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#1
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
In my sun room I have 4 recessed lights with 75 or 100 watt bulbs. These
are connected to a dimmer. In the winter months, I have a cigar out there, and have a 1500 watt quartz heater in front of me, a box fan in the window, and a small fan blowing the smoke towards the box fan. Last week when I turned off the heater, the lights brightened as they normally do, but all 4 lights began flashing like a strobe light. Now the problem is intermittent. The other night the lights would flash, then stop when I turned on the heater. I believe I need to replace the dimmer with a higher wattage type. I've read that 600 watts is standard. Do you think that will stop the lights from flashing? -Thanks |
#2
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
"James Egan" wrote in message news In my sun room I have 4 recessed lights with 75 or 100 watt bulbs. These are connected to a dimmer. In the winter months, I have a cigar out there, and have a 1500 watt quartz heater in front of me, a box fan in the window, and a small fan blowing the smoke towards the box fan. Last week when I turned off the heater, the lights brightened as they normally do, but all 4 lights began flashing like a strobe light. Now the problem is intermittent. The other night the lights would flash, then stop when I turned on the heater. I believe I need to replace the dimmer with a higher wattage type. I've read that 600 watts is standard. Do you think that will stop the lights from flashing? Replacing the dimmer is the easiest fix, but a higher wattage rating is not needed in this case. The fact that the heater and the lights are on the same circuit and causing voltage drop may have had a long term detrimental effect on the existing dimmer. Instead of wasting another dimmer, install a regular wall switch for the time being to see if the flashing problem goes away. Would it be easy to separate the outlets from the lighting so that you have two different circuits as I think that would be the best way to go? |
#3
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:26:40 -0500, John Grabowski wrote:
Replacing the dimmer is the easiest fix, but a higher wattage rating is not needed in this case. The fact that the heater and the lights are on the same circuit and causing voltage drop may have had a long term detrimental effect on the existing dimmer. Instead of wasting another dimmer, install a regular wall switch for the time being to see if the flashing problem goes away. Would it be easy to separate the outlets from the lighting so that you have two different circuits as I think that would be the best way to go? No, I like the dimmer out there. I believe the heater and lights are on the same circuit, because the lights dim or get bright, depending on if the heater is on or off. I'm probably going to try replacing the dimmer. -Thanks |
#4
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
"James Egan" wrote in message news In my sun room I have 4 recessed lights with 75 or 100 watt bulbs. These are connected to a dimmer. In the winter months, I have a cigar out there, and have a 1500 watt quartz heater in front of me, a box fan in the window, and a small fan blowing the smoke towards the box fan. Last week when I turned off the heater, the lights brightened as they normally do, but all 4 lights began flashing like a strobe light. Now the problem is intermittent. The other night the lights would flash, then stop when I turned on the heater. I believe I need to replace the dimmer with a higher wattage type. I've read that 600 watts is standard. Do you think that will stop the lights from flashing? -Thanks It's possible that the dimmer is bad, although there is no need to use a higher wattage dimmer. I would check to see if the lights and outlet that the heater is plugged into are on the same circuit. It may be that they are on two different circuits sharing a neutral (Edison circuit, or multiwire circuit), in which case, there may be a loose connection in the shared neutral. |
#5
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
On Dec 20, 9:27�am, James Egan wrote:
In my sun room I have 4 recessed lights with 75 or 100 watt bulbs. �These are connected to a dimmer. �In the winter months, I have a cigar out there, and have a 1500 watt quartz heater in front of me, a box fan in the window, and a small fan blowing the smoke towards the box fan. Last week when I turned off the heater, the lights brightened as they normally do, but all 4 lights began flashing like a strobe light. �Now the problem is intermittent. �The other night the lights would flash, then stop when I turned on the heater. �I believe I need to replace the dimmer with a higher wattage type. �I've read that 600 watts is standard. �Do you think that will stop the lights from flashing? -Thanks QUIT SMOKING! IT LEADS TO POOR HEALTH early ugly death and is a waste of money. beyond that just replace the dimmer........ its likely bad |
#6
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
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#7
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
James Egan wrote:
On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:47:39 -0800, wrote: QUIT SMOKING! IT LEADS TO POOR HEALTH early ugly death and is a waste of money. beyond that just replace the dimmer........ its likely bad Yes, I plan on replacing the dimmer. And smoking in my family has never been problem for ANYONE. All lived to their 80's and 90's. some smoked heavily. I smoked cigarettes for 35 years, just quit 3 years ago, and my lungs are in great health. Yet I've known MANY people over the years who have gotten lung cancer, that never smoked in their lives. Fine cigars are no more a waste of money than a fine wine, or aged scotch, or an aged steak, etc. It's a luxury. Yup, It'd your life, you do whatever you want with it. I once looked at dead smokers lung during autopsy. It looked like soot covered chimney inside. Npo one in my family has that filthy luxury(as you put it). |
#9
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
On Dec 20, 3:25*pm, Tony Hwang wrote:
James Egan wrote: On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:47:39 -0800, wrote: QUIT SMOKING! IT LEADS TO POOR HEALTH early ugly death and is a waste of money. beyond that just replace the dimmer........ its likely bad Yes, I plan on replacing the dimmer. And smoking in my family has never been problem for ANYONE. *All lived to their 80's and 90's. *some smoked heavily. *I smoked cigarettes for 35 years, just quit 3 years ago, and my lungs are in great health. *Yet I've known MANY people over the years who have gotten lung cancer, that never smoked in their lives. Fine cigars are no more a waste of money than a fine wine, *or aged scotch, or an aged steak, etc. *It's a luxury. Yup, It'd your life, you do whatever you want with it. I once looked at dead smokers lung during autopsy. It looked like soot covered chimney inside. Npo one in my family has that filthy luxury(as you put it).- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Which is why Americans have to pay for their own health care? Same with obesity? BTW: Is that heater is wired through the dimmer? At very least it sounds as though there may be voltage drop problem? Four x 75 = 300 watts (maybe 400 watts) Heater = 1500 watts Fan? = say 25 watts? TOTAL = around 2000 watts. If that wiring happens to be 14AWG (Common for lighting wiring!) and the dimmer is rated for say 600 watts it sounds like overloading; but insufficient info provided to really know. Oh also btw. There will always be the 'two pack a day smokers'; some of whom will live to 90+. But last year our neighbour once a heavy smoker died of lung cancer. He was an excellent wood worker; some 15 years younger than I. Strangely before retirement he had been a an X. Ray technical instructor. In fact it may have been that that persuaded him to give up smoking. Unfortunately it caught up with him at age around 60! What a waste! Nice man. |
#10
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:29:15 -0800, terry wrote:
of whom will live to 90+. But last year our neighbour once a heavy smoker died of lung cancer. He was an excellent wood worker; some 15 years younger than I. Strangely before retirement he had been a an X. Ray technical instructor. In fact it may have been that that persuaded him to give up smoking. Unfortunately it caught up with him at age around 60! What a waste! Nice man. You don't know that for certain -- Many non-smokers get lung cancer too. I've been taking a survey of sorts for decades now. |
#11
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
terry wrote in
: On Dec 20, 3:25*pm, Tony Hwang wrote: James Egan wrote: On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:47:39 -0800, wrote: QUIT SMOKING! IT LEADS TO POOR HEALTH early ugly death and is a waste of money. beyond that just replace the dimmer........ its likely bad Yes, I plan on replacing the dimmer. And smoking in my family has never been problem for ANYONE. *All live d to their 80's and 90's. *some smoked heavily. *I smoked cigarettes for 35 years, just quit 3 years ago, and my lungs are in great health. *Yet I've known MANY people over the years who have gotten lung cancer, that neve r smoked in their lives. Fine cigars are no more a waste of money than a fine wine, *or aged scotch, or an aged steak, etc. *It's a luxury. Yup, It'd your life, you do whatever you want with it. I once looked at dead smokers lung during autopsy. It looked like soot covered chimney inside. Npo one in my family has that filthy luxury(as you put it).- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Which is why Americans have to pay for their own health care? Same with obesity? BTW: Is that heater is wired through the dimmer? At very least it sounds as though there may be voltage drop problem? Four x 75 = 300 watts (maybe 400 watts) Heater = 1500 watts Fan? = say 25 watts? TOTAL = around 2000 watts. If that wiring happens to be 14AWG (Common for lighting wiring!) and the dimmer is rated for say 600 watts it sounds like overloading; but insufficient info provided to really know. Oh also btw. There will always be the 'two pack a day smokers'; some of whom will live to 90+. But last year our neighbour once a heavy smoker died of lung cancer. He was an excellent wood worker; some 15 years younger than I. Strangely before retirement he had been a an X. Ray technical instructor. In fact it may have been that that persuaded him to give up smoking. Unfortunately it caught up with him at age around 60! What a waste! Nice man. I'm doomed to croak of cancer. Virtually everyone on both sides for generations has. Some smoked, some quit and some never did. Nobody gets out alive. |
#12
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 11:25:55 -0700, Tony Hwang wrote:
James Egan wrote: On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:47:39 -0800, wrote: QUIT SMOKING! IT LEADS TO POOR HEALTH early ugly death and is a waste of money. beyond that just replace the dimmer........ its likely bad Yes, I plan on replacing the dimmer. And smoking in my family has never been problem for ANYONE. All lived to their 80's and 90's. some smoked heavily. I smoked cigarettes for 35 years, just quit 3 years ago, and my lungs are in great health. Yet I've known MANY people over the years who have gotten lung cancer, that never smoked in their lives. Fine cigars are no more a waste of money than a fine wine, or aged scotch, or an aged steak, etc. It's a luxury. Yup, It'd your life, you do whatever you want with it. I once looked at dead smokers lung during autopsy. It looked like soot covered chimney inside. Npo one in my family has that filthy luxury(as you put it). You don't inhale cigars. They're not even close the amount of tar inhaled from cigarettes. |
#13
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
" wrote in
: On Dec 20, 9:27�am, James Egan wrote: In my sun room I have 4 recessed lights with 75 or 100 watt bulbs. ï¿ ½These are connected to a dimmer. �In the winter months, I have a cigar out there, and have a 1500 watt quartz heater in front of me, a box fan in th e window, and a small fan blowing the smoke towards the box fan. Last week when I turned off the heater, the lights brightened as they normally do, but all 4 lights began flashing like a strobe light. �Now the pro blem is intermittent. �The other night the lights would flash, then stop when I turned on the heater. �I believe I need to replace the dimmer wit h a higher wattage type. �I've read that 600 watts is standard. �Do you think that will stop the lights from flashing? -Thanks QUIT SMOKING! IT LEADS TO POOR HEALTH early ugly death and is a waste of money. beyond that just replace the dimmer........ its likely bad Healthy is just the slowest possibly way to die of old age :-) |
#14
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
James Egan wrote in
news In my sun room I have 4 recessed lights with 75 or 100 watt bulbs. These are connected to a dimmer. In the winter months, I have a cigar out there, and have a 1500 watt quartz heater in front of me, a box fan in the window, and a small fan blowing the smoke towards the box fan. Last week when I turned off the heater, the lights brightened as they normally do, but all 4 lights began flashing like a strobe light. Now the problem is intermittent. The other night the lights would flash, then stop when I turned on the heater. I believe I need to replace the dimmer with a higher wattage type. I've read that 600 watts is standard. Do you think that will stop the lights from flashing? -Thanks Maybe they have emphysema. |
#15
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Why are ceiling lights flashing?
In the spirit of the season, go to the first one and change the one with
the little red mark on it... :-) James Egan wrote: In my sun room I have 4 recessed lights with 75 or 100 watt bulbs. These are connected to a dimmer. In the winter months, I have a cigar out there, and have a 1500 watt quartz heater in front of me, a box fan in the window, and a small fan blowing the smoke towards the box fan. Last week when I turned off the heater, the lights brightened as they normally do, but all 4 lights began flashing like a strobe light. Now the problem is intermittent. The other night the lights would flash, then stop when I turned on the heater. I believe I need to replace the dimmer with a higher wattage type. I've read that 600 watts is standard. Do you think that will stop the lights from flashing? -Thanks |
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