How can I wire a dimmer switch directly to a lamp's cord?

Question

I'm building an incubator and want to use a dimmer as the lamp bulb's control to be able to adjust the heat.

Answer 1

I did this to control lights on xmas tree.

Get a 2 gang box ,

put a dimmer on one side and an outlet on the other.

Use a cord with a plug on one end to wire to the dimmer and let the dimmer control the outlet.

Plug your lamp into the outlet and control it with the dimmer.

This is the safest way but be sure not to plug any thing else in the outlet as you may damage it by dimmer.

Answer 2

A dimmer is just a variable switch so you would wire in a dimmer the same way you would wire in a regular switch.  My two pet hens sleep in a nice plywood box with wood shavings on the bottom, two wire mesh windows to look out of, and two light bulbs on a dimmer switch just above their food tray.  With the dimmer I can gradually turn down their lights at night so they get romantic mood lighting to keep them contented.

Take the lamp's cord, separate out one of the wires in the cord and cut it.  Connect one end of the cut wire to each of the two wires from the dimmer.  If there is a third green wire you can ignore that as it is a ground, which will not apply here.

That's all there is to it.  That is basically the way I wired in the lights for my clucker birds, and they love the ambiance and the soft lighting they get after a hard day at work pecking and scratching the ground.

Answer 3

Most dimmers are designed to run off the feed and return of the light switch circuit.  If you can break into the live cable, without damaging the other, you could fit the dimmer to rejoin the live in/out. If in doubt though, get an electrician to do it.

Answer 4

I wouldn't.  I would go another route.  Make a metal chute of about the size of the bulb, set it on top of the incubator with a hole through the top, and adjust your temp by raising or lowering the bulb.

Not sure that dimmer switches are really meant to work well with stranded wiring you will find on lamps.  They usually work with solid copper wiring.