A Definitive Guide to Dimming Modern Day Lighting

According to which type of light you want to poor, choosing a dimmer change can go from being a fairly simple process to a very complicated one. In case you are dimming tungsten-halogen or incandescent lighting lots then this is simple as most will function correctly well. However, dimming Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) or Light Emitting Diode (LED) can be complicated as both the dimmer switch and the light must be compatible. LED PRE LIT in particular is the hardest as there are many different types available, all containing different types of dimming technology.

Many dimmer switches were never formerly designed to gray low energy lights as they were unavailable to perform tests with in the time the initial design. Dimmer switch manufacturers have responded slowly, if at all to the advance in LED lights making the task of choosing a compatible dimmer switch a guessing game.

Over the past few years I possess worked closely with both lighting and dimmer change manufacturers to provide the most up-to-date advice and pre-sales support. Although my findings cannot always be 100% accurate as light manufacturers often replace the components in their lighting fixtures or fittings triggering the once compatible switch to not anymore work.

When a non compatible dimmer move can be used with a low energy light, it triggers the light to glint. The flickering generally can take place when the light is dimmed to low levels or sometimes at full brightness. This is usually because the weight of lights are very low for the dimmer switch to react to.

One of the regular questions I get asked when customers start looking for LED compatible dimmer switches is what is the difference between industry leading and trailing edge? Top rated and trailing are two different types of dimmer technology and until the arrival of LEDs no person cared what type they used.

Leading edge is among the most popular because it is less expensive. It includes a triac and a coil and may buzz slightly when in operation; the minimum weight is quite high, usually around forty watts. This is simply not a problem when dimming incandescent or halogen but can be when dimming CFL or LED which are usually just eight watts per light. Top rated edge dimmers are actually available which may have a minimum adjusting dial, turning the face down to its most affordable setting allows fewer lighting fixtures to dimmed to a much lower setting WEB BROWSER down to 1%.

Walking edge technology uses stable state components such as insulated gate bipolar diffusion (IGBT) and does not have triac or coil. This offers a totally silent and smoother dimming action. The other good thing about using walking edge is that the minimum load is slimmer. When dimming some LED downlights the load can be rated at 10 watt rather than fifty voltage that allows for far more lights to be dimmed. Potentially up to 30 lights can be dimmed on only one switch.

Once dimming CFL you must ensure that the light is dimmable. There are incredibly few dimmable CFL lighting fixtures on the market for the reason that LED has overtaken it. CFL lamps should be turned up to full brightness on start up and left at full power for a couple of minutes before it is dimmed or the life expectancy of the lamp will be reduced. Depending on the minimum and maximum power draw, there are a few dimmer switches that are compatible. Although cheaper in price, triac dimmable driver for LEDs and CFL is not worth the trouble; CONTRIBUTED is better in every way:

Like with CFL, you should always ensure that the LED you choose is dimmable since several are not. LED lighting technology has developed rapidly over the past number of years but dimmer switch technology has not. There are many different types of dimmable LEDs available. Consequently, consumers are often challenged to know which combinations of LEDs and dimmers are suitable. It is far from simply a case of choosing a respected edge or trailing edge dimmer but more importantly which brand and model number will work best for your installation.

There are two types of dimmable LED lights; LED bulbs and complete LED downlights. LED PRE LIT bulbs are harder to dim than downlights. This kind of is because downlights have their own built in driver and the maker of the driving push can usually recommend a few dimmer switches as they may have analyzed them before they are really released.

Having decided on which LED you want to put in, selecting the correct LED dimmer switch should be based upon the following:

you. Compatibility; ideally, the LED manufacturer will have a set of recommended dimmer switches. Selecting an arbitrary dimmer switch may work correctly well however, a dimmer switch that is incompatible can cause flickering and in some situations, everlasting damage to the LED.

installment payments on your Quantity of LEDs; dimming results can change depending how many LED lights are in the circuit. LED loads are not rated the same as halogen, for example ten, five watt LEDs is different then one 60 watt halogen. De-rating factors may need to be looked at and vary from brand to brand. Selecting a compatible dimmer for the wrong quantity of LED lights could cause flickering and minimize the range of dimming, i. electronic. the lights won't poor down to 10%.

3. Aesthetics; if you like the look of your existing dimmer switch but not necessarily compatible and causes your LEDs to flicker you can replace the component inside. This can be made by rewiring the component and swapping it over. Around ninety percent of dimmer switch modules will interchange with one another. This allows you to keep the look but upgrade the technology.