ELV dimmer, switch, and receptacle in 4' box?

12 years ago

Hi,

I am wondering if there is a way to get all the stuff I want/need into a 4x4 box. (I understand wire fill will need to be considered, too, but first let's talk hardware. The box is 2-1/8 deep and has a 1" mud ring, so volume is promising.)

This is for a kitchen remodel. I had been planning two light switches (oversink lamps and direct-wire undercabinet lights) in a single-gang dual switch, and a 20 A duplex receptacle for one of the small appliance branches. However, I wound up buying dimmable LED undercabinet lights (Philips eW Profile). The problem is that these require an ELV dimmer.

So, I am trying to figure out a way to get an ELV dimmer, a single-pole switch, and a 20 A, tamper-resistant receptacle in a two-gang space. Lutron and Legrand make dual dimmers, but not ELV. I haven't found anything from anyone else yet.

Another option would be to use one gang for a stand-alone ELV, and a one-gang combo of switch+receptacle. I can't seem to find one with a 20 A tamper-resistant receptacle, however.

Any ideas?

Another possibility is to fish to a cut-in box, dedicated to one of the devices (probably a single-pole switch for the undimmed lights). The power and supply cables for those lights already come to the original box; therefore, I would propose just going out to the new box and back with a 14/2 NM, making the junction in the original box. Does that sound legal/feasible?

Thanks!

A_D

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Comments (4)

petey_racer
12 years ago
Why do you need a 20A receptacle?
Why do you need a receptacle at all in this box (at switch height)?
angie_diy
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi, Petey,

It is possible that I have misunderstood something. This receptacle is to serve the countertop area as one of the two required 20 A small appliance branches. Doesn't the receptacle have to be a 20 A receptacle if the breaker is a 20 A breaker?

The switch is at this height to fit between the kitchen cabinets and the countertop. The switches control lights over the kitchen sink and under the cabinets. The switches are meant to be accessible when you are standing near the sink.
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brickeyee
12 years ago
"Doesn't the receptacle have to be a 20 A receptacle if the breaker is a 20 A breaker? "

No, a regular 15 A duplex receptacle is fine on a 20 A circuit.
angie_diy
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you, everyone. I learned here that I could just manage to squeeze by using an ELV dimmer in one gang, and a single pole switch/15 A receptacle in the second gang. However, I decided to bite the bullet and put in a cut-in box within the same stud bay. (Fishing to it got interesting when I realized that there was plenty of room behind an insulated heat pipe for the NM, but not all that much room to spare for the strain-relief clamp that needed to be fished along with it! I managed to get it through.) I decided to use 14/3 wire on the assumption that some future owner (or me!) would be grateful to have a neutral for some yet-unspecified device. (Since I just put in LED lights in the controlled fixtures this evening, I suspect that that someone may be Angie in a few years, looking to dim LEDs with a second ELV.)

Again, thanks to petey and Brickeyee.