Spot Lights Flicker

[yipee458]

My downstairs hallway, Front Room and Living room are running off a 6amp mcb. In each is a 11w energy saving bulb. In the Front room i have installed 12 50w halogen spot lights on 1 dimmer switch all with dimmer bulbs. after installation all was working working fine as it was tested for a few minutes at a time. then came the problem. As i came to paint the room, the lights were on for a while and after a couple of hours began to flicker. when the switch is turned full they seem to be working fine its when i turn it down they flicker quite fast. when i leave them off for a while it goes back to normal then problem starts again. No bulbs have fused nor has it allowed the mcb to trip.

Any advice guys???????????

 

[james king]

is the switch 400w or 1000w?

 

[yipee458]

Hey thanks for the quick reply. Just checked, its a 400W dimmer switch.

 

[james king]

the switch is not strong enouh to handle all 12 lights. 50w x 12 = 600w

1000w dimmer is needed

 

[telectrix]

the switch is not strong enouh to handle all 12 lights. 50w x 12 = 600w

1000w dimmer is needed

echo that. 1000wat dimmer reqd. preferably before the 400watt goes up in a puff of smoke.

 

[yipee458]

Thanks for that. I will try this once the suppliers reopen. Hope it works. Thank you very much

 

[Paul.M]

Spot on jiga ha ha. Always buy a good quality dimmer as well, last longer.

 

[IQ Electrical]

Also make sure the dimmer is rated for the type of lamps installed, don't just look at wattage alone, read this:

Dimmer Guide

 

[Lofty]

Hi, Also am I right in reading the original post that there is an 11W energy saving bulb in that room as well. If so as well as upgrading the dimmer ensure that this lamp is dimmable as well. I've been to houses where they have used low energy lamps which don't dim.

Cheers,
Lofty.

 

[Des 56]

Could it be that the connections in the ceiling space, if they are made with just connector blocks instead of being in an enclosure (which covers the lives and clamps the cables securely) they may have been strained or dis lodged
The result being, strain on the connection has caused an open circuit or more importantly a loose connection that could result in a fire

Just a guess you see ,but the probability is, the size and type of dimmer was not made correctly

 

[Paul.M]

Hi, Also am I right in reading the original post that there is an 11W energy saving bulb in that room as well. If so as well as upgrading the dimmer ensure that this lamp is dimmable as well. I've been to houses where they have used low energy lamps which don't dim.

Cheers,
Lofty.

The 11w energy savers are in the hallway, not the living room on the dimmer.

 

[Lofty]

Hi paul.m,
Fair do's it's just from this extract from the OP

' My downstairs hallway, Front Room and Living room are running off a 6amp mcb. In each is a 11w energy saving bulb.'

That made me think that he had an energy saving lamp in there as well.


Cheers,
Lofty

 

[Paul.M]

Yep I looked twice as well. Reading the title then first thing ya see is energy saving bulbs kind of jumps out at you.

 

[Lofty]

Yes indeed. Don't you just love those lamps !!!

Cheers,
Lofty.

 

[telectrix]

Yes indeed. Don't you just love those lamps !!!

Cheers,
Lofty.

if we can fit enough of these in the next 11 months, global warming will be reduced and we can have a big freeze for the whole of december through march. luvvverly

 

[Lofty]

What a sobering thought that is .

 

[mikeymoo]

Not all dimmers are suitable for Halogen lighting.

 

[telectrix]

i have a dimmer that will dim any type of lighting going. it's american, made in tennessee by jack daniels

 

[Marvo]

Not all dimmers are suitable for Halogen lighting.

mains voltage halogens should be a linear load, why do you say halogens may not be suitable for some dimmers?

 

[telectrix]

mains voltage halogens should be a linear load, why do you say halogens may not be suitable for some dimmers?

as orig' post. 600watts of halogens not suitable for a 400watt dimmer

 

[SimpleSimon]

as orig' post. 600watts of halogens not suitable for a 400watt dimmer

But that's to do with the wattage as oppose to the type of bulb.
Think mickey was referring to dimmers that are not compatable with halogens regardless of wattage.

 

[mikeymoo]

other way around (not all dimmers are suitable for halogen lighting)

Resistive
These are designed to control lamps that have a filament, which emits heat and visible light. Typical lamps are standard GLS incandescent, Mains halogen.

Inductive
These dimmers are designed to control light sources which use wire wound components in the form of transformers. An example of this would be low voltage lighting.

 

[Marvo]

I've never come across dimmers that will operate a linear resistive load but won't run an inductive load although there may be a derating factor involved.