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What is the difference between dimmable and non-dimmable LED bulbs?
Ultimately, your bulb can get damaged. Dimmable LEDs, on the other hand, have special circuitry inside. This makes them able to respond to changing phase forms that produce the dimming effect. Non-dimmable LEDs are designed to either be fully powered ON or OFF.
Can you use a dimmable LED bulb in a regular lamp?
In short, the answer is NO. You can still use dimmable LEDs if you don’t have a dimming switch installed. These bulbs will work at 100% output and they will work just as efficiently as if they were being used with dimmable switches. Worse, it may eventually damage the non-dimmable LED bulb.
What makes an LED bulb dimmable?
Unlike other types of dimmable bulb, LEDs are not dimmed by a drop in voltage. The LED creates a dimming effect through either pulse width modulation (PWM) or analogue dimming. PWM is a digital signal whereby the LED is either on or off and the lower you set the dimmer, the less the signal is on, and vice versa.
What happens if you put a non-dimmable LED in dimmer?
If you install a non-dimming LED bulb in a circuit with a dimming switch, it will likely operate normally if the dimmer is at its 100% or fully on. Dimming the bulb, will likely cause erratic behavior such as flickering or buzzing and ultimately may cause damage to the bulb.
How do I know if my LED bulbs are dimmable?
The package or bulb should say if it’s dimmable and tell you which dimmer switches are compatible. You may get varying results with different CFLs and their compatible dimmers.
How do I know if my LED lights are dimmable?
Check The Light Bulb Check if the light bulb you are about to use is dimmable. Dimmable light bulbs work fine on a non-dimmable circuit; however, non-dimmable light bulbs will not work on a dimmable circuit. You can find this information on product packaging or on our product listing pages.
Do you need a special switch for dimmable LED lights?
Use an LED Dimmer switch A standard dimmer switch cannot be used with an LED light as you will never be able to dim the LED light either completely or not very well. LED lights need their own special electronic dimmer switch to have a fully functioning and dimming light.
Why are LED bulbs not dimmable?
Damage or failure – LED driver, circuit or LED is damaged or fails. Load below minimum – The power load of the LED lamp is below the minimum required by the dimmer. Mixed models- Different models of LED will likely have different drivers – since drivers behave differently this could result in dimming issues.
Can you put dimmers on any lights?
A dimmer switch can be installed anywhere that an existing on or off switch is in place. Replacing the current toggle switch with a dimmer switch will allow you to change the lights’ brightness, so long as you are using a light bulb that is compatible with the dimmer you have chosen.
Is dimmable the same as 3 way?
No. 3-way bulbs have three separate contacts to allow a three-way switch to power different incandescent filaments, to switch powers between three levels. Dimmable means that you can use a dimmer switch (replacement for a regular wall switch) to adjust the light intensity gradually across a wide range.
Are dimmable bulbs different?
Most LED light bulbs on the marketplace are actually dimmable. If you are using a CFL/LED dimmer. A 60W filament lamp may use a dimmer with a load limit of 25W but installing an LED lamp with a power rating of less than 10W makes the two distinct lamps incompatible due to the difference in power consumption.
Why do my dimmable LED bulbs flicker?
The main cause of flickering with dimmable LED light can usually be traced back to the dimmer switch. Dimmer switches come with a minimum compatible load (in short, the amount of Watts it can process). That’s why it’s important that you get a compatible LED dimmer switch to avoid any potential flickering.
Are all LED light fixtures dimmable?
In most cases, all models of LED bulbs are available in a dimmable version. But they are not always standard dimmable. Make sure the product name or specifications mention ‘dimmable’. This way you can be sure that the LED bulb is dimmable.
What is the symbol for dimmable bulbs?
The Dimmable Symbol, when you see this displayed on a LED lamp box it means the lamp can be used on a dimmer switch so that the light can be adjusted from dim to bright.
