Dimmer For Lights
 

Hello,

Have a light dimmer that is used to dim some overhead lights in the
dining room.

It's quite old, and a vertical moving lever style.
Guess you would say it's analog, as you can set the bulb intensity
anywhere you like, or totally off.

The lights it controls are, presently, the normal incandescent type.

If and when we have to replace these bulbs with either the new
LED types or Halogen, or..., can I assume that any new Dimmer I buy
will work with them ?

Or, are there specific Dimmers for specific types ?
If so, any details on them would be appreciated.

Would hate to have to do it twice.

Thaks,
Bob

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Dimmer For Lights
 

On Thursday, March 27, 2014 7:15:54 AM UTC-4, Bob wrote:
Hello,



Have a light dimmer that is used to dim some overhead lights in the

dining room.



It's quite old, and a vertical moving lever style.

Guess you would say it's analog, as you can set the bulb intensity

anywhere you like, or totally off.



The lights it controls are, presently, the normal incandescent type.



If and when we have to replace these bulbs with either the new

LED types or Halogen, or..., can I assume that any new Dimmer I buy

will work with them ?



Or, are there specific Dimmers for specific types ?

If so, any details on them would be appreciated.



Would hate to have to do it twice.



Thaks,

Bob



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Any dimmmer will work with halogen. Most dimmers will work with
LEDs, but you should check with the particular LED bulb manufacturer's
info to be sure.

Dimmer For Lights
 

On 3/27/2014 7:15 AM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Have a light dimmer that is used to dim some overhead lights in the
dining room.

It's quite old, and a vertical moving lever style.
Guess you would say it's analog, as you can set the bulb intensity
anywhere you like, or totally off.

The lights it controls are, presently, the normal incandescent type.

When you say "normal", I'm assuming you are talking about the regular
round bulb and not a decorative type bulb. Many dining room fixtures
use the candelabra style bulbs and they are still going to be made.

Our light has some 60W fancy bulbs and since we don't usually run them
at 100%, they have lasted over 20 years now. If that is what you have
or can use, keep them a bit shy of full power and yhou don't have to
worry about changing anything for a long time.

Dimmer For Lights
 

On Thu, 27 Mar 2014 07:15:54 -0400, Bob wrote:

Hello,

Have a light dimmer that is used to dim some overhead lights in the
dining room.

It's quite old, and a vertical moving lever style.
Guess you would say it's analog, as you can set the bulb intensity
anywhere you like, or totally off.

The lights it controls are, presently, the normal incandescent type.

If and when we have to replace these bulbs with either the new
LED types or Halogen, or..., can I assume that any new Dimmer I buy
will work with them ?

Or, are there specific Dimmers for specific types ?
If so, any details on them would be appreciated.

Would hate to have to do it twice.

Thaks,
Bob


Dont try dimming any CFL bulbs, you'll burn them out quickly. I believe
they make CFL bulbs for dimming, but they are costly and I've never
heard how well they work or anything more about them. Any filament type
bulb will work fine, such as incandescent or halogen. As far as LED,
I'd check with the manufacturer. Never use dimmers on any florescent
tube fixtures, although there might be special bulbs and fixtures made
for that too, but I'm not sure....

Personally, if you run your lights in a decorative chandelier, have
smaller wattage bulbs, and keep them on dim, I'd stick with the
incandescent bulbs. You'd probably not save much electricity with other
bulb types, and will spend more for the bulbs and special dimmers, etc.
In the end, no $ savings. A 60w incan bulb at half brightness is only
using half the power (about 30w).

Of course, there's another option. Rewire the fixture, so that there
are two switches. Then put in one 25W (equivalant) CFL on switch #1.
And put two 60W CFL on switch #2. [Assuming you have a 3 bulb fixture].
This way you can use the 25W for dim, and both 60w for bright. (Or all
three bulbs for slightly brighter).

And dont they make 3way CFL bulbs now? I believe I've seen them. That
could be another option, but would mean replacing all the sockets and
adding wiring. Lots of possibilities, probably not worth the cost to
change them. Just let things as they are......
Not to mention that I have the feeling that CFL bulbs will likely fade
away in the near future, as LED gets more affordable. We're in a
transition phase with lighting. Kind of like when we went from vinyl
record to 8-track, then casette tape...... Soon, our lighting will
reach the CD state!

Dimmer For Lights
 

On Thu, 27 Mar 2014 07:15:54 -0400, Bob wrote:

Hello,

Have a light dimmer that is used to dim some overhead lights in the
dining room.

It's quite old, and a vertical moving lever style.
Guess you would say it's analog, as you can set the bulb intensity
anywhere you like, or totally off.

The lights it controls are, presently, the normal incandescent type.

If and when we have to replace these bulbs with either the new
LED types or Halogen, or..., can I assume that any new Dimmer I buy
will work with them ?

No. definitely not. Read the label on the dimmer carefully to see what
it will and won't work with.

Or, are there specific Dimmers for specific types ?

Yes.

If so, any details on them would be appreciated.

Would hate to have to do it twice.

Thaks,
Bob

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