Dimmers that won't dim

notuslimited

Hi. Could someone provide some light;) on the following. Six spots in the kitchen on a dimmer switch. 2 spotlights recently replaced in quick succession. Yesterday, the dimmerswitch will turn on the light but the dimmer aspect will not work. Any ideas??

Andrea B.

What type of bulbs? If LED, they won't dim with standard dimmers.
If low-voltage, are the transformers spec'd as dimmable?

Sorry, edit.
Reading again, I take it that dimmer was working previously? Were 2 light fittings replaced or just the lamps? If so, are new lamps LED or of a different wattage than existing?

fishdog

I am guessing that the dimmer did work in the past because you say:

Yesterday, the dimmerswitch will turn on the light but the dimmer aspect will not work

Therefore the chances are your dimmer switch is faulty.

Look at the rating of the dimmer switch.It may be 250 watts and your lights may be 50 watts each (6 x 50 = 300). It is easy enough to get a 500 watt dimmer switch. I find MK the best, although a bit pricey! No buzz, perfect dimming and they turn on and off slowly, this extends blub life (and looks cool:D)

The two lamps blowing may just be coinsidence. If they are mains voltage lights they may well be GU10 lamps. I find these blow alot more than the 12 volt downlighter lamps. When you say "spots" I am assuming you mean downlighters ie recessed type spots.

Hope this helps.

notuslimited

Hi Guys - Thanks for the input. The house was a new build in 2006 and we moved in in July 2006. No problems with the down lighters since then. The bulbs used are MR16 Mains Halogen 50 watt 50mm GU10 Cap Flood.

Kind Regards

SparKing

I have found that GU10 bulbs cause problems with dimmers and generally.
I have replaced a good few dimmers where the load was not too highly rated for the dimmer in question e.g. 10 x 50W GU10 lamps on a 1000W rated dimmer, I have also noticed that occasionally when a GU10 blows it will also trip the 10 amp mcb at the fuseboard. These bulbs have all been quality brands i.e. philips or osram. I have also noticed the same thing with the G9 230V halogen capsules bulbs. Am I imagining things? I reckon lads aren't too bothered about it becuse there's a bit of work in changing dimmers.
I've been meaning to start a thread about this, how sad is that?:D

10-10-20

Open a new thread, there is a lot to be said/discussed about this...