LED Household light bulbs

[highfigh]

Got that right. We had sorry , well 26 year old dimmers and replaced all of them and it made a huge difference.

Had some kind of rheostat, did ya?

 

[TLS Guy]

Got that right. We had sorry , well 26 year old dimmers and replaced all of them and it made a huge difference.

Yes, when I converted our former lake home to LED bulbs I changed all the dimmers at the same time.

Another issue with Leds and dimmers is the minimum current draw. Even when off dummers have a minimum draw. This means the bulbs will stay lit even when turned off. I have run into this twice. The first was above the bulbs above the fireplace in out former town home and the other was the rope lights marking the level changes in the AV room.

The way to handle this is to put a 270 nF 270 volt cap in parallel with the load. This will handle the minimal current draw and the lights will go out.

 

[Squishman]

The way to handle this is to put a 270 nF 270 volt cap in parallel with the load. This will handle the minimal current draw and the lights will go out.

Pretty sure Charles McGill in "Better Call Saul" would have major problems here.

 

[highfigh]

Yes, when I converted our former lake home to LED bulbs I changed all the dimmers at the same time.

Another issue with Leds and dimmers is the minimum current draw. Even when off dummers have a minimum draw. This means the bulbs will stay lit even when turned off. I have run into this twice. The first was above the bulbs above the fireplace in out former town home and the other was the rope lights marking the level changes in the AV room.

The way to handle this is to put a 270 nF 270 volt cap in parallel with the load. This will handle the minimal current draw and the lights will go out.

Did you have any flickering lights?

 

[highfigh]

Pretty sure Charles McGill in "Better Call Saul" would have major problems here.

But Mike wouldn't.

 

[Squishman]

But Mike wouldn't.

As in Mike Ehrmantraut?

 

[TLS Guy]

Did you have any flickering lights?

No flickering at all. The two cans over the fireplace stayed alight very dimly. The AV room rope lights stayed on pretty bright. That cap solution works perfectly.

 

[lovinthehd]

Tonight I have a bulb (of two) in a lamp I have that is flickering and threatening to quit I suppose, it's in a fixture with variable brightness but is an LED bulb supposedly suited for such. Been maybe two years so far for this one? We'll see, trying full brightness for a while to see if that makes a difference rather than dialed down as I usually use it....

 

[TLS Guy]

Tonight I have a bulb (of two) in a lamp I have that is flickering and threatening to quit I suppose, it's in a fixture with variable brightness but is an LED bulb supposedly suited for such. Been maybe two years so far for this one? We'll see, trying full brightness for a while to see if that makes a difference rather than dialed down as I usually use it....

There are a number of causes. The most likely is that the bulbs have defective driver circuits, or are not even designed for dimming. Alternatively the dimmer may be failing. They are complex circuits and can fail. Best solution is to install new dimmable bulbs and see what happens. If it is still a problem change the dimmer. I have had the best luck with the top of the line Lutron dimmers.

The Lutron Maestro dimmers are what I favor. I should add a disclaimer is I worked with Lutron to minimize dimmers causing a buzz on audio systems due to issues with distortion at the zero crossing of the AC cycle. This can cause audio and AV equipment to buzz. Minimizing distortion at the zero crossing minimises this.

 

[highfigh]

As in Mike Ehrmantraut? View attachment 67010

Yup.

 

[highfigh]

Tonight I have a bulb (of two) in a lamp I have that is flickering and threatening to quit I suppose, it's in a fixture with variable brightness but is an LED bulb supposedly suited for such. Been maybe two years so far for this one? We'll see, trying full brightness for a while to see if that makes a difference rather than dialed down as I usually use it....

I have some LED bulbs in a stairwell that flicker if the brightness is around 50% on the dimmer- It doesn't really bother me, but I did like the lower brightness of the incandescent bulbs.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have some LED bulbs in a stairwell that flicker if the brightness is around 50% on the dimmer- It doesn't really bother me, but I did like the lower brightness of the incandescent bulbs.

LED bulbs came in grades of warmth. If you pick a LED bulb specked at 2000 to 3000 Kelvin it will be warm. If you double that, or more, it will be 'white hot'.

Flickering of the lights that are on a dimmer is most likely to be a dimmer issue. Dimmers vary enormously in quality from very poor to excellent. My experience is that most are towards the poor end.

SCR dimmer circuits have problems handling the zero crossing. That is the point in the sine wave where the voltage is zero. These circuits are prone to a discontinuity where the voltage crosses the zero point, so there is a prolonged period of zero voltage. The more the light is dimmed, then the period of zero voltage is prone to extend and you get flickering. This problem is also prone to cause a buzz through your speakers, as it also puts interference on your AC lines which can radiate to the high gain voltage amplification stages of audio equipment.

I know the Luton Maestro has least problems at the zero crossing, as I have tested them thoroughly. It is impossible to make an SCR dimmer with no issues at the zero crossing. The best you can do is make it as minimal as you can. The only way to have no problems at the zero crossing, is to use a variable voltage transformer, but these are large and expensive. You won't mount those in a wall, only on wall!

 

[rnatalli]

I've had good luck with Philips and GE. The cheaper brands are hit or miss and usually have at least a bad bulb or two in each batch. Kind of like when you buy produce that's pre-bagged.

 

[DigitalDawn]

Also, sometimes the dimmer phase will cause issues as well. Most older or less expensive dimmers are forward phase and some LED bulbs are happier with reverse phase, available in newer dimmers.

 

[highfigh]

LED bulbs came in grades of warmth. If you pick a LED bulb specked at 2000 to 3000 Kelvin it will be warm. If you double that, or more, it will be 'white hot'.

Flickering of the lights that are on a dimmer is most likely to be a dimmer issue. Dimmers vary enormously in quality from very poor to excellent. My experience is that most are towards the poor end.

SCR dimmer circuits have problems handling the zero crossing. That is the point in the sine wave where the voltage is zero. These circuits are prone to a discontinuity where the voltage crosses the zero point, so there is a prolonged period of zero voltage. The more the light is dimmed, then the period of zero voltage is prone to extend and you get flickering. This problem is also prone to cause a buzz through your speakers, as it also puts interference on your AC lines which can radiate to the high gain voltage amplification stages of audio equipment.

I know the Luton Maestro has least problems at the zero crossing, as I have tested them thoroughly. It is impossible to make an SCR dimmer with no issues at the zero crossing. The best you can do is make it as minimal as you can. The only way to have no problems at the zero crossing, is to use a variable voltage transformer, but these are large and expensive. You won't mount those in a wall, only on wall!

It's the brightness, not the color. I resisted using LED because so many were too blue-looking and the lights I really like are Halogen because they're the closest to daylight.

I have attended many Lutron lighting training sessions and am familiar with the causes of the problems. I have also worked in many homes with Lutron Radio Ra and Radio Ra II, have used Lutron Caseta dimmers and modules- the problems are almost always caused by lights that aren't compatible. The reasons given for not buying the right bulbs always come down to the price, which is ridiculous when the cost of the lighting system is considered.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

FWIW, my oldest LEDs are around 8 years or so old. Including a 150w equivalent bulb, among the first I ever purchased.

oh, and add GE to the good list.

I've got two GE Refresh LED's 3-way, in end table lamps in the living room. Working well for a few years now.

Replaced a burnt out incandescent walk-in closet ceiling light with an LED, provides better light in the closet.

 

[ryanosaur]

I've had mixed success with Dimmable LED Bulbs on Lutron Dimmers. The bummer for me is that the voltage drop where I want it for a good nighttime setting is too low and you get the strobe effect from the lights. I had to adjust that attenuation switch to the point where the dimming isn't enough and it really becomes a catch 22 between having the lights bright enough for work and dim enough for leisure.

On the flip side, my experience with Phillips Hue and their Phone App is excellent. Of course, the downside here is the cost. The colored bulbs are really excellent but just too d@mn expensive to justify filling a room with. I use them in my Listening / HT Space and have 3 in the Lady's room and 3 more in our bedroom. 4 spots on a track in our living room also use them while the other 10 (on a different switch) are standard LEDs on a Lutron Dimmer.
Regardless, the Hue App is great for micro-managing each bulb as long as you don't mind keeping your phone at hand. They do work way, WAY better than the dimmer switches!

 

[highfigh]

I've had mixed success with Dimmable LED Bulbs on Lutron Dimmers. The bummer for me is that the voltage drop where I want it for a good nighttime setting is too low and you get the strobe effect from the lights. I had to adjust that attenuation switch to the point where the dimming isn't enough and it really becomes a catch 22 between having the lights bright enough for work and dim enough for leisure.

On the flip side, my experience with Phillips Hue and their Phone App is excellent. Of course, the downside here is the cost. The colored bulbs are really excellent but just too d@mn expensive to justify filling a room with. I use them in my Listening / HT Space and have 3 in the Lady's room and 3 more in our bedroom. 4 spots on a track in our living room also use them while the other 10 (on a different switch) are standard LEDs on a Lutron Dimmer.
Regardless, the Hue App is great for micro-managing each bulb as long as you don't mind keeping your phone at hand. They do work way, WAY better than the dimmer switches!

Flickering is due to the bulbs, not the dimmer and if you want a better range of brightness without being too dim, use a slightly lower wattage equivalent- they work better when near the upper 50% of the range.

I started with Feit smart dimmers, then added some smart outlets (no dimming) and a Floodlight camera. The dimmers work well enough (aside from the stairwell I mentioned before) and the outlets are great. The floodlight camera is set to very low brightness because if it's any higher, it looks like a prison yard- stupidly bright. I like being able to automate the lights, too.

 

[ryanosaur]

Flickering is due to the bulbs, not the dimmer and if you want a better range of brightness without being too dim, use a slightly lower wattage equivalent- they work better when near the upper 50% of the range.

Not blaming the Dimmer... just my understanding that the voltage attenuation might be what is causing the effect. Good quality bulbs are used. I think at this point, a majority on the 1 dimmer are Feit, 8 of 10 bulbs to be certain. It also happens on the candelabra in the dinette (don't recall the brand bulbs) and the LED Pots I installed over Kitchen workstations replacing old dead florescent tubes:

Amazon.com

 

[highfigh]

Not blaming the Dimmer... just my understanding that the voltage attenuation might be what is causing the effect. Good quality bulbs are used. I think at this point, a majority on the 1 dimmer are Feit, 8 of 10 bulbs to be certain. It also happens on the candelabra in the dinette (don't recall the brand bulbs) and the LED Pots I installed over Kitchen workstations replacing old dead florescent tubes:

Amazon.com

It's not a matter of high vs low quality bulbs- not all bulbs are designed for leading edge or trailing edge attenuation. The dimmer's specs should indicate how it works- lighting designers need to know this and it translates directly to consumers but we don't have people designing our lighting in most cases. All manufacturers have technical info for determining the best match.