How to change a bad wall dimmer switch.

[Blue92]

I had a dimmer switch going bad (over heating) and had a replacement in hand. Only issue was identifying which circuit breaker controlled it. I had my choice of 28 circuit breakers (poorly labeled by the homes previous owner) as to which one controlled the wall switch.

Since I was the only person home that meant a possible 28 trips from the first floor to the basement and back again.

What does this have to do with an iPad?

Easy.

I fired up iWatcher Pro on the iPad and aimed it at the ceiling fixture. Connected iPhone via Bluetooth to the iPad iWatcher Pro video feed and headed to the basement.

Flipped breakers off and on one by one and watched the live video feed.

One trip and done!!!!

 

[scifan57]

I had a dimmer switch going bad (over heating) and had a replacement in hand. Only issue was identifying which circuit breaker controlled it. I had my choice of 28 circuit breakers (poorly labeled by the homes previous owner) as to which one controlled the wall switch.

Since I was the only person home that meant a possible 28 trips from the first floor to the basement and back again.

What does this have to do with an iPad?

Easy.

I fired up iWatcher Pro on the iPad and aimed it at the ceiling fixture. Connected iPhone via Bluetooth to the iPad iWatcher Pro video feed and headed to the basement.

Flipped breakers off and on one by one and watched the live video feed.

One trip and done!!!!

That was some excellent problem solving there!

 

[LannyC]

Huzzah for lateral thinking!

 

[giradman]

Quite clever Blue92 - I'll need to remember that option - I keep the labels on our circuit breaker cabinet well labeled because I've had well over a dozen added as I needed for circuits. Dave

 

[Wing rider]

Let me guess, it was the 28th breaker you tried.

 

[giradman]

Let me guess, it was the 28th breaker you tried.

LOL! BOY, that sounds very familiar, and applies to other household tasks! Dave

 

[twerppoet]

You could have greatly reduce the trips without a fancy setup by half-stepping; a tried and true trouble shooting technique.

Turn off half the breakers, go check. If off, then turn on half of those breakers back on. If on, then turn off half the remaiing breakers. Continue this half step method until you narrow it down to the last breaker.

With 28 breakers you should have it narrowed down to one possible within five round trips.

But, of course, your method worked much better.