CFL Dimmer Switches

[Selt Perner]

I'm replacing a chandelier with a million of incandescent chandelier bulbs with a regular multi-bulb fixture. I'd like to still be able to dim the fixture. Has anyone used dimmer switches designed to work with regular CFL bulbs, like this one (or any other brand, for that matter)

Any comments on how reliable they are, whether they seem to burn out bulbs early, whether the dimming works well, etc.?

These switches seem to be only about $10 to $15 more than a comparable regular one, and I'd rather not start buying a bunch of dimmable CFLs if I can just buy one switch and use the same CFLs I've bought for the rest of the house.

[Selt Perner]

"Bob F" wrote in news:iiaffb$e23$ [e-mail]- september.org:

Oh man, that's what I get for skimming the product description.

[hrhofmann]

Yeah -there was a reent discussion on that, I missed the disclaimer the first time around also. Most of the dimmers do work better when there are some incandescents on the same dimmer as the CFLs, but I don't have any knowledge of the supposedly "better" dimmers for dimmable cfls.

[Harrison Lighting and Neon]

Avoid ALL "dimmable" CFL's (consumer type screw-in incandescant replacement)

Been there done that, refunded the customers money.....

We have tried a number of brand samples from the Lightfair 2010 in Las Vegas...

none work great most cause the lamp to change to an unsatisfactory color as its being dimmed......let me rephrase that most dimmable CFL's change color temp as they are dimmed......regular incandesant dimmer or dimmer designed for fluor use or the type used for neon by diversified products ( better but not by much)

Dimmable CFL's are not a mature technolodigy. be careful.

I use them in my home only because I have some samples leftover that I dare not sell.

ps they don't last worth a damn.

HLH

[jamesgangnc]

Exactly what I have left that is still incandescent. Breakfast area that takes 6 bulbs and has a dimmer. Family room with a 4 bulb fixture on a ceiling fan and a dimmer. All the dimmers I had other places I decided I could live without so I put regular switches back in.

What I think we need is a controller for these multi bulb fixtures that would let you pick how many bulbs get turned on. The switch half would need to mount in the place of a wall switch and still work with just 2 wires. It would have to send a signal on top of the power to the fixture. That would work with cfls.

[trader4]

Another problem is that they don't dim over a wide range like an incandescent bulb will. You can dim them some amount, maybe 40% or so, then they go out. And while dimmed, at least with a regular controller, there can be very noticeable humming.

And Congress, who knows what's best for all and thinks the sheeple are too stupid to figure out what's best for them, is shutting down manufacture of most incandescents.