Combined dimmer/rocker twin switch where?

[Sam]

I'm on a environmental crusade :-) Everywhere I can I am replacing the incandescent bulbs in my house with low energy bulbs.

I want to replace the bulb in the lounge with a LE but want to keep the wall lights on an a dimmer.

Thing is, the switch is a single width twin unit and ideally to save having to chop the box out and add a dual with seperate switches I want to find a unit with a dimmer and a rocker switch. I've had a look around the online suppliers and can't find such a thing.

So does anyone know where I can get one?

TIA

Sam

[Andy Hall]

Oh dear.....

Have a look at MK Grid stuff.

You can fit a 250W dimmer and a rocker switch into a single box. However, it does need to be deeper than the very shallowest boxes normally used for light switches

[Lobster]

I remember once trying and faililng to find one, too! Odd, you wouldn't think it was that unusual a requirement.

As an alternative solution, IIRC I think I saw mention of a dimmable low-energy bulb somewhere recently - could be wrong, of course.

David

[Lurch]

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 21:06:35 -0000, "Sam" strung together this:

You won't get one as a single unit. You'll have to get a 'grid switch', which comes as seperate parts, those parts being;

1 normal rocker switch. 1 dimmer. 1 'yoke', (frame to mount the above into' 1 faceplate, 2 gang, (to screw over the front of the above assembly).

Probably best to nip down your local electrical wholesaler, they'll have the bits on the shelf and will know what you're on about.

[:::Jerry::::]

[ re grid switch type components ]

The strange thins is, if you want MK you might have better luck going to B&Q !

All four of my local trade electrical factor don't stock (but can order) MK grid components, B&Q have most of the common parts on the shelf - go figure...

[Lurch]

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 09:07:25 -0000, ":::Jerry::::" strung together this:

Impresive, between all my local wholesalers, (Senate, Edmundsons, Neweys, AC, Lockwells, CEF and a couple of smaller local ones), I think I've got prettty much every brand covered! Apart from aerials that is, no-one locally has any decent aerials or masts and brackets.

[Mathew J. Newton]

The following is a 'dimmer style' module that functions only as a push-on/off switch.

this do?

Mathew

[Sam]

I had a look at the MK Grid stuff on TLC on your advice. Looked just the ticket - till I checked the dimmer modules. £26+ VAT for a dimmer module?!!!!

It would take quite few kilowatts of savings to justify that.

Now where's that bolster? :-)

Cheers

Sam

[Andy Hall]

The MK4500 series are soft start dimmers - I have a number of them in my kitchen for the halogen lights and elsewhere for R63 spots.

They extend the life of both, so the payback is in bulbs.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I had a broken Home Automation one in a Crabtree grid system. The replacement was many squids. Happened to notice that the Wholesale Fittings own brand single dimmer had exactly the same unit fitted - but at less than a quarter of the price. Swopped the guts over - held by one nut

- and got a free 1 gang blank plate (with hole) thrown in ;-)

Now I'd guess MK still supply banks for their grid switches - so this trick might work there too. But obviously be very careful of shorts, etc.

[Rob Morley]

How about you get a double dimmer unit (with push-switch rather than rotary switch action) and short one of the dimmers?

[Sam]

That is a very good idea. I can probably take one of the other push dimmer units from one of the dimmers I have decommisioned, mod it to make it switch only and swap it with one of the rotary units in the current dimmer.

Nice one, cheers

Sam

[Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)]

Where are you? I might know of somewhere.

[Lurch]

On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 11:19:13 +0000, "Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)" strung together this:

The arse end of nowhere...... Shrewsbury!

[Owain]

"Lurch" wrote | >> Apart from aerials | >> that is, no-one locally has any decent aerials or masts and brackets. | >Where are you? I might know of somewhere. | The arse end of nowhere...... Shrewsbury!

Eeh, when I were a lad growin' up in t' shadow of Blaenplwyf, Shrewsbury were t' big metropolis. It 'ad a Argos and a sex shop did Shrewsbury.

Owain

[Huge]

We were there a few weeks ago (*). We were quoted a 3 hour wait for a taxi at 10pm on Saturday night, so the night-life must be pretty exciting. Much too exciting for me.

(*Loton Park Hillclimb.)

[Lurch]

On 27 Nov 2004 12:17:24 GMT, [e-mail] (Huge) strung together this:

I was in there the other day, Argos that is!

Nope, crap taxis! I was quoted a 2hour wait at 4PM yesterday to get a lift from the Ford garage to my house 10 minutes away.