I have LED bulbs in my hall and landing. The bulbs were quite old tech and not so bright so yesterday I was in Costco and they had 4 dimmable bulbs for about £8/£9 so I got a few packs.
These things are really bright - probably no brighter than the hall used to be with halogen but it feels more so. SWMBO quite likes it but I'm not so keen.
Anyway, the (hall and landing) lights all operate from the same switch, which is a 3 way switch downstairs and one way upstairs. If I got a dimmer switch for upstairs and set it to, say, half brightness, would that dim the lights whichever switch was used to turn them on? My logic says it would.
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I was going to say, Yes, it will - then I re-read your post... Not sure what you mean? Have you got a 3-gang switch (ie 3 switches on a single back plate) one of which operates the hall lights; and a single gang switch upstairs? If so, answer is still yes; if not, then you'll need to describe the set up a bit more.
Don't forget you need a specific 'leading edge' dimmer for LED bulbs, otherwise they have a tendency just to flash or hum!
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Yes, that's how I thought it was - 3 switches on one gang operating 3 different lights, and the upstairs switch is just the LEDs.
I'm glad I asked about it though, as I'm wrong. The upstairs switch is just the landing lights, and the three downstairs switches are the hall and landing separate, plus the outside light.
Also I wouldn't have known about different dimmer switch types. I have some old dimmer switches here which I would have tried out but I would have assumed that the theory was bad as they wouldn't have worked.
So... I suppose therefore that, so long as I don't mind the hall and landing lights all on together, I could join them at the 3 way switch (both into same switch) and put a dimmer upstairs.
Thanks for the quick response btw :-)
EDIT: Or, of course, a 3 way dimmer...
Last edited by: smokie on Mon 12 Sep 16 at 08:33
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Dimmer switches use phase control to chop parts out of the AC sine wave in order to reduce power.
Most out there are leading edge, meaning that they progressively chop the leading edge of the wave off. These are most suitable for inductive or resistive loads like your normal incandescent bulbs. Because they have an abrupt voltage change at the start of the wave they can cause buzzing at low settings.
For LEDs which have predominantly a capacitative load you need a trailing edge dimmer. This progressively chops the rear part of the wave so are smoother and allow for lower dimming.
The dimmer switch itself may need a certain amount of current to drive it, so if the load on it is too low, as in the case of LEDs, from start it lights the LED, then the load goes too small to drive the dimmer and it cuts out, followed by start up etc. causing your flicker.
In our office here I use a conventional dimmer which caused flickering. It could have been fixed by having loads more LEDs on the dimmer to get the load high enough. This usually isn't an option.
I fixed it by adding back in a small resistive load on the end of the LED run. Leaving one normal incandescent bulb on the run also fixes it but looks odd because of the difference in colour etc.
Basically I bought some resistors and heat sink and put them in parallel with the end LED. Because they are behind a ledge they are out of sight and can cool without fire hazard. I added just enough resistance to prevent the flicker on lowest dim setting.
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I've just gorn back to incandescent bulbs. I tried a couple of LED's but didn't like the light they gave out.
I live in a late 18th century quintessential Cornish country cottage with low beamed ceilings and small framed windows + dark slate flooring in the kitchen and dining roomz, with dark burgundy car pets throughout the rest of the property.
This place NEEDS to look dark and depressing, knowlmean.
:o)
Last edited by: Dog on Mon 12 Sep 16 at 08:28
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Dimmable bulbs and three way switch - RichardW
