----- Original Message -----
From:
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 2:53 PM
Subject: HooWee! Will this blowed up "real good"?


I am finishing up some wiring (long story) and I have some switches to
put into my basement. At the top of the stairs, there is a 3way
switch and at the bottom there is another 3way ganged with a dimmer
for some pot lights (6 incandescents).

From the box at the top, there is a run of 14/2 going to 2 pot lights
that light the stairs and a run of 14/3 going to the 2-gang box at the
bottom of the stairs.

Also in the bottom, I have 14/2 coming from the service panel and 14/2
going to the 6 pots in another area of the basement.

I want to control the 2 pots from the top and bottom of the stairs and
the 6pots from the dimmer at the bottom.

0 === 0 =====[S3]
_| |||
_| |||
stairs _| |||
_| ||| 0 0 0
_| [S3][Dim]======
|| 0 0 0
||
||
||
==========[Service Panel]


||| - 14/3
= or || - 14/2
0 - Pots

In the top S3, I have the neutrals tied together, the red and black
hot from the 14/3 connected to the travelers and the hot to the 2 pots
attached to the common.

In the bottom S3, I have the 3 neutrals tied and the hot from the
service panel goes to the common *and then pigtails to the dimmer*
(the other dimmer pigtails to the hot to the 6 pots). The hots from
the 3wire to the upstairs switch connected to the travelers.

All are properly grounded, but I am not 100% on the "borrowing" the
hot from the 3ways to run the 6pots.

It's basically a set of 3way switches with the fixture at the end of
the run (the 2 opts) and a separate single pole dimmer to 6pots ganged
with the closest switch to the panel.

I hope this makes sense and that I accurately described the present
configuration!

Thoughts?

- Rodger


Rodger,

I'm not sure what exactly your question is. It sounds like the configuration
is correct. Are you unsure how to *pigtail* the hot at the first switch with
the dimmer? If that's the case take two pieces of black 14 about 8 inches
long and tie one end of one piece to the 3way common and one end of the
other piece to the dimmer then take the opposite ends of the two 8 inch
blacks and tie them into the feed with a wirenut. If you are asking if it is
alright to *tap into* the hot, I don't see any reason why you would not be
allowed to. You are only looking at a little more than 6 1/2 amps if all 8
pots have 100 watt bulbs in them so 14 should handle it. You need to have a
15A breaker max if you are using #14 wire. I am also assuming this is one
circuit.

Shane