I've noticed that the stores sell both regular (non-dimmable) and Dimmable LED bulbs. The dimmable ones are more expensive. What is different inside of them?
I dont use dimmers, or I'd try this.
What happens if a regular bulb is connected to a dimmer?
I'd assume a dimmable bulb will work fine on a circuit without a dimmer, or is there a reason to NOT use them if no dimmer exists? (other than the extra cost).
My wife hates the CFL bulbs, they give her headaches so while they were still available we got two cases of 24 60W incandescent, rated for 130V, not one has failed and it has been over a year. Sure they are a bit less bright than a regular 60W/120V bulb, but it keeps her happy, haven't tried the LED ones yet, they still seem rather expensive last I looked.
A non dimmable lamp has a simpler "driver" circuit for the LEDs that regulates the current to the leds without reference to voltage.
If you put them on a dimmer they will dim a little bit, then start to flash and then if you keep dimming - shut off.
Dimmables work just fine without a dimmer - and I'd guess it won't be long untill the price difference between the two is so small only the crappiest LED products will be available as non-dimmable.
130v bulbs are still available. I agree there is nothing like the light from an incandescent, particularly when you dim them. LEDs and CFLs may "dim" but the color stays the same. I suppose they will come up with color shifting LEDs since white is actually RGB and they could use a smart controller to change the blue balance but I haven't seen them yet.
[I suspect the post was refering to "a regular *LED* bulb" in a dimmer circuit]
We use "commercial grade (130V) incandescent floods/spots in most of our area lighting, here. Dimmable CFL's and even dimmable LED's just don't have the same dynamic range nor the nice warm color that a glowing piece of wire has!
They tend to have a thicker filament and, because they are running a bit cooler than their ratings (e.g., at 130V, power is 130*130/K whereas it's roughly 120*120/K when operated at actual line voltage; about 15% less)
With very little street lighting and other external light sources, many nights are delightfully dark, here. So, even with the curtains OPEN, the house is pitch black at night -- or some portion of each night.
If we turn the overhead floods on at the lowest dimmer setting, the rooms, floors and furnishings are all pleasantly visible to "recently opened" eyes (that are not keen on the harsh bright lights that you'd normally encounter -- even from a dimmable!).
So, when guests visit, we leave most of the house illuminated in this manner overnight. Easier than risking a visitor unfamiliar with the house "falling" into the sunken living room, etc. And, much less "tacky" than having a boatload of "nightlights" cluttering up the space!
The "adjustable color" LEDs would be an interesting choice -- but for their cost and the technology they embody.
Why would I *want* a bulb that changes color? I often want less light but not orange light.
The color change in incandescent bubs when they are dimmed is an unavoidable side-effect -- and in my opinion an undesirable side-effect.
Perce
Dollar Tree has filament bulbs, 60, 75, and 100 watts. I've not tried them, so can't comment on quality or life.
White in many cases now are NOT RGB, but white phosphor, just like on a flourescent tube. Colour temperature is determined by the phosphor used.
I've found that CREE dimmable LED bulbs work with Intermatic light timers that pass a low voltage thru the bulb when the timer turns off. These are in the wall timers that are marked incandescent only. Sure there is a slight glow on the bulbs when they are off but it sure beats digging up the driveway and front lawn to rewire the lamp post or spend a hundred dollars on a new LED lamp post head.
To each his own. I guess the whole idea of dinner by candle light just seems silly to you. I bet you would walk around my house with a flashlight ... a great big one.
LEDs?
When we want dinner by candle light, we light candles.
Perce
What kind if timer is that? Whats the point of sending a low voltage to the bulb other than to waste electricity? The old mechanical timers simply turned off/on a switch. You must be referring to a digital timer. But I still dont see the reason to send that low voltage.
You should not need to dig the lawn up, just get a different timer. It sounds to me that yours is defective.
Yes. White LEDs. The existence of blue LEDs and high-efficiency LEDs quickly led to the development of the first white LED, which employed a Y 3Al 5O 12:Ce, or "YAG", phosphor coating to mix down-converted yellow light with blue to produce light that appears white.
Nope, not defective. They are 2 wire timers or switches - the current to run the solid state timer is soursed through the bulb. No bulb, no timer (or no remote switch)
Those are used where you do not have a neutral available. The neutral is derived through the load. The code now requires a neutral it switch locations with a few exceptions. It is basically where you can add one later without disturbing the building finish.
The 2 wire timers and occupancy sensors work fine with an incandescent. There is no real net waste since that current would be going down the neutral anyway.
It is a MA or less but the capacitors in a LED or CFL will store that up and make them flash acting as a relaxation oscillator.
Yellow is R/G What happens to the color when you reduce the drive to the blue LED?
Color changing LED's are already available.
I like the 60W Philips Warm Glow bulbs. They're a nice warm white at full brightness, but take on a very natural orange/yellow hue when dimmed. The result is very close to a traditional incandescent bulb, but uses about one sixth the power.
You can find them at Home Depot for about $10, or online from places like Amazon:
Sylvania makes a similar "sunset effect" LED bulb (Lowes sells them), but I think the Philips bulbs look and perform better.
I have been a big fan of CREE LED's for a while now, but their dimmable LED bulbs stay white when dimmed. The effect just looks weird, probably due to a lifetime of experience with incandescent bulbs.
Unfortunately, the bulb is only half the equation. The dimmable bulbs work OK with a basic manual dimmer, but most won't dim properly with an electronic dimmer. The dimmer expects a certain load and the bulb will often stay lit at a low level even at the lowest dimmer setting.
Thankfully, new dimmers are now available that dim the new LED's perfectly. I just replaced my old dimmers with Lutron's Caseta wireless dimmer:
I can now dim the three wall sconces in our living room just like the old incandescent bulbs. They're actually brighter than the old 60W bulbs and still have that nice warm glow when dimmed. 30 watts instead of 180 watts, longer life, and they don't put off any heat.
I also like that LED's are full brightness when turned on (like an incandescent). CFL's can take a few minutes to come up to full brightness, especially when it's cold.
Also, since the LED's put off very little heat, I can safely install 75 LED replacements in fixtures that are only rated for 60 watt bulbs. It helps give a little more light to rooms that tend to be a little dark.
Anthony Watson
So what is the "right color" for a light to always be in your opinion?
Even the sun turns red as it sets
Mark
The colour temperature changes a bit untill the light goes out It is only one LED - - -
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