But that’s why we’re here – to make lighting easier for you. In fact, it's probably worth mocking up an entire circuit to ensure the old lighting doesn't give a false sense of compatibility.Īs with a lot in lighting, dimming LEDs can be complex. Make sure the lamp(s) you’re considering work with your dimmer switches. If you want to avoid long-term problems with flickering and strobing and the whole spectrum of headaches that can come with trying to dim LED lighting, the most surefire thing you can do is to perform a mockup, or test install in your space. Mockup, mockup, mockup (and work with a lighting specialist) When helping you to find the right dimmable LED product, we’ll likely ask you about what kind of controls you’ll be using and double-check that the lamp you’re looking to buy works well with those controls, or if it’s been tested with it.Ĥ. Many lighting manufacturers publish compatibility and performance lists on their websites, detailing which of their products are compatible with certain controls systems, and how they performed when paired with those controls, or dimmer switches. Today’s most reliable dimmable LEDs have been tested across a broad spectrum of controls systems. These manufacturers are trying to beat everyone else on pricing, but what do you do about the five-year warranty they're offering you when they go out of business a couple years after money changes hands?ĭo your lighting products need to be UL listed or ETL listed? And what about DLC and Energy Star? There's that, and then there's the fact that there are a lot of brand new, unproven lighting manufacturers that have jockeyed their way onto the market. But for every problem LED has solved in the lighting world, it has caused others.Ĭontrols manufacturers have had to pivot and make sure their products have the proper components to work with LEDs. The emergence of LED and its electronic anatomy has made the manufacturing of light bulbs far more approachable than it once was when manufacturers needed access to finite resources like tungsten and mercury. Selecting the right combination of lamps and controls is as important to LED dimming as putting the correct batteries in your remote control. There is no need for wiring, very low labor, flexible installation, and you still have energy cost savings. Wireless controls use radio waves to send signals. All of the devices are added to a programmable network. This is a cost-effective approach that leads to better dimming control and easier upgrades. Or think about this option: wireless lighting controls. Though it’s not often discussed, dimmer switches are like lamps, in that they have life ratings – of five years, most often – and they can begin to fail when they’ve surpassed that rating. Not only might there be compatibility issues between the two, but your dimmer switches might be aged out. Pairing new LED lamps with pre-existing, older dimmer switches is a crapshoot for dimming. In order to get LED lamps to dim, you need a proper pairing between the lamp and the controls.Īs a general rule, when you’re retrofitting and you’re trying to get LEDs to dim, we always recommend purchasing new, compatible controls along with new LED lamps. Typically, LED dimming problems occur because the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing or, more specifically, the LED lamps aren’t in sync with the controls, or dimmer switches. Know the relationship between lamps and controls Be sure to know your product and talk to a lighting specialist or the lamp manufacturer about the lamp’s dimmability.Ģ. Getting the right type of product is the first step you can take toward LED dimming success. In all seriousness, if you’re used to exclusively buying incandescent lighting products, it may not occur to you that there are dimmable and non-dimmable LED lamps. Captain Obvious here with a special report from the field: dimmable LED lamps are an important part of the LED dimming equation. LED dimming success: 4 tips for avoiding LED flickering, strobing, and early burnout 1.
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