MK Dimmer Switch 400-600w

[j4v3d]

Hi

im looking for MK Dimmer switches 400-600w square shaped ones, not the thin ones. What is the cheapest i can get them for? I need 20. Wholesalers around Oldham do not do them, i have found an alternative to MK. the brand name is FOCUS?

Are they any good? is the quality anywhere near like the MK?

DIY Noob here so need some professional advice.

They are going to be used for ceiling fans in pakistan, and yes they will work there. I've had it confirmed.

Thanks

 

[JohnW2]

They are going to be used for ceiling fans in pakistan, and yes they will work there. I've had it confirmed.

Do I take it that you've also confirmed that the fans will actually respond as you would hope (I presume you want to use them to adjust fan speed?) to a dimmer? Many types of electric motor certainly wouldn't. I would also be worried about whether the dimmers would necessarily survive being used to control a motor.

Or have I got it all wrong - are you perhaps only wanting to control a light in the ceiling fans?

Kind Regards, John.

 

[j4v3d]

they will be used to control the fan, my uncle is a DIY guy he said to look for 400-600w and they will work fine, he built a house and used them as well.

All i want to know is the brand FOCUS any good?

 

[JohnW2]

they will be used to control the fan, my uncle is a DIY guy he said to look for 400-600w and they will work fine, he built a house and used them as well. All i want to know is the brand FOCUS any good?

I'm afraid that I can't answer your question, but someone probably can. However, I would be concerned about your intended use, unless I had tried it on the fans concerned - both in the short and longer-term.

If dimmers did prove to be suitable for the application, cheap ones are notoriously problematical - and it's one of those types of product for which I would personally be inclined to go for the most expensive I could find.

Kind Regards, John

 

[j4v3d]

so what would you recommend?

 

[JohnW2]

so what would you recommend?

The first thing I would recommend would be that you attempt to obtain confirmation that the fans in question are variable speed ones which are capable of varying their speed in response to changes in current supplied - if they use 'synchronous' motors, that will not be the case.

Variable speed fans usually come with their own controllers.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Taylortwocities]

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[johnnykc]

standard dimmer switches cannot be used to control ceiling fans......

fan controllers can....

the initial start up of a sweep fan will put stress on the dimmer and soon it WILL fail

fan controllers incorporate a start up capacitor to cope with the initial sweep.

 

[JohnW2]

standard dimmer switches cannot be used to control ceiling fans......
fan controllers can....
the initial start up of a sweep fan will put stress on the dimmer and soon it WILL fail
fan controllers incorporate a start up capacitor to cope with the initial sweep.

That was my understanding - and all that, of course, assuming that one is dealing with a variable speed fan!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[j4v3d]

my uncle is a qualified DIY man, he built a house back home and when i asked him he said use a dimmer switch that has 400-600watts. He said that will be fine, I will go back to him tomorrow and ask him again. He said if i got anything less than 400w then my fan's motor would burn out.

 

[JohnW2]

my uncle is a qualified DIY man, he built a house back home and when i asked him he said use a dimmer switch that has 400-600watts. He said that will be fine, I will go back to him tomorrow and ask him again. He said if i got anything less than 400w then my fan's motor would burn out.

If it worked at all (and it may, in some situations, but certainly not all), it would be the dimmer that would be more likely to suffer damage than the fan motor.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[stillp]

my uncle is a qualified DIY man

What's one of those?

 

[j4v3d]

qualified electrician, plumber and all sorts lol, got his own DIY business going.

 

[JohnW2]

qualified electrician, plumber and all sorts lol, got his own DIY business going.

Intriguing!

... and is not 'DIY business' somewhat contradictory?

Kind Regards, John.

 

[333rocky333]

WE used to control ceiling sweep fans in pubs using basic dimmer switches years ago.

They were wire wound dimmers, known as "Inductive dimmers" as opposed to most dimmers you buy nowadays which are not.

Mk do an "Inductive dimmer" and may be the one you have seen.
Focus is not a dimmer brand I have heard of.

However as others say not all fan motors would be compatible.