Dimmer switches can create a good ambiance in dinning room or a home theater. Installing them is also not a cumbersome task. But before purchasing it, you should have a basic knowledge regarding them.
Dimmer switches can only work with 120V incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs. They can not be used with fluorescent bulbs and most compact fluorescent bulbs.
The basic reason behind this is that dimmer switches are meant to work with bulbs with wire filaments, which are present in 120V incandescent and halogen bulbs. On the other hand, fluorescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs contain a gas that requires certain amount of voltage to operate the light. Also for low voltage halogen bulbs, a special dimmer switch should be used.
Generally, there are single pole and 3-way dimmer switches. Choose the appropriate one for your application. If you want the light to be turned on via a single switch then you need a single pole dimmer switch and if you want it to be turned on by two switches then you need a 3-way dimmer switch. Note that in a 3-way lighting application only one of the switches can be a dimmer switch.
Old dimmer switches used to operate by controlling the voltage of light fixture. When you turn up or turn down the dimmer switch, voltage also varied along with it. Mainly a rheostat was behind all this but in general it was energy inefficient.
However, now dimmer switches are operated using a TRIAC which effectively switches the power on and off to the light bulb at a high frequency. The rate of switching is so quick that you can not determine the bulb is ever off.
As the light bulbs used with dimmer switches are turned off in between its course, they save a lot of electric unit from your monthly electricity bills and the life time of such bulbs also increases. By dimming a light to nearly half of its normal output, you can conserve 40% power and can enhance the life span of that bulb by 5-20 times.
Dimmer switches are one among the excellent accessories that can beautify your dining room, living room and especially a home theater room.
Dimmer switches can only work with 120V incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs. They can not be used with fluorescent bulbs and most compact fluorescent bulbs.
The basic reason behind this is that dimmer switches are meant to work with bulbs with wire filaments, which are present in 120V incandescent and halogen bulbs. On the other hand, fluorescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs contain a gas that requires certain amount of voltage to operate the light. Also for low voltage halogen bulbs, a special dimmer switch should be used.
Generally, there are single pole and 3-way dimmer switches. Choose the appropriate one for your application. If you want the light to be turned on via a single switch then you need a single pole dimmer switch and if you want it to be turned on by two switches then you need a 3-way dimmer switch. Note that in a 3-way lighting application only one of the switches can be a dimmer switch.
Old dimmer switches used to operate by controlling the voltage of light fixture. When you turn up or turn down the dimmer switch, voltage also varied along with it. Mainly a rheostat was behind all this but in general it was energy inefficient.
However, now dimmer switches are operated using a TRIAC which effectively switches the power on and off to the light bulb at a high frequency. The rate of switching is so quick that you can not determine the bulb is ever off.
As the light bulbs used with dimmer switches are turned off in between its course, they save a lot of electric unit from your monthly electricity bills and the life time of such bulbs also increases. By dimming a light to nearly half of its normal output, you can conserve 40% power and can enhance the life span of that bulb by 5-20 times.
Dimmer switches are one among the excellent accessories that can beautify your dining room, living room and especially a home theater room.
About the Author:
Scott Rodgers is an author with great experience in electricians work all across the nation. His exemplary guidance has generated business opportunities for a lot many Grove City Electricians (Need one? click here!) and Fort Washington Electricians (Need one? click here!).
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen