly, the AUX goes on the right switch, so then do I leave the left switch like it is?
Yes, its unrelated to the3-way, right?
As far as I know yes. It operates an outdoor light that the 3 way has absolutely nothing to do with.