What would make a light flicker when using dimmer switch?

ben lee · 24 Mar 2007

It only does it at very low voltage? faulty dimmer? wrongly wired?

It replaced a one way light switch, two live's to common and one to L2, the blues in a connector block.

I wired the 2 live's in common to wavy line with the arrow through it, and the L2 to the L2 on the dimmer. Left the blues as they are.

Earth to the metal switch plate.

Just wanted to make it was wired safely TBH.
Cheers
Ben

davelx · 24 Mar 2007

Wiring sounds fine. What is the load (Watts) and what type of bulb?

ben lee · 24 Mar 2007

It a common run of the mill bayonet 60 watt bulb mate - its a cheap one though free with the house (new build).

tim west · 24 Mar 2007

It may be a faulty dimmer switch ie a component value may be out of spec causing only half the output triac to gate at low levels hence flicker as only half wave output is driving the lamp.

breezer · 24 Mar 2007

cheap dimmer ?

jal1971 · 24 Mar 2007

Try a higher wattage Lamp i.e 100w. Ive had dimmers flicker before when the wattage of the lamp(s) are not high enough admittedly 60w should be ok though. The recommended wattage is usually stamped on the back of the dimmer.

IJWS15 · 26 Mar 2007

I'm with jal1971.

One of ours flickers when there is not enough load on it.

Turn it up a bit or put a bigger bulb in.

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ben lee · 29 Mar 2007

quick update, replaced the dimmer and its much much better.

Still flickers though on a very very (almost off) power setting.
Cheers for the help.
Ben

festa · 29 Mar 2007

Hmmmm...
Can someone clear up why the original poster has two lives to common,a live to L2 and a neutral in a connector block,when its a one way lightswitch?.
Think i may have missed something here

ben lee · 31 Mar 2007

^^^^^^ Is the wiring wrong then?^^^^^

bernardgreen · 31 Mar 2007

festa said:
Hmmmm...
Can someone clear up why the original poster has two lives to common,a live to L2 and a neutral in a connector block,when its a one way lightswitch?.

This appears to be system where the live is looped around the switches instead of the roses. And neutral is looped around the roses.

Common has live feed in and live feed forward to next switch.

Live in L2 is switched live to lamp.

Neutral is not needed but if twin and earth was use to bring earth to the switch the black needs to be terminated.

festa · 31 Mar 2007

Ah yes ....the good old switch feed

One top way to save cable lengths (and money)!.
Nice one bernard

.
If the neutrals are looped around at the ceiling rose and the lives at the switches does that mean the wiring in this installation will have no sheath for protection and only rely on the insultation of the conductors for protection against direct contact?

Ahh .....metal conduit?

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What would make a light flicker when using dimmer switch?

breezer

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