Need help - PD-5NE replacing 3-way in box with another switch

[BillP]

I'm replacing a MIR-1000M and its 3-way companion switch with a PD-5NE and Pico Remote. The box the PD-NE is going into also has a normal switch controlling some other lights. I'm having trouble figuring out the connections.


Attached are some photos and a diagram of what the connections look like right now with the MIR-1000M, which is working fine. The MIR-1000M is also connected to ground from all the wires coming int the box, the normal switch is not. The circuit has other devices on it as well.


The box for the companion switch being replaced by the Pico remote is the only thing in its box and has black, red, white and ground wires, all connected to the companion switch.


I've tried connecting the PD-5E the same way the MIR-1000M is connected, and the doing the wires in the other box where I'm removing the companion switch both with and without the white wire connected to the red and black wires. Neither has worked.


Hoping to get some guidance on what to try next. Thanks!

[Brandon W.]

Hello BillP and welcome to the forums!

Please turn off the breaker and try wiring the PD-5NE into the box with the following configuration:
- Black from black screw of MIR to black wire on PD-5NE
- Red and White from brass and blue of MIR to red wire on PD-5NE
- Cap blue wire of PD-5NE
- White wire from PD-5NE to bundle of white neutral wires in upper left of the attached photo
- Green wire to bare copper bundle

Finally, at the Pico wall box, please twist black, red, and white together. If this configuration still causes trouble, please give us a call at 1(888)588-7661 and we would be happy to troubleshoot further!

[BillP]

Thank you for the help. Unfortunately those connections did not work - no power from the switch and none of the LEDs on the switch come on. I've attached photos so you can make sure I did the connections as intended.

My PD-5NE does not have a blue wire. Photo attached.

Any other connections I can try?

Also, when I was initially trying to connect things, I connected the PD-5E just like the MIR-1000M was and connected all three (blk/wht/red) wires in the other box together. With these connections, a halogen light controlled by the switch flashed dimly once per second or so. I also tried connecting the all of the white wires in the first box together, that resulted in the breaker being tripped when it was turned back on. Is there a chance I damaged the PD-5E in either of those cases?

[Joy L.]

Hi Bill,

Our mistake - you are correct, the PD-5NE does not have blue. You can ignore that suggestion.

The first combination you mentioned - wiring the -5NE like the MIR-1000M - should not have damaged anything. The second combination - with all white wires in the box together - could have caused a short as the bundle of white neutral wires should not have been connected to the White wire that was connected to the MIR-1000M. However, just because the breaker tripped does not necessarily mean the unit failed, so we always want to troubleshoot further before assuming this.

Our next recommendation for wiring the PD-5NE would be to keep ground to green on the -5NE, white bundle to white on the -5NE, and combine the black and white that were connected to the MIR to the black wire of the -5NE, and connect the red wire that was connected to the MIR to the red wire of the -5NE by itself.

We hope this helps!

[BillP]

Thank you. With those connections, the lights come on but cannot be turned off or adjusted. The indicator LEDs on the switch behave as expected, going up and down with the dimming controls, but the connected lights do not reflect the dimming adjustments.

[Joy L.]

We have two more suggestions of possible wiring combinations:

-Black from the wall to Red on the -5NE
-Combine Red and White from the wall to Black on the -5NE
-Bundle of White to White on -5NE and ground to Green

and if that does not work, our second suggestion,

-Red from the wall to Black on the -5NE
-Combine Black and White from the wall to Red on the -5NE
-Bundle of White to White on -5NE and ground to Green

If neither of these work, something in the switch could have failed during one of our installation attempts, or there is something odd going on with the application wiring-wise that could warrant an electrician. However, we would lean towards the first option first, as because this unit takes a neutral connection, it is possible for the green indicator lights to work as you described, and power to pass through the unit, but have no control of the lighting load due to a failed dimming component internally.

If you have another PD-5NE to try swapping this with, we would recommend doing so with the wiring combinations in the order we've suggested them, to see if this particular dimmer is simply the culprit.

And as always if you would like to discuss this further with our team, we are here 24/7 by calling 1 (844) 588-7661! We hope this helps!

[BillP]

Option one did the trick! Thank you so much for all your help!

I didn't realize Lutron had such good support for their products. This will definitely encourage me to purchase and recommend Lutron products in the future.