I have a customer who wants a weird setup. Wants some lighting above the front door, but he wants to be able to turn it on/off(ish) with a regular switch, then control the "off" level with a separate dimmer that's hidden in a closet.
Wants light on when they come home, regardless of what wife has done.
Anyone have any ideas for a good setup for this? He does not want a photocell/timer or anything like that.
I have a customer who wants a weird setup. Wants some lighting above the front door, but he wants to be able to turn it on/off(ish) with a regular switch, then control the "off" level with a separate dimmer that's hidden in a closet.
Wants light on when they come home, regardless of what wife has done.
Anyone have any ideas for a good setup for this? He does not want a photocell/timer or anything like that.
Get a Lutron Caseta set up with the app. Probably could run this with a dimmer at the front door and have it automatically come on at dusk and off whenever through the app.
If I understand this oddball request, he wants the switch to switch between full brightness and dim; and he wants the hidden dimmer to control the dim level.
So the switch is a three way switch, which is really just a SPDT switch.
One pole / traveler goes straight to the light;
the other pole / traveler goes through the secret dimmer, then goes to the light.
So you'd run the supply for the light to a three-way switch at the front door, and run a switch loop from that switch to the hidden dimmer.
The hot supply goes to the common terminal on the three way switch.
One traveler / throw goes to the switch loop; the return of the switch loop and the hot to the light are pigtailed to the other traveler / throw terminal.
He wants the dimmer hidden so he can save energy, set the mood or what ever? Who knows? As for having 2 switches that's no problem. A 3 way as Splatz described would handle that. As for having the light come on when his Wife comes home the Lurton Caseta or even and in wall timer switch without an app. Or perhaps install a ceiling mounted motion sensor. Last option but not recommended... a micro switch on the door ...
Smart dimmer switch. For a basic setup, he can turn them on with his phone when he pulls in the driveway. For a slightly more complicated setup, it can be set up to turn on/off at certain times of day or at sunset/sunrise. For an advanced setup, it can be configured to turn between sunset and some predetermined time if he arrives back home.
In my own house, My coffee maker is plugged into a smart outlet. On at 6am Mo-Su. Off at 10 am or when I leave the house Mo-Sa. Off at 4 pm Su.
Nothing automatic configured with my outside lights, but all on smart dimmers. I come home at night. Back the van into the driveway and speak into my phone "Hey Google, Turn on the driveway floodlights"
Or maybe put a 3-way in as the switch and then put 3-way sockets in what ever luminary he wants with 3-way bulbs. 100w (or both) filament in the "on" position, 50w element in the "off" position. Chunk of 14/3 and you're done.
Added benefit is also if someone in the future doesn't understand how that is wired up and puts regular bulbs in, it will just work in a normal on/off fashion.
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