Light Dimmers

[kuslamb]

I am getting light dimmers this weekend and was wondering if anyone had any opinions or tips on them.  I am buying @ Home Depot and will be probably be getting Lutron brand.  Anyone have any experience?

Other than turning off the power, anyone have any installation advice.

Thanks.

[studentper]

I am getting light dimmers this weekend and was wondering if anyone had any opinions or tips on them.  I am buying @ Home Depot and will be probably be getting Lutron brand.  Anyone have any experience?

Other than turning off the power, anyone have any installation advice.

Thanks.

personally, i'd just get a lower watt bulb, because you can't use dimmers w/ regular compact fluorescents.  if your getting a dimmer, get one that has the on/off function separate from the dimming and not the one that you have to turn only but can't push to turn it on/off--it was just a pain after awhile using the turning type only one.

[PumpkinStalker]

They're also pretty expensive.  $12 for a cheaper one.  If you're hooking it up to a fan that has a light, you're better off buying a fan that has a dimmer control built in, since the wall dimmer switch would also dim the fan speed at the same time as the lights.

I personally like dimmers that look like regular swtiches rather than the big slider type.

If your house is old/historic, they even make them that look like the originals.  There are a plethora of companies that make these old looking types.

http://houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6279/.f
www.vintagehardware.com

[PumpkinStalker]

Possibly off topic, but I almost forgot Rejuvenation.  Excellent selection and quality for all lighting needs.  Even have a small selection of restored antique lights.

http://www.rejuvenation.com/templates/c ... nAod1XcISA

[kuslamb]

I guess a little more info would help.  There are 5 switches.  4 to halogen light clusters and 1 to flourescent lights.  1 panel of 3 for the living room and 1 panel of 2 for the kitchen.  They are all single switches (IE there is not multiple switches controlling the same light).  No fans.  I live in Wallstreet Tower, no need for antique stuff.  

I am pretty sure that the flourescent kitchen lights will not work with dimmers.  I was going to save that for the tech @ Home Depot.  They seem to always be knowledgeable.

[nota]

We run our entire home with stuff from Smarthome

They have all kinds of stuff including dimmers, etc. It's fun to use, saves energy, etc.

In our younger years, my hubby the electrician always looked for Lutron.

[aknowledgeableperson]

I was going to save that for the tech @ Home Depot.  They seem to always be knowledgeable.

Good luck with HD.  Some of the people there have not been very helpful, and the same could be said for Lowe's.  Anway, got dimmers throughout the house.  The better ones are those that look like a single light switch.  Just one touch for off to on and then the level of light.

[LindseyLohan]

Hire an electrician, licensed and insured. I doubt your homeowner insurance covers electrical fires from faulty self improvements. I would probably ignore my own advice and do it myself, but I at least have more knowledge than the idiots at Home Depot.

I know I wouldn't want to be accountable for a fire in Wall Street Tower. Do they have a building/maintenance electrician on staff/contract funded by HOA?

[PumpkinStalker]

Hire an electrician, licensed and insured. I doubt your homeowner insurance covers electrical fires from faulty self improvements. I would probably ignore my own advice and do it myself, but I at least have more knowledge than the idiots at Home Depot.

I know I wouldn't want to be accountable for a fire in Wall Street Tower. Do they have a building/maintenance electrician on staff/contract funded by HOA?

With all due respect.  Nonsense.  Cut your power, attach the black wire to a screw, and the white wire to a screw.  If you have a grounded switch, the green wire is your ground, attach that to a green screw on the switch.  Wah-lah.

Call and get renter's insurance.  $7-15 a month.

[LindseyLohan]

With all due respect.  Nonsense.  Cut your power, attach the black wire to a screw, and the white wire to a screw.  If you have a grounded switch, the green wire is your ground, attach that to a green screw on the switch.  Wah-lah.

Call and get renter's insurance.  $7-15 a month.

Yes, it's incredibly f'in easy. If you are going to somebody at Home Depot for advice, you shouldn't be doing it at all. Dimmers have wattage limitations and more points of failure than a standard switch. While it's not likely to be the installers fault, if the dimmer is bad, you get some heat, start a fire, burn some shit up, the insurance company is going to get out of a claim when they find out it wasn't installed by a licensed electrician. While the chances are slim, I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for whatever fire damage would be made to a large multi dwelling building.

I've spent the majority of my career in the electrical industry and they best advice I can give someone that has questions like this is "hire an electrician". Milliamps can stop a heart and novice mistakes cause fires. But if your cocky, good luck.

PS. There is a reason why these people work at Home Depot, if they knew what the fuck they were doing they could be making an electricians wage.

[grovester]

Yes, it's incredibly f'in easy. If you are going to somebody at Home Depot for advice, you shouldn't be doing it at all. Dimmers have wattage limitations and more points of failure than a standard switch. While it's not likely to be the installers fault, if the dimmer is bad, you get some heat, start a fire, burn some shit up, the insurance company is going to get out of a claim when they find out it wasn't installed by a licensed electrician. While the chances are slim, I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for whatever fire damage would be made to a large multi dwelling building.

I've spent the majority of my career in the electrical industry and they best advice I can give someone that has questions like this is "hire an electrician". Milliamps can stop a heart and novice mistakes cause fires. But if your cocky, good luck.

PS. There is a reason why these people work at Home Depot, if they knew what the fuck they were doing they could be making an electricians wage.

agreed, HD should not be looked at for wisdom, only selection, limited as it may be.

[shinatoo]

As the Lutron rep for Kansas City I have to recommend Lutron. We invented the dimmer in the 1950's, we invented the fluorescent dimmer in 1973 and this year we introduced the first digital bus ballast. We own about 85 percent of the market.

No I can't get you free stuff.

[kuslamb]

As the Lutron rep for Kansas City I have to recommend Lutron. We invented the dimmer in the 1950's, we invented the fluorescent dimmer in 1973 and this year we introduced the first digital bus ballast. We own about 85 percent of the market.

No I can't get you free stuff.

No free stuff, thats too bad. 

[studentper]

Hire an electrician, licensed and insured. I doubt your homeowner insurance covers electrical fires from faulty self improvements. I would probably ignore my own advice and do it myself, but I at least have more knowledge than the idiots at Home Depot.

I know I wouldn't want to be accountable for a fire in Wall Street Tower. Do they have a building/maintenance electrician on staff/contract funded by HOA?

absolutely call your insurance rep and ask if it's covered and ask where the language is in the policy.  whenever i did something in our house, i'd call and ask the rep if i'm covered if i start a fire or 3 months later something i did breaks and the house burns down.  the answer was uniformly yes there's coverage so long as the it was my stupidity and not my intent to damage the house.  i'd be more worried about the guy above you suing you for negligence if you install the wrong size dimmer than any damage you cause to your own place.  generally, i'm all for diy, but in your case you may want to call an electrician or buy a good book on the subject if you think you can diy.