Dimmer switches

[craig51]

I am going to replace my dimmer switch tomorrow, as its scrated and i want a silver coated one, not a gold one.

So, when buying a dimmer switch, is there anything i really need to look out for, or are they all the same? Do some have different loads etc?

My current dimmer switch has one knob, and controls 4 downlighters.The new one will do exactly the same.

Cheers

 

[davy_owen_88]

Have a look at the back of the existing dimmer and buy one with the same spec.

Remember to draw a legible diagram of where each conductor goes before you disconnect any wires. Also mark any cores with the same colour so you can distinguish between them (a line on one, 2 lines on another with a note explaining where each one went: red w/ 1 line = L1 etc.)

 

[Adam_151]

If your downlights are ELV be sure to get one rated for inductive loads.

Any regardsless of whether they are LV or ELV, make sure the max rated wattage on the dimmer is at least equal to twice the total wattage of all four downlights (unless the maker states that the normal rating can be applied to TH lamps)