Is 14/3 wire required for all home automation that will power CFLs?

[az1324]

The description is wrong, the photo and part number are right.  They are still adding these products to the catalog so it will be fixed eventually.

 

[tmbrown97]

Interesting, since the description on that one clearly states "Notice/Warning: Do not use for magnetic low voltage lighting. Do not use with compact fluorescent lamps."
 
Is this a special inside scoop you have or is there a place to look up the correct info?

 

[neillt]

Its worth noting that if you are OK with laying down the cash, Lutron has several RadioRA2 dimmers that will work without a neutral.

 

[sda]

In the old days we ran the power w/neutral to the light first, then dropped a switch leg (2 wire) to the physical switch. Current thinking is to run power w/neutral to the primary switch box then wire the switch leg to the fixture.

One of the recent (2008?,2011?) code changes was to require a neutral at every switch location.  One of the reasons for this change was that some of these new fangled switches were using the ground as an artifical neutral and putting current on the ground.  You can still have a switch loop, but you need to use 14/3 or 12/3.
 
In a switch loop with xx/2, the rule was "down on white, back on black".  But don't assume.   

 

[jbrukardt]

Going back to the wire at your switch.... is that 14/2 the only wire coming into that box?
If it is then that would explain why you're confused with needing 14/3 - that line would be a feed coming FROM the light fixture acting as hot/switched hot/ground with no neutral.

 
ah.  No.  Ill have to pull apart a switch again, but from the best of my memory, i have one wire coming up the wall from the crawlspace under the house (and the panel) and another wire going from that box, to the ceiling light/fan
 
No 3 ways

 

[JimS]

ah.  No.  Ill have to pull apart a switch again, but from the best of my memory, i have one wire coming up the wall from the crawlspace under the house (and the panel) and another wire going from that box, to the ceiling light/fan
 
No 3 ways

Then the neutral is already in the box.  It's the white wire that is probably spliced with a wire nut and pushed into the back of the box.

 

[jbrukardt]

Then the neutral is already in the box.  It's the white wire that is probably spliced with a wire nut and pushed into the back of the box.

 
ill take a photo this weekend.   All the wires in the box are hooked to the current switch.  Black, white, and ground to the ground.