High EFLI On Dimmer-Fed 2A 546 Socket

[securespark]

Wanted to plug in a table lamp without having to slice off the moulded plug, so I made a little adapter out of a 2A plug a 13A trailing socket and a short length of 3 core flex.

I no longer have my test gear; it headed back to my employer along with the van and all the other kit.

So, to make sure of continuity, I used my Martindale E-Ze Check Xtra plug-in loop tester.

It had the centre LED flashing red when I switched on (seeming to indicate OC on the CPC), so, knowing the circuit tested fine when I checked it on install with an Alphatek, I bypassed the dimmer and hey presto, it tested out fine!

Strange, huh?

 

[deadshort]

No likey dimmer !

Regards,

DS

 

[JohnW2]

I find it hard to see how one could expect/hope to get a correct/meaningful measurement/estimate of EFLI when the L path was through a dimmer. What you experienced is essentially what I would have expected.

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

Have tested EFLI's when at work through a dimmer and got an acceptable reading.

That's why I was surprised.

Maybe some dimmers are OK, others are not.

 

[Echo the husky]

I'm surprised you didn't blow the dimmer!

 

[JohnW2]

Have tested EFLI's when at work through a dimmer and got an acceptable reading.

I find it very hard to understand how that could be the case. If there were a low enough impedance (ideally appreciably less than 1Ω) between the L and S/L of a dimmer for it not to have a major effect on an EFLI reading, it's hard to see how it could possibly work as a dimmer!

Kind Regards, John

 

[flameport]

Dimmers do not work by adding impedance between L and SL.

 

[JohnW2]

Dimmers do not work by adding impedance between L and SL.

Not literally, but, as I said, if there was a 'fixed' path between the L and S/L of low enough impedance (say (<1Ω) such as to not seriously affect EFLI measurements, it's hard to see how the dimmer could do any useful dimming (since it would effectively be bypassed by that very low impedance path), isn't it?

Kind Regards, John