Dimmer Switch Keeps Blowing on 12 x GU10 bulbs ???
- Thread starter outmyway
- Start date
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There's your problem, right there.
Get a decent dimmer that has protection against outside influences. Looks like Wickes ones are just an expensive fuse.
iQ dimmers are pretty good, there's a guide here http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/Systems/DimmerGuide.htm
But good grief man 600watts???????? - that's more than enough to light a whole house.
Don't fit a dimmer,take some of the lamps out.
Thanks TTC
The TLC IQ's are only rated to 300W (touch ones to 400W) ...
Its a 10m long Kitchen Dinner with two sets of these on one circuit
http://www.wickes.co.uk/bullet-6-bar-spotlight/invt/187033/
I think I should downgrade the bulbs to these 28W ones making the cicuit 336W ... within the rating of most dimmers?
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LAH28GUF.html
If I were to use a 300W dimmer on a 336W circuit would that be asking for trouble?
The TLC IQ's are only rated to 300W (touch ones to 400W) ...
Its a 10m long Kitchen Dinner with two sets of these on one circuit
http://www.wickes.co.uk/bullet-6-bar-spotlight/invt/187033/
I think I should downgrade the bulbs to these 28W ones making the cicuit 336W ... within the rating of most dimmers?
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LAH28GUF.html
If I were to use a 300W dimmer on a 336W circuit would that be asking for trouble?
There's your other problem, right there.
You're trying to light a room using lights which are specifically designed to not light a room - that's why you've had to put a stupidly high amount of wattage in there, to try and get around the fact that the lights are deliberately made to be unsuitable.
Are they newly installed, or have you just recently swapped a normal switch for a dimmer?
What do you think?
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Aurora dimmers are pretty much the industry standard in my area....
Ban-all-sheds ... Why? Should I be using candles or torches
Building inspector would not let me use recessed spots ... becuase of celotex in part of this room's garage conversion ...hence these ...
I've found some 400W dimmers ... will de-rate the bulbs to those 28W ones making the circuit 336W .. hopefully that should be OK.
Many dimmers are not suitable for use with halogen lamps due to the much higher current when they are switched on.
Some manufacturers recommend derating the dimmer by 50%, so your 1kW dimmer probably was only suitable for 500W of halogen lighting.
Unless the 400W dimmer you have found is specifically suitable for halogen lights, it too will fail.
Some manufacturers recommend derating the dimmer by 50%, so your 1kW dimmer probably was only suitable for 500W of halogen lighting.
Unless the 400W dimmer you have found is specifically suitable for halogen lights, it too will fail.
No - for lighting rooms you should be using lights designed to light rooms. Using torches is what you're doing now. They may not run off batteries but they are still 2" diameter reflector lamps.Ban-all-sheds ... Why? Should I be using candles or torches
They are still spotlights - they produce small spots of light, not an even, wide spread of light.
They have their origins in the retail display market, and they are specifically designed to produce narrow beams of light to highlight, or spotlight, individual items or features. In other words they are specifically designed to do the exact opposite of what you want lighting for general room illumination to do.
600W for a 10m room? Or even 336W is madness. It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say you could light a whole house with 600W, but not much, and I'm sure you could comfortably light that room with about ⅓ of your reduced amount.
Ban-all-sheds ... It looks very nice and well illuminated with the spots ... Its a long narrow room .... they work well .. yeah 600W is excessive ... agree .. 336W will be a lot better ...
flameport
Thats subject discussed here ... It seems not the case?
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=88276
flameport
Thats subject discussed here ... It seems not the case?
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=88276
It's still around 3 times what you'd need with lights fit for purpose.
Rather than just mentioning random chinese dimmer manufacturers.....perhaps a specific aurora dimmer code that would actually help the op may be more useful
Outmyway.......did your dimmers life coming to an end happen to coincide with 1 or more of your GU10s blowing?
And you will also shorten the life of your lamps by dimming them !
One person who made one posting and then disappeared said that dimmers don't need derating when used with halogen lamps.
As you have destroyed 2 dimmers already, which seems more likely?
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