I have a Lutron Skylark model 600-P dimmer that smokes and causes a
burning smell when it is turned on.

I took the switch out and found that the smoke is coming from inside
the switch itself; the external wiring connections are solid.

I did not take apart the switch itself to inspect the connections
inside, figuring that those connections are pre-configured.

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

"DaveR" wrote in message
...
I have a Lutron Skylark model 600-P dimmer that smokes and causes a
burning smell when it is turned on.

I took the switch out and found that the smoke is coming from inside
the switch itself; the external wiring connections are solid.

I did not take apart the switch itself to inspect the connections
inside, figuring that those connections are pre-configured.

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

Your lucky your house didn't go bad with it

According to DaveR :

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

If it's been fine until the smoke, it's probably going bad. If
there's a wiring fault (ie: a short), dimmers usually fry
instantaneously[+]. It would be highly unusual for a wiring fault
to only draw enough current to make the dimmer overheat without
going kaboom.

You should also check the wattage of what the thing is driving.
Most dimmers are limited to 500-600W, and some to 300W. If this
is a new installation, or you recently relamped the circuit with
higher wattage bulbs, I'd strongly suspect a simple overload, which
you can resolve by choosing a higher capacity dimmer, or reducing
the quantity/wattage of the lamps.

Check the wattage regardless of whether it's a new circuit
or new bulbs.

In any case, once a dimmer starts to smoke, I'd replace it.

[+] dead shorts thru on-state Triacs tend to be a bit
on the fast and spectacular (or at least noisy - "gunshot" type
noises aren't uncommon) side. They usually fry faster than the
fuses or breakers do.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

DaveR wrote:
I have a Lutron Skylark model 600-P dimmer that smokes and causes a
burning smell when it is turned on.

I took the switch out and found that the smoke is coming from inside
the switch itself; the external wiring connections are solid.

I did not take apart the switch itself to inspect the connections
inside, figuring that those connections are pre-configured.

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

Just replace the switch, first make sure that the total load is less
than the rated capacity of the switch.

Don't try to fix the switch or continue to use it. If you like, I
suspect that Lutron may replace it free if you send the damaged one back to
them. Again only if it was controlling a circuit within it's rated value.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:54:08 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

If it's been fine until the smoke, it's probably going bad. If
there's a wiring fault (ie: a short), dimmers usually fry
instantaneously[+]. It would be highly unusual for a wiring fault
to only draw enough current to make the dimmer overheat without
going kaboom.

You should also check the wattage of what the thing is driving.
Most dimmers are limited to 500-600W, and some to 300W. If this
is a new installation, or you recently relamped the circuit with
higher wattage bulbs, I'd strongly suspect a simple overload, which
you can resolve by choosing a higher capacity dimmer, or reducing
the quantity/wattage of the lamps.

Thanks for the advice. This dimmer was newly installed
(professionally) 3 years ago and it has been working fine until
recently. I did see the occasional spark when turning on the switch
but I was told this is common in the Skylarks and not necessarily
dangerous. None of the bulbs have been changed. It is a 600W dimmer
driving exactly 6 100W bulbs.

I guess I will just replace the switch.

According to DaveR :

Thanks for the advice. This dimmer was newly installed
(professionally) 3 years ago and it has been working fine until
recently. I did see the occasional spark when turning on the switch
but I was told this is common in the Skylarks and not necessarily
dangerous. None of the bulbs have been changed. It is a 600W dimmer
driving exactly 6 100W bulbs.

I guess I will just replace the switch.

Uprate the dimmer to something beefier - say, 1KW, or, lower the
wattage of the bulbs. Ie: switch to 75W quartz halogen - more light,
less power.

I don't like devices run at their extreme limit. It'll probably run
warm all the time, and the lifetime will be shortened (as it was).
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Chris Lewis wrote:
According to DaveR :

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

If it's been fine until the smoke, it's probably going bad.

Probably...?

R

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ups.com...
Chris Lewis wrote:
According to DaveR :

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

If it's been fine until the smoke, it's probably going bad.

Probably...?

R


Well, I think he meant "maybe". :-)

Doug Kanter wrote:

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ups.com...

Chris Lewis wrote:

According to DaveR :


Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

If it's been fine until the smoke, it's probably going bad.

Probably...?

R



Well, I think he meant "maybe". :-)


I thought he meant "almost certainly."

:-)


--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 10:24:18 -0500, DaveR
wrote:

I have a Lutron Skylark model 600-P dimmer that smokes and causes a

Smoking is bad for dimmer switches. Get the Patch or some nictoine
gum, and try to get it to use that.

If it won't, get rid of it and get a new switch. Why should you be
responsible for its eventual medical bills.

burning smell when it is turned on.

I took the switch out and found that the smoke is coming from inside
the switch itself; the external wiring connections are solid.

I did not take apart the switch itself to inspect the connections
inside, figuring that those connections are pre-configured.

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ups.com...
Chris Lewis wrote:
According to DaveR :

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

If it's been fine until the smoke, it's probably going bad.

It's common knowledge that dimmers run on smoke. When the smoke leaks out,
they stop running.

Lutron has agreed to send a new switch and pay for shipping the old
one back, even though it is out of warranty. Great customer service!

smoke....fire.......bad...........


"DaveR" wrote in message
...
I have a Lutron Skylark model 600-P dimmer that smokes and causes a
burning smell when it is turned on.

I took the switch out and found that the smoke is coming from inside
the switch itself; the external wiring connections are solid.

I did not take apart the switch itself to inspect the connections
inside, figuring that those connections are pre-configured.

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

DaveR wrote:
Lutron has agreed to send a new switch and pay for shipping the old
one back, even though it is out of warranty. Great customer service!

Yea. I once wrote them about the possibility of getting a small plastic
part that have broken off, also out of warranty. They called me as soon as
they got the letter and wanted to know what color the switch was. I tried
to explain that it was an internal part and the color was not important.
They explained they did not have the part, but wanted to send me a new
switch.

They cost a little more and I would not normally worry about a broken
switch, but I still appreciate their effort to provide a level of customer
service not normally seen.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Chris Lewis wrote:
According to DaveR :


Thanks for the advice. This dimmer was newly installed
(professionally) 3 years ago and it has been working fine until
recently. I did see the occasional spark when turning on the switch
but I was told this is common in the Skylarks and not necessarily
dangerous. None of the bulbs have been changed. It is a 600W dimmer
driving exactly 6 100W bulbs.



I guess I will just replace the switch.


Uprate the dimmer to something beefier - say, 1KW, or, lower the
wattage of the bulbs. Ie: switch to 75W quartz halogen - more light,
less power.

I don't like devices run at their extreme limit. It'll probably run
warm all the time, and the lifetime will be shortened (as it was).

Even running well within limits a solid state controller can be damaged
by an incandescent lamp burning out with a "tungsten arc". That happens
occasionally when the filament opens and an arc starts through the
vaporized tungsten between the broken ends. That arc burns back along
the two filament pieces until it's consumed them, with the current
increasing while that happens. It all takes place faster than Jill
Robinson, and sometimes it's enough to blow a conventional 15 or 20 amp
glass fuse, but they seldom last long enough to trip a breaker.

If you've ever flipped on a light switch and had the bulb blow out with
a bright flash, you've seen one. Better brands of incandescent bulbs
used to have a fuse built into one of the internal bulb leads which was
intended to blow when a tungsten arc occured, but a lot of the cheapies
don't bother with them.

I used to have trouble with several table lamps in out home which I'd
fitted with solid state "touch switch" dimmers. Every once in a while a
bulb blew with a tungsten arc and took the dimmer with it. I solved the
problem by fitting fuseholders with 2 amp quick blow 3AG fuses in each
lamp. I've had a few bulbs fail and blow the fuses, but the dimmers were
saved.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 10:24:18 -0500, DaveR
wrote:

I have a Lutron Skylark model 600-P dimmer that smokes and causes a
burning smell when it is turned on.

I took the switch out and found that the smoke is coming from inside
the switch itself; the external wiring connections are solid.

I did not take apart the switch itself to inspect the connections
inside, figuring that those connections are pre-configured.

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

Replace it
Be sure your load is not too high
If the load is not too high, contact the manufacturer. They should
know about the danger and will likely send you a free dimmer too.

DO NOT reinstall that thing !!!!

In article , DaveR wrote:
On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:54:08 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

If it's been fine until the smoke, it's probably going bad. If
there's a wiring fault (ie: a short), dimmers usually fry
instantaneously[+]. It would be highly unusual for a wiring fault
to only draw enough current to make the dimmer overheat without
going kaboom.

You should also check the wattage of what the thing is driving.
Most dimmers are limited to 500-600W, and some to 300W. If this
is a new installation, or you recently relamped the circuit with
higher wattage bulbs, I'd strongly suspect a simple overload, which
you can resolve by choosing a higher capacity dimmer, or reducing
the quantity/wattage of the lamps.

Thanks for the advice. This dimmer was newly installed
(professionally) 3 years ago and it has been working fine until
recently. I did see the occasional spark when turning on the switch
but I was told this is common in the Skylarks and not necessarily
dangerous. None of the bulbs have been changed. It is a 600W dimmer
driving exactly 6 100W bulbs.

I guess I will just replace the switch.

You are pushing the limit, and there is some significant probability
that doing so has taken its toll - maybe in combination with transient
surges in line voltage. Keep in mind that lots of these things are made
by low bid contract manufacturers and plenty of low bid devices probably
barely qualify as passing testing.

I would replace the thing, and do so with one rated much more than 600
watts, or else reduce the load. The triacs in dimmers get plenty hot at
2/3 of rated load - I feel comfortable with not going over 50 ot 60
percent or so of their rating.

- Don Klipstein )

In article , Chris Lewis wrote:
According to DaveR :

Thanks for the advice. This dimmer was newly installed
(professionally) 3 years ago and it has been working fine until
recently. I did see the occasional spark when turning on the switch
but I was told this is common in the Skylarks and not necessarily
dangerous. None of the bulbs have been changed. It is a 600W dimmer
driving exactly 6 100W bulbs.

I guess I will just replace the switch.

Uprate the dimmer to something beefier - say, 1KW, or, lower the
wattage of the bulbs. Ie: switch to 75W quartz halogen - more light,
less power.

75 watt halogen normally produces less light than 100 watt decent
non-halogen incandescent. A 120V halogen needs 90 watts to produce the
1670-1750 lumens of a "standard" 100 watt 120V 750 hour incandescent.

If you are using longlife or vibration-resistant or 130V 100 watt
incandescent, or ones other than "Big 3" (GE/Sylvania/Philips and their
store brand ones with same/similar lumen and hour ratings), then you could
be able to downsize to 75 watts - and they may not have to be halogen.

I don't like devices run at their extreme limit. It'll probably run
warm all the time, and the lifetime will be shortened (as it was).

I agree on that one!

- Don Klipstein )

I talked to Lutron about a client's Skylark and they seemed very
nervious that it was run at 600W. They asked if the heat sink tabs had
been removed on the front. Definately replace the unit up to 1000W or
bulb at 75W max as above.
Richard

On 4 Dec 2005 23:35:17 -0800, wrote:

I talked to Lutron about a client's Skylark and they seemed very
nervious that it was run at 600W. They asked if the heat sink tabs had
been removed on the front. Definately replace the unit up to 1000W or
bulb at 75W max as above.

Seems strange to me that a device should be rated at 600W and yet be
"pushing its limits" at that load. I would think the rating should be
somewhat conservative.

Nevertheless I don't doubt that my 600W load probably had something to
do with the problem. I will pull out one of the 100W bulbs which I
really don't need, and then eventually replace the rest with 75W which
should be sufficient for this room.

I have a bunch of other 600W Skylarks in my home but thankfully they
are all pushing 300W or less.

DaveR wrote:
On 4 Dec 2005 23:35:17 -0800, wrote:

I talked to Lutron about a client's Skylark and they seemed very
nervious that it was run at 600W. They asked if the heat sink tabs had
been removed on the front. Definately replace the unit up to 1000W or
bulb at 75W max as above.

Seems strange to me that a device should be rated at 600W and yet be
"pushing its limits" at that load. I would think the rating should be
somewhat conservative.

Nevertheless I don't doubt that my 600W load probably had something to
do with the problem. I will pull out one of the 100W bulbs which I
really don't need, and then eventually replace the rest with 75W which
should be sufficient for this room.

I have a bunch of other 600W Skylarks in my home but thankfully they
are all pushing 300W or less.

Switch over to compact fluorescents. They use about 25% of the energy,
give excellent light and last far longer.

R

Seems strange to me that a device should be rated at 600W and yet be
"pushing its limits" at that load. I would think the rating should be
somewhat conservative.
Yah this lady had a problem with hers that was pushing 600W when her
husband was home. He liked these lights up all the way and the lights
would periodically go out. She liked the lights around 50% and never
had a problem. I agree Lutron should rerate this model at around 500W!
And that stuff about removing the heatsink tabs lowering the rating
(although they never actually admitted to that it was implied) seemed
totally out of line.
Richard

In article .com,
RicodJour wrote:

Switch over to compact fluorescents. They use about 25% of the energy,
give excellent light and last far longer.

Except that most CF bulbs can't be dimmed.

--
Rich Greenberg Marietta, GA, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 770 321 6507
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, husky Owner:Chinook-L
Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 10:24:18 -0500, DaveR
wrote:

I have a Lutron Skylark model 600-P dimmer that smokes and causes a
burning smell when it is turned on.


Let me guess.
You forgot to put a "No Smoking" sign in that room !!!!!

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ups.com...
Chris Lewis wrote:
According to DaveR :

Am I simply looking at a switch that has gone bad, or is there
something else that could be wrong?

If it's been fine until the smoke, it's probably going bad.

Probably...?

Ah, yes, the Magic Electric Smoke, that makes all electronic and electrical
itens work. Once you let too much of the smoke escape, they don't work
anymore. BTDT, too many times to count.
(This house I bought had a similarly flaky dimmer. I looked at the 1 hall
light it controlled, decided I would never need to run that at reduced
power, and replaced it with a 3-buck single pole toggle.)

aem sends...