Why are ceiling lights flashing?

[James Egan]

In my sun room I have 4 recessed lights with 75 or 100 watt bulbs. These are connected to a dimmer. In the winter months, I have a cigar out there, and have a 1500 watt quartz heater in front of me, a box fan in the window, and a small fan blowing the smoke towards the box fan. Last week when I turned off the heater, the lights brightened as they normally do, but all 4 lights began flashing like a strobe light. Now the problem is intermittent. The other night the lights would flash, then stop when I turned on the heater. I believe I need to replace the dimmer with a higher wattage type. I've read that 600 watts is standard. Do you think that will stop the lights from flashing?

-Thanks

[John Grabowski]

Replacing the dimmer is the easiest fix, but a higher wattage rating is not needed in this case. The fact that the heater and the lights are on the same circuit and causing voltage drop may have had a long term detrimental effect on the existing dimmer. Instead of wasting another dimmer, install a regular wall switch for the time being to see if the flashing problem goes away. Would it be easy to separate the outlets from the lighting so that you have two different circuits as I think that would be the best way to go?

[RBM]

It's possible that the dimmer is bad, although there is no need to use a higher wattage dimmer. I would check to see if the lights and outlet that the heater is plugged into are on the same circuit. It may be that they are on two different circuits sharing a neutral (Edison circuit, or multiwire circuit), in which case, there may be a loose connection in the shared neutral.

[hallerb]

you think that

QUIT SMOKING! IT LEADS TO POOR HEALTH early ugly death and is a waste of money.

beyond that just replace the dimmer........ its likely bad

[James Egan]

No, I like the dimmer out there. I believe the heater and lights are on the same circuit, because the lights dim or get bright, depending on if the heater is on or off. I'm probably going to try replacing the dimmer.

-Thanks

[James Egan]

Yes, I plan on replacing the dimmer.

And smoking in my family has never been problem for ANYONE. All lived to their 80's and 90's. some smoked heavily. I smoked cigarettes for 35 years, just quit 3 years ago, and my lungs are in great health. Yet I've known MANY people over the years who have gotten lung cancer, that never smoked in their lives.

Fine cigars are no more a waste of money than a fine wine, or aged scotch, or an aged steak, etc. It's a luxury.

[Tony Hwang]

Yup, It'd your life, you do whatever you want with it. I once looked at dead smokers lung during autopsy. It looked like soot covered chimney inside. Npo one in my family has that filthy luxury(as you put it).

[hallerb]

cigarettes for 35

=BDYet I've

trouble is smoking causes health troubles that cost every single american big bucks for health care.

taxes on anything that causes health care costs should be increased to cover those costs./

including fattening food etc

[Red Green]

James Egan wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Maybe they have emphysema.

[Red Green]

" [e-mail]" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Healthy is just the slowest possibly way to die of old age :-)

[Red Green]

Tony Hwang wrote in news:SMa3l.59723$ [e-mail]:

If I live to 80-90, what the heck do I care what my dead lung looks like?

[Red Green]

" [e-mail]" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Very minor mention of overweight people yet related health care costs due to that make smokers a small piece of the pie.

Yea I smoke. Yea it stinks. Yea someone has to make the bandwagon people look good.

"anything that causes health care costs"...well, aging at any level causes health care costs even if one lives a perfect life healthwise. So, raise taxes on people just for being a year older!

Oh well, life sucks. But only a day at a time.

[hallerb]

[e-mail]:

smoking is just plain stupid. so tax the heck out of it, to discourage it and pay nthe excess health care costs.

bet if you get lung cancer, or any of the other problems you will demand the best our health care system can provide? then pay for it as you smoke yourself into a early grave

also tax fattening food thats causing obesity epidemic today, again tax money tp pay for excess health care costs.

you know no one needs to smoke to live but everyone must eat to live.......

obviously aging leads to death, but age healthfully........

[hallerb]

incidently smoking anywhere around children should get the offending adult charged with child abuse.........

[J. Clarke]

Geez, how long is it going to be before just being on the same planet with a kid is "child abuse". GET SOME DAMNED PERSPECTIVE.

[terry]

for 35

Which is why Americans have to pay for their own health care? Same with obesity? BTW: Is that heater is wired through the dimmer? At very least it sounds as though there may be voltage drop problem? Four x 75 =3D 300 watts (maybe 400 watts) Heater =3D 1500 watts Fan? =3D say 25 watts? TOTAL =3D around 2000 watts. If that wiring happens to be 14AWG (Common for lighting wiring!) and the dimmer is rated for say 600 watts it sounds like overloading; but insufficient info provided to really know. Oh also btw. There will always be the 'two pack a day smokers'; some of whom will live to 90+. But last year our neighbour once a heavy smoker died of lung cancer. He was an excellent wood worker; some 15 years younger than I. Strangely before retirement he had been a an X. Ray technical instructor. In fact it may have been that that persuaded him to give up smoking. Unfortunately it caught up with him at age around 60! What a waste! Nice man.

[hallerb]

secondhand smoke causes a long list of health troubles for children like hard to treat ear infections asthma etc, the necessary antibiotics are being over used and resistant to those infections.

did you know smoking is the trigger for rhumetoid arthritis? my grandma died of that all crippled unable to move, it was a horrible end. what finally killed her was arthritic lum,ps in her lungs, she had quit after a lifetime of smoking

In pennsylvania foster parents are no longer permitted to smoke around the children in their care even in their own home:) statre law:)

so you want perspective????/

do you believe making kids and others around you ill is OK?

If smoking makes you seriously ill will you expect first class health care paid for by others? the vast majority non smokers?

[cshenk]

wrote

You and the others need to take a chill. Guy asked about flickering lights and electrical problems.

[James Egan]

You don't inhale cigars. They're not even close the amount of tar inhaled from cigarettes.

[James Egan]

On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:29:15 -0800, terry wrote: of whom will live to 90+.

You don't know that for certain -- Many non-smokers get lung cancer too. I've been taking a survey of sorts for decades now.