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[OssisCaput]

Hello,

I have a newbie question which I hope someone might be able to answer. (I did a search but did not find an answer - possibly due to my not knowing the proper terminology to search for).

I currently have an interior wall switch by my front door with three switches under a three switch cover/ plate.  One switch controls my outdoor porch light fixture, the other two are 3-way switches that control my living room ceiling light fixture and my stairway ceiling light fixture.  The latter two have switches upstairs.

I would love to install X10 switches to control these fixtures.  Is this possible?  Would three x10 switches still fit in the same box and under the same plate where my current switches reside?

I've looked at the 3-way switches and the master switches appear quite wide and I'm wondering if I could place them side by side in the space I have.

Any thoughts on if this is possible, or any recommendations for an alternative approach would be welcome.

My goal is to integrate these 3 lights (porch, living room, stairwell) with my alarm.com system - allowing me the ability to remotely turn on/off these hardwired fixtures.

[dave w]

Yes
Yes
They fit fine in standard wall boxes, single or multiple. If you have mutiple dimming switches in the same wall box you must de-rate the maximum wattage rating for the switch due to heat build up. i.e. instead of a max rating of 500 watts per switch you should keep all loads well under the 500 w max. I don't know what the recommendation is, but I would de-rate by 50% if in our home.

You will need to order the three way version of the switches (WS4777 which includes the companion switch, or "Decora" style WS12A and WS14A).

[Noam]

The one thing I'll add to Dave's reply is that depending on the wiring currently in the box, it may be a tight fit.
Most "dumb" switches use screw terminals, while the X10 switches (and most dimmers and timers) have leads, and use wire nuts. Depending on how many wires are already in the box, it may get a bit tight to have all that wiring, and make sure it is all done safely. (I personally make sure to tape over the wire-nut on each splice, as well as tape over all the screws on "dumb" switches - if something comes loose, it is less likely to create a dangerous short somewhere else).

Depending on how the wires run, you may be able to mount one or both of the "companion" switches in the 3-gang box, and have a little more "breathing room."

[Brian H]

One more thing.
What type of bulbs are you using?
The X10 two wire switches {not counting the traveler used from the slave X10 switch to the master in a three way setup} that tap power through the load. Only work correctly with incandescent type bulbs. CFL,CCFL and LED bulbs almost never work with a two wire X10 switch.

[OssisCaput]

Thanks All.  Very helpful and instructive info.

Dave - None of the lights in the box dim, so I think I'll be OK on that front.

Noam - I'll unscrew the plate and see what's going on back there.  Good idea about using the companions in the 3-gang box.  Upstairs I have a 2 switch box for the LR and stairwell fixtures.  I'm guessing I can experiment on where (up or downstairs) to have the companions to achieve the best fit on both boxes.

Brian - I currently use CFL's.    I'm trying to keep the electricity bill down which is why I use them.  The fixtures are multi-bulb - would using a combination of an incandescent and CFL overcome the issue?  I have an x10 lamp module to which I have a torchiere with CFL's connected and that works well.  Is there something in the switches that make CFL's unusable? 

[Noam]

The two-wire X10 switches (they only connect to "line" and "load", and not "neutral") need to run some current through the load in order to work. You can't run this current through a CFL, Florescent, LED, or just about any other non-Incandescent bulb type. Without being able to run the small amount of current through the load, the switch cannot get any power, and therefore won't be able to hear X10 signals when it is off.

If you have multiple bulbs controlled by the same switch, you can usually put in at least one regular Incandescent bulb, and that should work.

The plug-in lamp modules are different. Since they plug into both the "hot" and "neutral" wires (via the wall outlet), they don't need to run current through the bulb to work.

[Brian H]

Noam beat me to the send button. 

Lamp modules have a Line and Neutral AC Input and do not steal power through the bulb.

The two wire wall switches steal power through the bulbs and the electronics in CFLs and other non incandescent bulbs do strange things.
I have even tried a few dimmable CFL and LED bulbs with two wire X10 modules. With bad results.
Some here have had mixed results; using a dimmable CFL and one incandescent bulb in a fixture.

If you had a neutral power wire available and don't want dimming. The decorator style X10 WS13A with WS14A companion switches for three way use, could be used.

Also Smarthome recently has added back some X10 only switches and modules to their product line. They are more expensive and use a Neutral also, but come in dimmer and relay types. With decorator paddles or toggle type actuators.

[Noam]

As for experimenting with the placement of the switches, I think it all depends how the wiring was done originally.
The instructions aren't clear, so I don't know if it matters which switch goes closer to the "line" end, and which goes closer to the "load."

[Backward Engineering]

I have attached the pdf file that shows how to wire the 3 way dimmers.  They show the HOT lead going to the companion switch, however it works fine connected either way.  I have wired them with the HOT lead connected to the module and the load connected to the companion.  Some of use have modified the X10 two wire wall switch modules to add a neutral wire to allow them to control some CFLs and LED lamps.

I recently connected a modified X10 wall switch dimmer to a 9 watt dimmable LED that I bought at Home Depot for less than $10.  In my installation, because I was using a modified module, I had to install the module in the box that had a neutral wire.

Be aware that even if you do not intend to dim the lamp, CFLs and LED lamps will not work correctly with the two wire modules unless you also have an incandescent lamp in the circuit.  The incandescent lamp should meet the minimum lamp wattage rating for the module.