Electrician Jobs "Simple" Dimmer installation

[Will Maclachlin]

Hi there. I am attempting to install a dimmer switch to replace the current one-way flip switch. The switch turns on/off simple ceiling rose.

On the dimmer switch have matched the RED Common wire and the black wire to L1 as the flip switch had it. The metal box is grounded.

However, after installation, the dimmer switch (or is it the ceiling light?) behaves erratically. Sometimes it will turn on, sometimes not. Other times it does come on, the light flickers and sometimes not. This has happened with 2 different dimmers.

Can I assume I do not have the right bulb in the rose? The load is wrong for the dimmer?

 

[westward10]

Is it an LED lamp?

 

[littlespark]

Is that all the wires in the switch, a red and a black? The black should be sleeved with red or brown to distinguish it as a live and not a neutral.

The frickering ploblem is down to using an LED or CFL lamp as others have suggested.
Replace the lamp with a halogen.
LED need specific dimmers and CFL don’t dim at all.

 

[SparkyAndGeorge]

Are the existing lamps dimmable

 

[buzzlightyear]

when people say its simple (dimmer) installation and things go wrong
I wonder what they are thinking at the time .when the lights start flashing like something out of poltergeist. thier here.

 

[telectrix]

you have to ascertain if the lamps are dimmable.

 

[Will Maclachlin]

Hi all. Thanks for your replies.

The Black wire goes into the COMMON connection as it is currently wired.

The rose takes large bayonet cap bulbs. I have been using Halogen bulbs of that type that say dimmable on the box. However, I think both bulbs I tried were below 60w which is the minimal load rating of one of the switches (the other was 100w so never had a chance). I will get a higher wattage bulb and give that a go. Thanks all for your time.

 

[buzzlightyear]

advice, get a spark in .

 

[littlespark]

Your halogen bulbs should work fine, although 60W halogen sounds excessively high.

Check the box, does it say “60W equivalent”?
That means the bulb might only take 35W but gives off the same light output as a 60w traditional bulb.

Regular rotary type dinners can take up to 250w, the minimum being 10 or 20.
That’s why a 10w LED lamp won’t dim with an old dimmer. (That, and all the electronics involved)

So... if your switch is wired correctly, and your lamps are of the dimable type, then there’s not much we can suggest from afar. Other than ask an electrician to come have a look.

You could remove the dimmer and put the normal switch back- see if the problems are still there? Then it is the dimmer switch at fault. May be a faulty switch???

 

[MDJ]

As mentioned earlier, is the lamp an LED? only certain types dim, otherwise they do flicker

 

[DefyG]

Can I assume I do not have the right bulb in the rose? The load is wrong for the dimmer?

Yep

 

[pirate]

Hmm...interesting thread.
LEDs are funny, methinks...
Recently installed 7 of these

Super Slim LED Panel Light 50w - Daylight White - https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LTSP50DL.html

and they are literally brilliant, and have 10 more on order for the same project.
Using quinetic wireless switches with them, and the simple on/off work perfectly, saving tons of wiring to switch drops and giving flexibility of switch placement etc...
However, we wanted 2 panels to be dimmable, and installed the correct switch/receiver/driver...and they don't work well at all.
Tech support said that these are not 100% compatible...and in practice the dimming is erratic, with stuttering and flickering and so on...
Seeme to me, as an amateur, it is hit and miss with dimming and LEDs

That said, those slim LED panels are excellent, the light output is amazing, and twinned with the quinetic switches makes a very simple installation...just don't try to work them off dimmers.
A tiny shout out for the suppliers though...excellent customer service!
We have used the deeper ceiling mount frames so the drivers etc can sit inside the frame, rather than in the ceiling void above, with DeBoxes for loop in/out. They also do an EM module which sits within the frame, but the battery pack is far too big so that has been shoved into the ceiling void through a 70mm Hafele access panel,and so far it looks fine. Only fitted that on Thursday and am abroad now, so awaiting a verdict on how well the EM works...hopefully it will be fine, thus avoiding the need for a separate light fitting for emergency use...they claim the LED panels will light to 20% for 3 hours.