|
Posted by Don Klipstein on June 16, 2007, 12:53 am
>I have two coach lights on my porch that I'd like to put on a dimmer to
>reduce their brightness. It's a small porch and even with 40w bulbs it is
>pretty bright. Problem is we generally turn the lights on at dusk and off
>at dawn and I was wondering what the life expectancy and risks might be of
>using a dimmer. I know dimmers generate some heat.
>
>I'd need to use a 3 way dimmer. The lights are controlled in the family
>room and the laundry room, both switch locations are ganged, 3 in the family
>room and 2 in the laundry.
>
>Anyone ever do this?
>
>Thanks for you input!
How about using a 25 or 15 or 7.5 watt bulb? How about one of those 3,
4 or 5 watt compact fluorescents with candelabra bases and
candelabra-to-medium adapters?
Lowes sells a nominally 4 watt compact fluorescent of such style that
appears to me similar to one that Home Depot used to sell, which slightly
outshines a 15 watt 120V incandescent while consuming close to 5 watts.
Home Depot now carries a 3 watt compact fluorescent of such style that
is a little dimmer than a "standard" 15 watt 120V incandescent, and is
rated for use with dimmers. That one appears to me to be a "cold cathode"
model, which has generally no compromise in life expectancy from dimming
(usually actually lasts longer when dimmed) and negligibale to no
compromise in life expectancy from frequent starts. The disadvantage of
"cold cathode" is lower efficiency, but "hot cathode" has shorter life
expectancy at lower wattages and efficiency compromise by designing for
higher current lower voltage for the tubing to use more durable
electrodes.
The Home Depot 3-watt cold cathode candelabra base compact fluorescent
is of the N:Vision brand. It outshines 7 and 7.5 watt incandescents but
is slightly to somewhat dimmer than 15 watt ones.
Other than that, this range of light output is where screw-base 120V LED
"lightbulbs" have begun to do fairly well in the past couple years. Keep
in mind that they cost more than compact fluorescents, the N:Vision 3-watt
candelabra base compact fluorescent is rated to last typically a good
20,000 operating hours, and the widely-repeated 100,000 hour life
expectancy figure for LEDs largely does not apply to white ones (which
at full power tend to last a few thousand to 50,000 hours before fading
by 30-50%). Some LED "bulbs" may not be rated for use with dimmers.
However, LEDs will continue their advances...
- Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)
| 
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap