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+--- Thread: LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? (/showthread.php?tid=278854)
LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? - davemchine - 07-23-2023
I'm looking for LED bulbs that are compatible with older style "leading edge" dimmer switches. My daughter moved into an older apartment and replacing the dimmer switch isn't an option at this time. Can anyone recommend LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer switches?
Re: LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? - Buzz - 07-23-2023
A.) Just use whatever allegedly dimmable LED bulb you/she wants, and the dimmer will blow soon enough, but that may be after the circuit has blown a couple, or more of those bulbs. Once the dimmer has finally blown, get the landlord to replace it.
B.) You can score a decent replacement, current style, LED compatible dimmer switch for ~$15. Get one/some and replace the oldie(s) for her. We got a 2 pack for $29 at Costco awhile back, so pretty sure that's the size of the pocketbook dent you're looking at.
C.) Get an incandescent bulb for her, and let her use it until you're in a position where dimmer replacement is an option.
D.) Screw the dimming! Have her slam the dimmer to full throttle every time the light is turned on. IOW, just use the in-wall dimmer as a standard ON/OFF switch, again until you're in a position where dimmer replacement is an option.
E.) Get a crystal ball, or visit a psychic that has a good one, and find out which of the above options is gonna be the cheapest until the dimmer is replaced. Maybe if you luck into the one crystal ball that'll tell you the one lucky LED bulb that actually works w/ what's in the wall; you oughta go buy a lotto ticket straight away. Even if THAT bulb does work initially, it's only gonna be temporary; there's just no fracking way that setup is gonna work for the long haul.
There are simply too many possible options to try, to make a simple/cheap decision. You could try 14 different bulbs w/ the existing dimmer(s), and none of them will work properly. Then, you/she could "borrow" a 15th LED bulb from the grandson of an elderly neighbor (that has the hots for your kid), and magically, it'll work..... and it'll turn out to be the same brand, but just a different equiv wattage as one of the previous 14 you've tried w/ no luck. Then after a couple of months of working fine; flicker, hum, buzz (no relation). It's SCSI voodoo to an infinitely higher order of magnitude.
I've used two supposedly LED compatible dimmers in our bedroom for about as long as LED's have been viable....., not wall mounted, but the extension cord types, w/ the controls on our nightstands. It took a bit of LED light bulb shuffling to get it right; though eventually I replaced the original set of LED rated dimmers w/ a newer/updated pair that have been OK for several years now. SCSI voodoo, for sure.
Eventually those old dimmers are coming out of the wall..... one way or another.
HTH.
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Re: LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? - Speedy - 07-23-2023
Buzz about covered it.
Re: LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? - mrbigstuff - 07-24-2023
I'd recommend just going incandescent for the time being, but now incandescents are impossible to find.
Re: LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? - gadje - 07-24-2023
Philips Hue can be dimmed from the App or their separate remote controller. Then you leave the built-in dimmer to 100% level and just turn it ON and OFF.
Re: LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? - mattkime - 07-24-2023
Replace the switch. Yes, I know she's the tenant, its still easier.
Re: LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? - Buzz - 07-24-2023
Here's Costco's current 3-pack for $45........
The 2-pack I bought was the clamshell version, in store.....
BTW, w/ some decent google fu, you can get basic, dumb/manual dimmer versions for ~half the price, if the extra $7/unit is meaningful.
Though the good, LED compatible ones are drying up fast, obviously in favor of the newer, smarter, more universally compatible ones.
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Re: LED bulbs compatible with older dimmer? - Racer X - 07-25-2023
swapping out a switch is maybe a 5 minute job. 3.5 with a powered screwdriver.