On Sun 27 Apr 2008 09:02:12a, Robert Allison told us...
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
On Sun 27 Apr 2008 08:08:26a, Robert Allison told us...
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I have heard that there are dimmers available that will work with
conventional CFLs and don't require the special dimmable CFLs, but I
have yet to find one that clearly states it will work this way.
Does anyone here know about such a dimmer?
There are special fixtures for cfls that allow them to be dimmed.
On the other hand, there are special cfls that allow them to be
dimmed with a standard dimmer. You need to get the right
combination for either to work correctly.
http://www.pathnet.org/sp.asp?id=23506
http://www.energy.wsu.edu/documents/...pact_fluor.pdf
Thanks, Robert.
Your welcome. In addition to the other information, I will give
you this;
If you invest in the special fixtures (I have been involved with
these mostly in can lights) and install them, you will come out
ahead financially. Although the dimmable on board ballasts cost
more than standard can lights, you only have to buy them once.
Coincidentally, that's exactly what I want to dim. I have 12 recessed cans
in my kitchen, each with a 23 watt conventional screw-in CFL. Full power
is ideal when I'm doing a lot of cooking and cleanup (which is usually at
night), but there are many times when I wish I could dim them when I don't
need that much light.
The bulbs that carry their own onboard ballast that makes them
dimmable are way more (about 20 bucks a piece) than standard
cfls. Since you are going to have to change them over the years,
you will save over and over by going with the dimmable fixtures.
Yes, I found out just how expensive when I first looked for the CFLs, and
didn't buy the dimmable units because of the price and the rumor? that they
didn't always perform well at dimming.
I suppose the best choice is to just bite the bullet and replace the cans
with dimmable models. I will have to find suitable retrofit models, as it
is a vaulted ceiling with no crawl space above to work from.
I appreciate all your input!
--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 04(IV)/27(XXVII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Today is: Rogation Sunday
Countdown till Memorial Day
4wks 13hrs 45mins
-------------------------------------------
He's not dead, Jim, he's just
metabolically challenged.
-------------------------------------------