G4 12V 20W halogens too bright. What to do!

[miljee]

We have had an Ikea Tidig light installed

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20160766

which has 6 of the above halogen lights installed but which apparently can't be dimmed on a dimmer.

The reality is the end result is too bright...! Can I replace all the bulbs with the next wattage down? And what would that be??

Thanks

 

[ELZ4742]

10watt

 

[Taylortwocities]

Take a couple of the bulbs out

If IKEA say not dimmerable then its best to follow their instructions.





























The fitting may have a big iron transformer. If so, this can be dimmed but you'll need a special dimmer for inductive loads.

 

[ericmark]

In theory you should never dim a quartz halogen lamp. It is the temperature of the quartz that reflects the tungsten off the quartz and back onto the element so running cool will reduce their life. I have use 10W in the past so they are available but if you want a warm (reddish) light don't use quartz.

 

[miljee]

Hi

Ikea don't say anything about being dimmable! It comes with the usual 'cartoon' instructions- it was the bloke who fitted it who said that BUT I'm not sure he really knew! He flicked through the cartoon book and hmmed.

Surely it's the BULBS that dictate dimmability, the fitting is only a carrier for the bulbs?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No - these are ELV lamps.

So aside from the general problems with dimming QH lamps you've also got the problem of whether the transformer is suitable for dimming and if so what sort of dimmer it needs. There is a compatibility issue with dimming ELV lighting "transformers" (in quotes because they aren't actually transformers, which is why the problem arises).

Dimmers do not work by lowering the peak voltage, they reduce the RMS voltage by simply chopping out part of the waveform - they either turn on part way through each cycle (leading edge, or phase-delay) or turn off part way through (trailing edge, or phase cut), and what the dimmer does must match what the transformer needs.

So if that light is suitable for dimming and you'll have to make sure you get the right sort of dimmer.

And if you decide to put lower wattage bulbs in, check that you won't fall below the minimum load needed by the transformer.

 

[Steve]

I wish IKEA would stop peddling this **** and sell more fittings designed for CFLs.

Its possible to make most of their fittings in a variant that involves some kind of PL base. That fitting pictured, why not house a ballast in the transformer housing, and then make the cups a little longer, fit a PL lamp in each. Then make the ballast dimmable, if needs be, require a perm. live (most fittings have one present) and supply a special 0-10v dimmer.

IKEA bang on about their commitment to the environment, but sell about 60% of their lighting range with halogen-only lamp bases!