Here is a little writeup I decided to do on building a device to control temperature using a standard dimmer switch and a few more parts available at any General store for a little under $20. And while some may say that a thermostat is not much more than that. I like the design and would like to share it among friends. I am an electrician by trade so I will do my best to explain the process and hopefully not embarrass the elders to badly.
First here is the list of supply's that I used to build this:
1. Dimmer switch (I picked mine up at Wallyworld for $5)
2. Replacement cord (also obtained at wally world for around $5)
3. Metal box with outlet & switch cover (picked up at lowes for around $7)
4. Outlet (I prefer the nicer ones that squeeze the wires rather than wrap around)
5. Service cord clamp (around 40 cents at lowes)
List of tools needed to build this:
1. Pair of wire strippers
2. Side Cutters (optional)
3. Needle nose pliers
4. Electrical tape
5. Multi screwdriver
Step 1: First thing I did was trimmed down the mounting brackets on the outlet to fit the box a little more conservatively. I used my orange side cutters. It should look a little something like this.
Step 2: Screw the outlet in place on the cover as shown in the pics below. The outlet should now fit in the cover without being to snug if trimmed correctly.
Step 3: Open the dimmer switch package, it will need trimming down as well (again I used the side cutters). Trim the dimmer mounting bracket as shown. It will take a little trail and error to fit it in with the outlet, just don't go too much at once. I ended up trimming a little bit off all 4 sides.
Step 4: Once it fits fairly tight but not cramped, screw the screws in and make sure everything fits. Don't go to crazy the dimmer needs to be removed in order to wire the outlet. At this point it should look like this.
Step 5: Now lets move on to running the service cord through the box. Knock one of the small 1/2 knockouts out with your pliers (I used the middle one). Then install the service cord clamp into the hole and tighten it down with your screwdriver and pliers.
Step 6: Run the service cord through about 6 inches and tighten the 2 screws on the sides down to clamp the cord in place. Once that is done strip the black insulation off down to about an inch leaving only the insulation on the black & white wire.
Step 7: Once you have test everything and it all screws in no problems, your ready to wire it up. Remove the dimmer from the cover (the outlet can stay in). Attach the green wire from the dimmer to the ground terminal on the outlet, then wire the white (neutral) wire from the service cord to the silver terminal on the outlet. Silver is always neutral on the outlet, if your still unsure flip it over. The longer prong is neutral. Next wire one of the black wires from the dimmer to the load side (gold terminal) of the outlet. Should stop and mention here that I always use the clamp style outlets with stranded wire as it holds better and keeps the wire from fraying which on a metal box would be bad if one of the strands grounds the side of the box. Lastly wire the only other black wire on the dimmer to the line (black wire) coming off the service cord. Here's what it should look like completed.
Step 8: Tape everything up & check then recheck to make sure no wires are touching where they shouldn't be. At this point go ahead and reinstall the dimmer back into the cover.
Step 9: Carefully place the cover onto the box taking care not to pinch any wires. Install the 2 screws that hold the cover onto the box.
And here's the finished project!
I have used these in the past with great success! I know I suck at doing these, I'm sure I'll probably come back multiple times and add stuff I forgot to mention. Just wanted to share with the crew of awesome people on this forum my method for regulating Heat. Peace
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