on same circuit: refrig & dimmer-switch (kaput!)

[David Combs]

SUBJECT: on same circuit: refrig & dimmer-switch (kaput!):

(DPDT): Leviton burns out too fast! Other kind?

QUESTION: dimmer-robustness and single-vs-double-control dimmers

After working fine for seven or eight years, the Leviton "three-way" slider-type finally stopped working. (No problem: like all of us, it had to die *sometime*!)

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So I went out and bought another Leviton $10 "three-way" (ie DPDT), but

this one worked via only a *single* control, a twist-knob that you click-push-in to toggle it between on and off.

Installed it on Sunday, it worked fine that evening and all day Monday, but by yesterday (Tuesday) morning it was already gone, wouldn't turn on.

KAPUT -- AFTER ONLY TWO DAYS!

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(Circuit itself *seems* to be OK; an OLD REFRIGERATOR is plugged into it -- AND HAS KEPT WORKING.)

QUESTION: *Could* there being a problem from having the REFRIGERATOR on the same circuit (and has been for the seven or so years)?

(If so, by what mechanism?)

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Before I go buy and (what a pain!) install *another* dimmer, I thought I'd see what the gurus here had to say.

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Ideas? Any brands more robust than Leviton?

Or, even within the eg Leviton brand, are some models inherently more rugged than others? (Cost more? How much more?)

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Something "boss" is worried about, and wants to call (at least $100) electrician for

So -- what liklihood that the circuit-itself *has* gone bad, and perhaps become a fire hazard, and an eletrician *is* needed?

Or, is the recommendation to wait until we try another dimmer, and if *that* fails, then call the eletrician?

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All suggestions, comments, obversations welcome!

Thanks!

David

[HA HA Budys Here]

Good I have a suggestion. Compose your post like a human being.

That said... it sounds like you either picked up a faulty dimmer, or there's something with the light being controlled that's caused BOTH the old and new to fail. Also possible a bulb or the circuit itself has an intermittant short.

[cheeses-krist]

What an idiot !!!!!

You are NOT supposed to connect a refrigerator to a dimmer. You control the coldness of the refrig by turning the dial inside the refrig, NOT by varying the voltage with a dimmer.

If you cant find the dial inside the refrig, it's time to read the manual, and clean out the refrig.

Good Luck, you need it badly !!!

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[AQ]

For assuming that "on the same circuit" means the refrig is in Series with the dimmer instead of Parallel, you deserve every flame you will get. As for the original poster, a moter is an inductive load and may generate a voltage spike when it cycles off. If it happens again with a different brand dimmer, you might consider putting the fridge on a surge supresser so that the spike does not feed back into the household wiring.

[David Combs]

Thanks!

Bought the more expensive leviton, with the slider ($30) instead of the twist-knob ($10), and so far it's been working fine.

David