In article om, "lloydy" wrote:
Hi - I'm baffled and would appreciate any and all advice. I have a 14-3
coming from the panel to a box (red/white/black/ground).

I seriously doubt that the 14-3 cable comes into that box from the panel. It's
*much* more likely that it comes there from the *other* 3-way switch.

at the box is a
3-way switch for a hall light, and wires for the second 3-way switch for
the othend of the hall controlling this hall light (14-2 wire).

*That* is probably where the cable from the panel comes in (the 14-2).

In the first box (where the 14-3 comes into, I've run 14-2 for a ceiling
light fixture (14-2). I'm looking to put this ceiling fixture on a new
dimmer (I have a 3-way dimmer switch) but for the life of me I can't
figure out how to have this new light fixture wired separately from the
hall 3-ways.


Why do you have a 3-way dimmer switch, if you want the new light to be
separate from the 3-way switches in the hall?? You should be using a standard
dimmer switch here, it seems.

Sounds to me that you're making this a *lot* more complicated than it needs to
be, but let me make sure I understand correctly:

You want to install a new ceiling light, controlled by a dimmer only and *not*
controlled by either of the existing 3-way switches. But you want to take
power from one of those switches. Right?

First, you need to find out _for_sure_ which of those two boxes is getting
power from the panel. If you don't know how to do this, you should STOP RIGHT
NOW and either get a book on residential wiring, or call an electrician,
because (no offense meant) you don't understand this well enough to do it
safely.

Next, you need to run a 14-2 cable into that box, and connect it to the cable
that's supplying power from the panel: black to black, white to white, ground
to ground. If there's a red wire, you don't have the right cable.

Then run that 14-2 cable to a new box where your dimmer switch will be
installed, and another 14-2 cable from there to the light fixture.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.