In article .com, " wrote:
I had a problem that whenever I turned on the light over the kitchen
island, the GFCI of one of the outlets would trip. It turns out the
GFCI is faulty, so I replaced it. So far so good.

However, I must have messed up something along the way. The GFCI outlet
is in the same electrical box as the dimmer switch for the recessed
lights. Now, the island lights won't come on unless the recessed lights
are on! And yes, if I dim the recessed lights, the island lights dim as
well. Obviously, this is not what I want

I am 99% sure I rewired the GFCI outlet the way it was before. I am 99%
sure I rewired the island light switch the way it was before (since
this was easier to do, I tried replacing the switch before the GFCI).
But...obviously I did something wrong.

Mmm-hmmm...

You can see a diagram of the dimmer/ GFCI outlet box here -
http://baspluim.googlepages.com/main
And the island light switch (which is a 4-way switch) -
http://baspluim.googlepages.com/kitchenwiring%232

OK, I think I understand your diagram... the labels "Grey front", "Back
Black", etc. refer to the colors and locations of *cables* in the boxes,
right? (Each cable containing several wires)

What I don't understand, though, is how this works at all. The answer to one
question might help: I understand you can't turn the island lights on without
turning on the recessed lights too. What about the other way around -- can you
turn on the recessed lights without also turning on the island lights?

I believe the three wires marked as "Back black" in the first diagram
is the same as the "Black left" in the second, but I am not positive
about that (back, left etc. refer to the position in the outlet box,
there are a lot of wires to keep track of....)

Do you have a voltmeter? That could prove invaluable in tracking down which
wires go where.

A few notes:
- I plugged a light into the GFCI outlet, and pressed the "test"
button. The GFCI tripped as expected, and the light went out.

Which light? The LED in the GFCI, or one of the room lights?

So, looks
like I didn't swap line and load, right?

Modern GFCIs refuse to power up if the line and load connections are reversed,
so you at least have the line wires connected in the right place. That does
*not* prove that you have the right wires connected in the right places on the
*load* side, however.

- The 4-way switch works fine (provided the dimmer is turned on of
course...). In other words, the island lights are off when all three
switches are in the "down" (off) position, and each switch correctly
turns the lights on/ off.

With the switch for the island lights being in a separate box from the switch
for the dimmer, it's hard -- but not impossible -- to imagine how that might
have become goofed up by changing only the switch.

So, what do I need to change in order to make the island lights
independent again? Is it time to call an electrician?

Dunno, and maybe, in that order. I can give you better advice after I see your
answers to the questions I asked above.

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

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