Bizarre Issue with Chandelier Bulbs

notmuchgoingon86 · Feb 11, 2023

I purchased a chandelier from Aliexpress (China) that came with bi pin G9 LED bulbs (3W equivalent) (pic attached). I asked the seller if this was dimmable and he said NO the bulbs are not dimmable. Apparently China uses cheap non-dimmable bulbs. But the seller told me I could purchase dimmable G9 bulbs and pair them with a dimmer switch and it would work. When I use the bulbs the factory sent me and hook it up to a normal switch (no dimmer), the chandelier works fine. When I replace those bulbs with dimmable G9s, I hear a loud pop and the light doesnt work. I have not tried hooking it up to a dimmer yet, but what is going on?? Is the pop because I am not using a dimmer with the G9 bulbs? Should that matter? Anyone have a clue and how I might solve my problem to use dimmable G9s with a Lutron dimmer. If so, what Lutron dimmer should I use? Meastro or Diva or something else that can handle the low output of the LEDs when dimmed? Update, I ordered a different G9 dimmable bulb (dimmable) and with a regular switch it came on (no pop) but at a very very faint level. Will this change if I add a Lutron dimmer? Thanks.

westward10 · Feb 11, 2023

What happens when you refit the original bulbs.

davesparks · Feb 11, 2023

Are you using the correct voltage G9 lamps?

brianmoooore · Feb 11, 2023

Lamp in pic isn't a G9 - it's a G4, and most (though not all) G4s are 12 volts.

MJPD29 · Feb 11, 2023

Sounds live you've put mains onto a 12v fitting, check if there is a integrated transformer in the base

DefyG · Feb 11, 2023

This is a G9 lamp not the one youve shown.

[ElectriciansForums.net] Bizarre Issue with Chandelier Bulbs

Avo Mk8 · Feb 11, 2023

Maybe the chandelier has been made to accommodate g4 bulbs, and been fitted with 240V g4's!

, eg (these are 5W not 3W):

[Hot Item] G4 LED Bulb 220-240V 5W 33D G4 G9 LED Lamp China Manufacture

Model NO.: SBJ-LED-G4-2835-33D Color Temperature: Warm White Lamp Body Material: PC Power: 5W LED: High-power Lamp Holder/Base: G4

sbjlighting.en.made-in-china.com

in which case, is the chandelier safe to use? I suppose 4mm pin spacing is OK?
if so it may be difficult to obtain dimmable bulbs for it!

Edit - these mains G4's are available in UK on Amazon I see (but all un-dimmable)

MJPD29 · Feb 11, 2023

Interesting, I've never seen a mains g4 only 12v, not sure if I'd trust them.

notmuchgoingon86 · Feb 11, 2023

Avo Mk8 said:
Maybe the chandelier has been made to accommodate g4 bulbs, and been fitted with 240V g4's!, eg (these are 5W not 3W):

[Hot Item] G4 LED Bulb 220-240V 5W 33D G4 G9 LED Lamp China Manufacture

Model NO.: SBJ-LED-G4-2835-33D Color Temperature: Warm White Lamp Body Material: PC Power: 5W LED: High-power Lamp Holder/Base: G4

sbjlighting.en.made-in-china.com

in which case, is the chandelier safe to use? I suppose 4mm pin spacing is OK?
if so it may be difficult to obtain dimmable bulbs for it!

Edit - these mains G4's are available in UK on Amazon I see (but all un-dimmable)

I tried the bulbs below and they caused the loud pop I described. There is no transformer on this chandelier. Just wires for each arm with connects to two bulbs.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L91Y6LZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

notmuchgoingon86 · Feb 11, 2023

westward10 said:
What happens when you refit the original bulbs.

Original G4 bulbs (non dimmable) from China work fine. Chandelier works. If I had a dimmer attached the dimmer gets fried.

notmuchgoingon86 · Feb 11, 2023

MJPD29 said:
Interesting, I've never seen a mains g4 only 12v, not sure if I'd trust them.

There is no transformer. This is main to G4 LED.

notmuchgoingon86 · Feb 11, 2023

DefyG said:
This is a G9 lamp not the one youve shown.
View attachment 106085

Yes my error, I mean to say G4.

brianmoooore · Feb 11, 2023

Are there any markings on the original lamps?

notmuchgoingon86 · Feb 11, 2023

MJPD29 said:
Sounds live you've put mains onto a 12v fitting, check if there is a integrated transformer in the base

There is no transformer. Just wires from each arm on the chandelier which I have bound all together and hooked up to the main. These G4's from China work directly with mains, no transformer. Yet other G4 bulbs I buy which are dimmable do not work. They create a loud pop and the dimmer gets fried.

notmuchgoingon86 · Feb 11, 2023

davesparks said:
Are you using the correct voltage G9 lamps?

How do I know what the correct voltage is? I asked the Chinese factory they said they bulbs are 3W equivalents. They hook up directly to the mains. No transformer. They work fine. When I put in dimmable G4 they create a loud pop and if I have a dimmer attached it gets fried but the chandelier is fine, I can refit the original bulbs from China and it works fine. But I have to put on a regular plain switch, no dimmer.

brianmoooore · Feb 11, 2023

What is the full spec of the replacement lamps?

MJPD29 · Feb 11, 2023

If i was to guess I'd say the dimmable g4s you are getting are 12v and the pop is you blowing the internals up with mains voltage. Personally I don't trust these Chinese fittings and would be cautious about having them in my house.

davesparks · Feb 11, 2023

notmuchgoingon86 said:
How do I know what the correct voltage is? I asked the Chinese factory they said they bulbs are 3W equivalents. They hook up directly to the mains. No transformer. They work fine. When I put in dimmable G4 they create a loud pop and if I have a dimmer attached it gets fried but the chandelier is fine, I can refit the original bulbs from China and it works fine. But I have to put on a regular plain switch, no dimmer.

As far as I know G4 lampholders are only rated for use up to 24V and must not be directly connected to mains voltage.

Can you post pictures of the lamps and the lampholders in the chandeliers?

You've mentioned both G4 and G9 lamps in this thread which is a little confusing

davesparks · Feb 11, 2023

Avo Mk8 said:
Maybe the chandelier has been made to accommodate g4 bulbs, and been fitted with 240V g4's!, eg (these are 5W not 3W):

[Hot Item] G4 LED Bulb 220-240V 5W 33D G4 G9 LED Lamp China Manufacture

Model NO.: SBJ-LED-G4-2835-33D Color Temperature: Warm White Lamp Body Material: PC Power: 5W LED: High-power Lamp Holder/Base: G4

sbjlighting.en.made-in-china.com

in which case, is the chandelier safe to use? I suppose 4mm pin spacing is OK?
if so it may be difficult to obtain dimmable bulbs for it!

Edit - these mains G4's are available in UK on Amazon I see (but all un-dimmable)

The OP isn't in the UK, they are in the USA.

nicebutdim · Feb 12, 2023

notmuchgoingon86 said:
There is no transformer. This is main to G4 LED.

The issue of voltage has been raised several times, but you haven't yet addressed the questions posed.

Can you confirm if the G4 lamps that made a pop are indeed rated for mains voltage? As other respondents have pointed out, it's seems as though this is the issue.

Amazon sell dimable G4 lamps rated for mains voltage, but I make no recommendations and wouldn't want them in my own home. If these lamps are suited to your application, matching them with a dimmer may be another issue that doesn't easily resolve itself.

Avo Mk8 · Feb 12, 2023

notmuchgoingon86 said:
Original G4 bulbs (non dimmable) from China work fine. Chandelier works. If I had a dimmer attached the dimmer gets fried.

Hi notmuchgoingon86
The link you provided a while back shows you bought bulbs rated at 12-24volts, which you put into a chandelier running from the mains.
that is why they go pop. They are the wrong bulbs.
To achieve your goal, you need dimmable G4 220 - 240V (or maybe 120V if that is your mains voltage) bulbs.

Good luck with your search.

Rockingit · Feb 12, 2023

Just another thought….. if it’s a chandelier with loads of lamps, they could all be wired in series? So 20 lamps @ 12v = 240, etc. Just trying to demo a dimmer with a few lamps will throw the maths out and make them pop….

brianmoooore · Feb 12, 2023

The ad in the link is extremely confusing. As far as I can make out, they are offering a 3W 220-240V G4 lamp and a 5W 12V G4 lamp. I've no idea if either is dimmable.
There doesn't appear to be a 120V version, suitable for the US, although I understand split phase 240V is common there, but not normally used for lighting circuits.
Given the dubious quality of some of these imports, the best solution would probably be to convert to 12V and use a dimmable driver. OP hasn't said how many lamps are involved, but if it's many, then the current handling capacity of the cables might need some thought.

Avo Mk8 · Feb 12, 2023

brianmoooore said:
The ad in the link is extremely confusing. As far as I can make out, they are offering a 3W 220-240V G4 lamp and a 5W 12V G4 lamp. I've no idea if either is dimmable.
There doesn't appear to be a 120V version, suitable for the US, although I understand split phase 240V is common there, but not normally used for lighting circuits.
Given the dubious quality of some of these imports, the best solution would probably be to convert to 12V and use a dimmable driver. OP hasn't said how many lamps are involved, but if it's many, then the current handling capacity of the cables might need some thought.

The link in OP's post #9, in which he said these were the one's he tried that went pop, was what I was referring to this morning.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L91Y6LZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

These appear to be exclusively low-voltage, unless I'm missing something!