Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?
  #2   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,143
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On 09/09/08 11:59 am Mr. Gardebner wrote:

I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


The packaging of most CFLs says that they are not to be used in
conjunction with dimmers. Dimmable CFL floods (BR30 or similar
configuration) have recently come on the market (Philips is one brand
I've seen), but they are expensive.

Perce

  #3   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 787
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Sep 9, 10:59*am, Mr. Gardebner wrote:
I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness *and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.

  #4   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,040
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

In article ,
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:

On 09/09/08 11:59 am Mr. Gardebner wrote:

I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


The packaging of most CFLs says that they are not to be used in
conjunction with dimmers. Dimmable CFL floods (BR30 or similar
configuration) have recently come on the market (Philips is one brand
I've seen), but they are expensive.

Perce


Yep and AIUI many CFLs can't be used upside down, either, as all the
heat from them cooks the electronics in the base.
  #5   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,143
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:

I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.


IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available.

Perce



  #6   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 42
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Sep 9, 12:17*pm, Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
*"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:





On 09/09/08 11:59 am Mr. Gardebner wrote:


I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness *and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


The packaging of most CFLs says that they are not to be used in
conjunction with dimmers. Dimmable CFL floods (BR30 or similar
configuration) have recently come on the market (Philips is one brand
I've seen), but they are expensive.


Perce


Yep and AIUI many CFLs can't be used upside down, either, as all the
heat from them cooks the electronics in the base.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


interesting theory....... in our new house we bought one year ago we
replaced all bulbs with CFLs, and 90% of them are " up side down" -
even one of them has yet to fail
  #7   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 343
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

Smitty Two wrote:

Yep and AIUI many CFLs can't be used upside down, either, as all the
heat from them cooks the electronics in the base.


Maybe some fail, but most do not.

Lou
  #8   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,300
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:

I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?



Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.



IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available.

Perce


And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.
  #9   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 300
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:

I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?



Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.




IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available.

Perce


And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff

I just bought 1000 gallons of #2 oil to get started this winter...Gasp.
The next thing I did was to remove all of the CFLs that I'd installed.
I can heat with incandescent bulbs this winter for about the same cost
as oil. And, they work with all of my dimmers.

Boden
  #10   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 300
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:


I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.


IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available.

Perce


And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff



Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.

A simple pulse width controller will do it.


  #11   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,300
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:


I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.


IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available.

Perce


And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff



Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing
when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.
  #12   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 61
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

Boden wrote:
wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:


I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a
simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the
problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.


IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become
available.

Perce


And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff



Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.

A simple pulse width controller will do it.


Good, build us one to look at!

Remember, the power is from the AC line passing thru a two
wire dimmer which usually needs a 5 watt minimum resistive
looking load just to work. Dang current mode solid state
stuff.

;-)

-- larry / dallas
  #13   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,431
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

In ,
RickH wrote:

On Sep 9, 10:59*am, Mr. Gardebner wrote:
I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness *and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.


Unless you spend a lot of time in your closets, CFLs are likely to be
uneconomical there.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.


There is an incandescent ban coming up to be implemented in stages in
2012 and 2014. However, there are enough exceptions to make a set of
loopholes wide enough to route the New Jersey Turnpike and maybe
also the Mississippi River through.

Paul Eldridge posted these exceptions, I believe in alt.home.repair
on January 18 2008 in article .

I have these exceptions at:

http://members.misty.com/don/incban.html

- Don Klipstein (


  #14   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 805
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:16:24 -0400, Boden wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:


I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.


IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available.

Perce


And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff



Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.

A simple pulse width controller will do it.


No, it won't.

  #15   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 805
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:


I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not
dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable.

And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire
range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the
dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with
flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are
dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except
for closet and porch lights.

If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs
illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the
remainder of my lifetime.


IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available.

Perce


And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff



Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing
when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff


The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's
and make it so you can use varying portions of the array.

The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's.
That makes effective dimming tricky at best.



  #16   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,431
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

In article , wrote:
On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


SNIP to edit for space

And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff


Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing
when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff


The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's
and make it so you can use varying portions of the array.

The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's.
That makes effective dimming tricky at best.


Where do you get that idea?

- Don Klipstein )
  #17   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:12:41 -0400, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:

On 09/09/08 11:59 am Mr. Gardebner wrote:

I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights
are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan
light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go
to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other
ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing
noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also
flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple
off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem
where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having
this problem?


The packaging of most CFLs says that they are not to be used in
conjunction with dimmers. Dimmable CFL floods (BR30 or similar
configuration) have recently come on the market (Philips is one brand
I've seen), but they are expensive.

Perce



I found a link to one type of dimmable cfl on home depots page here
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100626049
How is it that it is not energy star compliant?
  #18   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 805
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC), (Don
Klipstein) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


SNIP to edit for space

And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff


Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing
when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff


The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's
and make it so you can use varying portions of the array.

The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's.
That makes effective dimming tricky at best.


Where do you get that idea?

- Don Klipstein )


Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with
an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about
half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it
will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very
short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from
that stage to full brightness.

Try it, and you'll see.
  #19   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,300
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

wrote:
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC),
(Don
Klipstein) wrote:


In article ,
wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


wrote:


On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


SNIP to edit for space

And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff


Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing
when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff

The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's
and make it so you can use varying portions of the array.

The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's.
That makes effective dimming tricky at best.


Where do you get that idea?

- Don Klipstein )



Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with
an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about
half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it
will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very
short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from
that stage to full brightness.

Try it, and you'll see.


I believe you on that, because commonly available dimmers aren't exactly
compatible with the relatively low currents drawn by LED bulbs,
particularly when you're trying to run them "dimmed down".

But, I still feel it won't take rocket scientists to design dimmers
which DO work well with LED bulbs. But then, those dimmers might not
work too well with incandescents. G

I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and
seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in
some of the rooms in that gorgeous place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr.

and

http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.
  #20   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 95
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Wed 10 Sep 2008 02:34:20p, Jeff Wisnia told us...

wrote:
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC),
(Don
Klipstein) wrote:


In article ,

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


wrote:


On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

SNIP to edit for space

And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff


Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so
thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff

The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's
and make it so you can use varying portions of the array.

The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's.
That makes effective dimming tricky at best.

Where do you get that idea?

- Don Klipstein )



Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with
an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about
half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it
will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very
short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from
that stage to full brightness.

Try it, and you'll see.


I believe you on that, because commonly available dimmers aren't exactly
compatible with the relatively low currents drawn by LED bulbs,
particularly when you're trying to run them "dimmed down".

But, I still feel it won't take rocket scientists to design dimmers
which DO work well with LED bulbs. But then, those dimmers might not
work too well with incandescents. G

I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and
seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in
some of the rooms in that gorgeous place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr.

and

http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/

Jeff


IIRC, either Lutron or Honeywell marketing some type of variac as a dimmer
control back in the 1950s. We had one installed in our family room to dim
all the recessing lighting. I'm sure it was a variable transformer and not
an electronic dimmer.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Wednesday, 09(IX)/10(X)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
8wks 5dys 9hrs 12mins
*******************************************
I cannot be bought. However, I can be
rented. --Don O'Shaughnessy
*******************************************


  #21   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,300
Default Missed a period......

(Good thing I'm a guy, not a girl)

That first hyperlink in my previous post needs a period at its end.
(......Jr.)

For some reason my browser didn't pick up the period.

So if you clicked on it and Wiki said "no way Jose", and didn't give you
the "John Hayes Hammond Jr." page, try adding a period to the end of
what's in your browser's address bar.

Computers...They do what they're told to do, not what you want them to do.

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and
seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in
some of the rooms in that gorgeous place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr.

and

http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.
  #22   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,431
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

In article , wrote:
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC),
(Don
Klipstein) wrote:

,
wrote:
On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


SNIP to edit for space

And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff


Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing
when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff

The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's
and make it so you can use varying portions of the array.

The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's.
That makes effective dimming tricky at best.


Where do you get that idea?

- Don Klipstein )


Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with
an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about
half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it
will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very
short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from
that stage to full brightness.

Try it, and you'll see.


I don't have any dimmers installed in my home, so I can't. However, if
current through an LED is varied, then the brightness varies roughly
proportionately. That much I do know - I have done that a lot.

It is much more expensive and difficult to make a high efficiency LED
lamp appear as a resistor load than otherwise, so that is why many/most
LED lamps do not dim really nicely with conventional dimmers.

However, that does not mean that either of these is untrue:

* LED lamps can be made to dim well with conventional dimmers, either
with increase in cost or a compromise in efficiency

* Dimmers can be made that dim LED lamps well

- Don Klipstein )
  #23   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 805
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:49:57 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:

On Wed 10 Sep 2008 02:34:20p, Jeff Wisnia told us...

wrote:
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC),
(Don
Klipstein) wrote:


In article ,

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


wrote:


On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

SNIP to edit for space

And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff


Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so
thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff

The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's
and make it so you can use varying portions of the array.

The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's.
That makes effective dimming tricky at best.

Where do you get that idea?

- Don Klipstein )


Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with
an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about
half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it
will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very
short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from
that stage to full brightness.

Try it, and you'll see.


I believe you on that, because commonly available dimmers aren't exactly
compatible with the relatively low currents drawn by LED bulbs,
particularly when you're trying to run them "dimmed down".

But, I still feel it won't take rocket scientists to design dimmers
which DO work well with LED bulbs. But then, those dimmers might not
work too well with incandescents. G

I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and
seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in
some of the rooms in that gorgeous place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr.

and

http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/

Jeff


IIRC, either Lutron or Honeywell marketing some type of variac as a dimmer
control back in the 1950s. We had one installed in our family room to dim
all the recessing lighting. I'm sure it was a variable transformer and not
an electronic dimmer.


My parents house had several dimmers like that in the 1950's. They
were in the wall, but they were HUGE and made an audible hum.

  #24   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 805
Default CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans

On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:36:28 +0000 (UTC), (Don
Klipstein) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC),
(Don
Klipstein) wrote:

,
wrote:
On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

SNIP to edit for space

And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer.

Jeff


Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff.


I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing
when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs

But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available
when LED bulbs really take off.

Jeff

The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's
and make it so you can use varying portions of the array.

The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's.
That makes effective dimming tricky at best.

Where do you get that idea?

- Don Klipstein )


Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with
an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about
half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it
will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very
short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from
that stage to full brightness.

Try it, and you'll see.


I don't have any dimmers installed in my home, so I can't. However, if
current through an LED is varied, then the brightness varies roughly
proportionately. That much I do know - I have done that a lot.

It is much more expensive and difficult to make a high efficiency LED
lamp appear as a resistor load than otherwise, so that is why many/most
LED lamps do not dim really nicely with conventional dimmers.

However, that does not mean that either of these is untrue:

* LED lamps can be made to dim well with conventional dimmers, either
with increase in cost or a compromise in efficiency

* Dimmers can be made that dim LED lamps well

- Don Klipstein )


Please point me to somewhere I can buy these mythical LED dimmers. G

  #25   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,341
Default Missed a period......

Show of hands. Who didn't read this? It got my attention.

On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:02:12 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

(Good thing I'm a guy, not a girl)

That first hyperlink in my previous post needs a period at its end.
(......Jr.)

For some reason my browser didn't pick up the period.

So if you clicked on it and Wiki said "no way Jose", and didn't give you
the "John Hayes Hammond Jr." page, try adding a period to the end of
what's in your browser's address bar.

Computers...They do what they're told to do, not what you want them to do.

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and
seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in
some of the rooms in that gorgeous place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr.

and

http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/

Jeff

Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Ceiling Fans Bob[_16_] Home Repair 8 June 18th 08 05:10 PM
ceiling fans, a/c, what's right for me? [email protected] Home Repair 9 October 30th 06 06:59 PM
ceiling fans Mark Modrall Home Repair 7 July 4th 06 08:45 AM
Ceiling fans next to ceiling diffusers [email protected] Home Repair 2 November 17th 05 07:36 PM
Vaulted Ceiling--Installing Ceiling Fans Dave Combs Home Repair 0 July 31st 05 03:24 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:28 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"