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Posted by Wayne Boatwright on April 27, 2008, 1:25 pm
On Sun 27 Apr 2008 09:02:12a, Robert Allison told us...
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>> On Sun 27 Apr 2008 08:08:26a, Robert Allison told us...
>>
>>
>>>Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>I have heard that there are dimmers available that will work with
>>>>conventional CFLs and don't require the special dimmable CFLs, but I
>>>>have yet to find one that clearly states it will work this way.
>>>>
>>>>Does anyone here know about such a dimmer?
>>>>
>>>
>>>There are special fixtures for cfls that allow them to be dimmed.
>>> On the other hand, there are special cfls that allow them to be
>>>dimmed with a standard dimmer. You need to get the right
>>>combination for either to work correctly.
>>>
>>>http://www.pathnet.org/sp.asp?id=23506
>>>
>>>http://www.energy.wsu.edu/documents/building/light/compact_fluor.pdf
>>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks, Robert.
>>
>
> Your welcome. In addition to the other information, I will give
> you this;
>
> If you invest in the special fixtures (I have been involved with
> these mostly in can lights) and install them, you will come out
> ahead financially. Although the dimmable on board ballasts cost
> more than standard can lights, you only have to buy them once.
Coincidentally, that's exactly what I want to dim. I have 12 recessed cans
in my kitchen, each with a 23 watt conventional screw-in CFL. Full power
is ideal when I'm doing a lot of cooking and cleanup (which is usually at
night), but there are many times when I wish I could dim them when I don't
need that much light.
> The bulbs that carry their own onboard ballast that makes them
> dimmable are way more (about 20 bucks a piece) than standard
> cfls. Since you are going to have to change them over the years,
> you will save over and over by going with the dimmable fixtures.
Yes, I found out just how expensive when I first looked for the CFLs, and
didn't buy the dimmable units because of the price and the rumor? that they
didn't always perform well at dimming.
I suppose the best choice is to just bite the bullet and replace the cans
with dimmable models. I will have to find suitable retrofit models, as it
is a vaulted ceiling with no crawl space above to work from.
I appreciate all your input!
--
Wayne Boatwright
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Sunday, 04(IV)/27(XXVII)/08(MMVIII)
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Today is: Rogation Sunday
Countdown till Memorial Day
4wks 13hrs 45mins
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He's not dead, Jim, he's just
metabolically challenged.
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