LED bulbs and dimmers

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xpd

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#233464 17-Apr-2018 13:03

I'm no sparky (actually hate electricity :D) but want to replace all the bulbs with LEDs....

I know the basic reasons behind not using LED bulbs with dimmers (not designed to be dimmed etc), but is there anything else I should be aware of ? We have 2 lights in the lounge controlled with a dimmer, but we never dim the lights - would I be ok to use LED in that scenario ?

Also, if I just ripped the dimmer control out and put in a normal light switch, theres no gotchas with doing that ?

All the bedrooms have lights similar to this, which I'm wanting to remove because there very directional, and were only put up as a quick "modern look" fix to sell the house, so looking to replace these with single LED bulbs/sockets as well.

The joys of home ownership and being a geek........

XPD / Gavin

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#1997791 17-Apr-2018 13:17

Our electrician install new LEDs in our kitchen and he said that all LED downlights he installs now are dimmer compatible.

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#1997792 17-Apr-2018 13:18

Assuming you have incandescent in the lounge at the moment, be aware that some LED's will be much brighter than the incandescents and a very different colour temperature. (I.e. the LED's will display a very bright light). So you may want to have a dimmer in place.

We have four LED downlights in the lounge, on a dimmer (I do not regret having that added) however be aware that due to the way that LED's work, not all LED drivers are going to dim the lights as much as the incandescent.

You should be able to rip out the dimmer and replace with a standard switch without an issue.

In the bedrooms, be aware that LED's have a finite life span, so if you go for in ceiling lights, when there is an issue be prepared to replace one or more (including the drivers.) If have a socket (BC/ES) in the ceiling, you can change out the bulb. (I have yet to have any LEDs fail on me - and I started replacing lamps with LED ~ 8 years ago.)

The other thing to consider with in ceiling lights (aka downlights) is the angle that they light up - a narrow beam will end up quite directional, a wide beam should give you a nice "throw". (Higher ceilings will make a different too)

Hope that helps!

xpd

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#1997796 17-Apr-2018 13:23

Thanks :)

Any particular brands of bulbs to stay away from ? Be keen on picking up at least a couple of "smart" bulbs to throw in the mix as well to satisfy the inner geek.

XPD / Gavin

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Nzengsaif

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#1997829 17-Apr-2018 14:11

if you're not keen on dimming and you have an on/off switch with the dimmer, you can simply get any LED lights and just keep the dimmer turned up to the max.

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#1997860 17-Apr-2018 14:59

Nzengsaif:

if you're not keen on dimming and you have an on/off switch with the dimmer, you can simply get any LED lights and just keep the dimmer turned up to the max.

Yeah, but problem there is its next to a bunch of other switches and it always gets knocked :D Dont want to tape over it ;)

Really need a sparky to come round and find out what all these switches do.... only been here for 6+ years and still havent worked them all out :D

XPD / Gavin

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neb

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#1997917 17-Apr-2018 15:37

An unrelated question, but something I've always been curious about: What is it with dimmers? I know they were a fad in the 1970s when my parents' house was built, but apart from showing off they fact that they had dimmers I don't recall them ever using them. In fact in other houses I've been to I've never seen them used there either except in one or two cases where the host was showing off that the lights were dimmable. Do people actually use them in practice, meaning vary the light levels continuously rather than just leaving them set permanently at a fixed value? What for?

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#1997941 17-Apr-2018 16:07

We had our entire home swapped out from incandescent Downlights to LEDs and we have four dimmers (one in each of the kids bedrooms and one in each living room).

The dimmers we have installed are LED specific. All except one - the one that is the wrong dimmer (it's designed for incandescent lights) makes the light flicker and even affects the functionality of the light when not dimmed.When we turn it on, more often than not, it doesn't fully "engage" and we need to turn it off and start again.

I must get around to replacing that dimmer.

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/deta-universal-led-light-dimmer_p00322388

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#1997953 17-Apr-2018 16:09

neb: An unrelated question, but something I've always been curious about: What is it with dimmers? I know they were a fad in the 1970s when my parents' house was built, but apart from showing off they fact that they had dimmers I don't recall them ever using them. In fact in other houses I've been to I've never seen them used there either except in one or two cases where the host was showing off that the lights were dimmable. Do people actually use them in practice, meaning vary the light levels continuously rather than just leaving them set permanently at a fixed value? What for?

we use ours as the LED lights are great for a bright white light when needed, but not so great for sitting watching Telly at night...so we dim the lights and it's a more natural sort of glow...all personal preference, of course.

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#1997955 17-Apr-2018 16:15

I installed LEDs that said they were dimmer compatible, but 3 dimmers later and none work reliably. Lons is the brand.

xpd

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#1998002 17-Apr-2018 18:15

neb: An unrelated question, but something I've always been curious about: What is it with dimmers? I know they were a fad in the 1970s when my parents' house was built, but apart from showing off they fact that they had dimmers I don't recall them ever using them. In fact in other houses I've been to I've never seen them used there either except in one or two cases where the host was showing off that the lights were dimmable. Do people actually use them in practice, meaning vary the light levels continuously rather than just leaving them set permanently at a fixed value? What for?

Think it was a swingers party option - when the lights go down..... ;)

XPD / Gavin

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#1998006 17-Apr-2018 18:27

Handsomedan:

neb: An unrelated question, but something I've always been curious about: What is it with dimmers? I know they were a fad in the 1970s when my parents' house was built, but apart from showing off they fact that they had dimmers I don't recall them ever using them. In fact in other houses I've been to I've never seen them used there either except in one or two cases where the host was showing off that the lights were dimmable. Do people actually use them in practice, meaning vary the light levels continuously rather than just leaving them set permanently at a fixed value? What for?

we use ours as the LED lights are great for a bright white light when needed, but not so great for sitting watching Telly at night...so we dim the lights and it's a more natural sort of glow...all personal preference, of course.

Yep agreed. LED's are f'ing bright when full on - great most the time. But in the evening it is nice to turn them down a touch.

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#1998193 17-Apr-2018 22:38

neb: An unrelated question, but something I've always been curious about: What is it with dimmers? I know they were a fad in the 1970s when my parents' house was built, but apart from showing off they fact that they had dimmers I don't recall them ever using them. In fact in other houses I've been to I've never seen them used there either except in one or two cases where the host was showing off that the lights were dimmable. Do people actually use them in practice, meaning vary the light levels continuously rather than just leaving them set permanently at a fixed value? What for?

We have a room with a dimmer and it's great for getting up/feeding/settling the baby during the night. Also great for those times when you just want to chillax in the evenings without having the full glare on.

I want to change it to LED downlights however it's an array of 6 and i'm concerned i won't get the brightness I want from 800-1000 lumen LED downlights i see on the market. The combination of brightness, needing 6, and still wanting a dimmer is making it difficult to try without substantial cost.

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#2003715 27-Apr-2018 19:40

neb: An unrelated question, but something I've always been curious about: What is it with dimmers? I know they were a fad in the 1970s when my parents' house was built, but apart from showing off they fact that they had dimmers I don't recall them ever using them. In fact in other houses I've been to I've never seen them used there either except in one or two cases where the host was showing off that the lights were dimmable. Do people actually use them in practice, meaning vary the light levels continuously rather than just leaving them set permanently at a fixed value? What for?

With the modern stuff: My bedroom light turns on at 1% brightness and ramps up over half an hour, it does this each weekday morning prior to my alarm going off and provides a nicer way to wake up than the alarm. This feature brought to me by Google Home, IFTTT & LiFX. After I'm up I increase the brightness to normal levels. The bulb is pretty bright at 100%, I often run it at 80 or 90 percent instead. I can control the brightness with the app on my phone or by asking Google to set brightness at x percent or I can ask Google to brighten the light (or dim the light). I find the feature pretty useful.

What I don't really use is the colour changing feature. I've never really thought that it would be useful to have a green, blue, red, yellow or purple lightbulb. I quite like that I can have a bluer or more yellow light, but sitting in a room illuminated by an orange light has no appeal.

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#2003732 27-Apr-2018 20:03

Check if the lamps in those "very directional" are spots or floods. If they're spots try replacing them with floods. If you hate the dimmer knobs that much then sure get it replaced (so long as they're standard lights and not wired with the dimmers controlling special dimmer-compatible drivers) otherwise just get some dimmable LED lamps.

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#2003736 27-Apr-2018 20:10

Totally agree, gradual light increase in the morning is very relaxing. Personally I also like a slow ramp up of temperature in the morning to encourage me to get out of bed in winter.

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