ECN Forum Forums Technical Discussion Electrical Theory and Applications Need advice on dimmer selection

Looking for some help here.

Im trying to find a "dimming" system that will work for a bathtub that has air jets. The jets are fed by a blower motor similar to a vacuum cleaner motor. It would be a universal motor with brushes so this should be ok with any type of dimmer that is capable of the loading. The motor is labeled at 8.4A 120V Surprisingly it has worked for 20 years with a Lutron 1000W dimmer but it was too ugly for the newly renovated room, and needs a 1 gang box.

We have a 3 gang box where there is one gang available for a device that should receive a dimming signal (IR or RF)from a hand held battery remote at the tub.

I'm thinking some kind of remote higher power dimmer module to make this work. All I have at the box is 2 conductors that went to the old dimmer switch. The power goes to the motor in the basement first, then 2 conductors to the switch in the bathroom. I do have a neutral (identified) conductor in the box but it is for the plug which is on a different circuit.

Can anyone recommend anything? We are industrial contractors so not too familiar with residential dimming products and when I went through the Lutron site it seemed endless.

I can run a wire from the bathroom wall box to under the vanity cabinet for a remote dimmer pack fairly easy but the fact remains that I still only have 2 conductors to the basement to switch the motor.
How would you do this?

I'd run the logic in Low Voltage right on down to the motor -- which is where I'd place the dimmer.

Trying to stick the dimmer into the nearby box makes absolutely no sense to me.

As ever, the OP leaves me in the dark on all of the specifics that I'd use to really come up with a solution.

I can't tell if there are any wire running issues, etc. that'd prevent Plan A from coming off.

All I can say is that LV circuit logic and distant controllers is quite different now versus twenty-some years ago.

BTW, Cat 5 cable is massively displacing prior methods. If you can pull it in without grief -- it'd be my method.

There ARE controlers that can digitally multiplex on two-wires -- thence to decode at point B.

See:

https://www.electrical-contractor.n...3/Class_2_circuit_ground.html#Post211863

Lastly, be sure to isolate the LV switch logic from 120VAC. Such isolators are available from your e-distributor.