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I'm replacing some switches in a room and have a question about a connection coming off one of them. It's a 3 gang box with one three way switch, one single pole switch, and one single pole dimmer. My question is relating to the ground coming off the dimmer and what it's connected to. Is the black acting as a ground in this scenario? It's definitely not hot. Or maybe it's just dead-ended? Seems like the ground off the dimmer should have been connected to the rest of the grounds instead of what it's currently connected to. (I'm actually trying to replace the dimmer with a non-dimmable single pole switch.)

Should just cap it off? Just kind of curious overall as that wiring configuration seems strange for that top right wire.

I've provided a diagram that shows the various wires coming into the box.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

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    Bad colour choices if that is ground, ground is green or bare, nothing else. There should be ground inside the switch box and the light fixture, so a second wire connecting ground to each seems not needed, but does not hurt either.
    – crip659
    Commented Sep 10, 2023 at 16:11
  • Do you know if you are using cable or conduit? With cable the ground wire should be in the cable with the reds/whites/and blacks. Metal conduit is usually the ground path.
    – crip659
    Commented Sep 10, 2023 at 16:29
  • This is all cable into a plastic box. I'm thinking maybe they just wired something backwards when the house was built?
    – iamperson347
    Commented Sep 10, 2023 at 16:41
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    All grounds should be connected(screws, wire nuts) together. If that is a black wire connected to ground, then it should be changed, since black or any colour except green/bare is not allowed in ground circuits
    – crip659
    Commented Sep 10, 2023 at 16:49
  • Does the dimmer switch work? If so, then if I believe your diagram, it's being fed from the black hot you are pointing to, and it must be connected to another hot, not to ground. Are you SURE about it being connected to green?
    – keshlam
    Commented Sep 10, 2023 at 16:58

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Well.. think I figured it out. Whoever put the dimmer switch in previously put a single pole switch on to what appears to have been meant to be a three way switch circuit. I'll have to verify a few more things but I think that is what happened here.

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