I am putting in a bunch of leviton x-10 dimmer switches and am getting a hum from the switch (louder the more the light is dimmed - at full brightness I still get a faint hum). I am wiring by attaching the nuetral to the blue wire (the "non-preferred" way).

Is there anything I can do to eliminate the hum?

-Scott

From where did you learn this "non preferred" method of wiring?

I don't have any Leviton switches but assume that the blue wire is the one that provides power to the load?

Larry in TN is right. Make sure you ground all dimmers also. Although this may or may not help you it is a good habbit to have. The ground wire is the green one. You can wire nut it to the wire that has no jacket around it. If your wires in the wall are old and are a silver color and your switches are a coper color use Nylex solvent to prevent electricl fires in your J box this also could be the source of your hum. Provided you do infact have the switch wired correct.

Larry from CA.

The instructions that came w/ the switches show two ways of wiring... one has the white neutral wire connected after the load, the other before the load (by connecting the white to the blue to the wire that runs to the load).

All the switches are grounded :-)

-Scott

Scott,

What's the part number of the switch. I want to see if I can get a look at those instructions myself to make sure I understand what you're saying.

Leviton HCM06-1SW (the new version of the 600 watt universal x-10 dimmers w/ scene control)

I have another question about the nuetral (white wire). On the non-dimmer switches I bought, the nuetral is required after the load. The basic switches I am replacing do not have a nuetral load. However, there is a bundle of white wires capped together inside the box. Would this be the nuetral and do I need to determine if one of those is specific to the load (or can I just add my white wire to the bundle). (basically I am very confused by the nuetral wire).

Thanks,
Scott

So I can't spell - replace nuetral with neutral :-)

Scotti,

I don't understand what you mean by having a nuetral after the load. A nuetral is a nuetral. In a box all of the neutrals will be tied together.

In the wiring diagram, it showed (if there was no neutral) you can twist the neutral coming out of the switch to the blue wire coming out of the switch.

That said, you may have just answered my question assuming - the bundle of white wires I am seeing in the box are the neutrals and they are connected together - therefore, all I should have to do is add the neutral wire coming out of the leviton switch into this bundle of wires - correct? (I have been looking for an individual neutral wire based on the diagram shown with the leviton switch - keep in mind I have very little idea what the neutral wire is :-)

Thanks,
Scott

Yeah, just add that nuetral to all the others. A nuetral is kinda like a ground but different.

I found the switch's installation instructions, and saw the diagram, and I'm not sure why they have you wire it that way.

I spent $750 on 'few' Leviton HCM06-1SW
I installed the 1st one. I tried to connect the Switch white color whire to the group of white color whired bundel together in my wall box (I am in Encino, CA) and the switch didn't work. I then use the "non-preferred" way where the white is connected to the blue and it is working. And true, I do here some noice while dimming.
I move to the 2nd switch (a 3 way combination of 2 switched) and killed 4 hours of my life with no success. I took photos of each wall box and if any one would like to help I will create a web page with all the photos. Eventually I am fastrated.
Last,
my wife didn't like how the Leviton HCM06-1SW goes on and dim. It not turen off but it dim to zero, so every time you turn it off it like a 'show'.
From my RF remote the dim/bright doesn't work. I have to click 30 times on the dim, in order ro dim to where even I want it to be, and then back 30 times up because it memorize that stage next time I turn it on.
I am ready to return the many that left in the box and try a different switch. Is the PCS will be more friendly and will it be more 'real' to use (wife).
any help wil do :-)
thanks,
Shai