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Frustrated with Compact Flourescent Lights that were labeled "dimmable" but wouldn't dim, I replaced my old dimmer switches with these. (When removing the old ones I noticed those were stamped on the metal plate that they were for incandescents only -hmm, maybe that's why they didn't work with CFLs?)
Voila! the dimmable CFLs now dim! They don't buzz and they don't blink.
Pros: Installation instructions are clear -including how to calibrate for the particular brand of CFLs you are using. The wiring is standard, the calibration was new to me, but simple and straightforward. I figure by using the CFLs the whole set up will pay for itself in 3 or 4 years. The bulbs I'm using are supposed to last for seven years, and by then maybe we'll be using LEDs which these switches are designed to handle also.
Cons: Pricey compared to switches for incandescent dimming. I don't know if they work with all CFLs labeled dimmable -Luton provides a list of a few approved LEDs and CFLs in the package and more on their website. I used one of those.
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I bought three of these dimmers w/ high hopes that I could eliminate buzzing in two rooms w/ several can lights using dimmable CFLs, and another room w/ two dimmable LEDs. It's hard to be sure, but I think the buzzing is quieter, although it is still clearly present. It seems like buzzing, in CFLs at least, depends more on the individual lights than on the dimmer one uses. In one room, I have six of the aforementioned can lights, and I noticed that three out of the six installed CFLs (all the same model) buzz very little, and three buzz like hives of angry bees, even w/ this dimmer. I even tried changing which fixture they were in to see if there was a difference (there was not). On the other hand I have a fixture w/ two dimmable CFLs and a conventional dimmer, and they don't buzz at all. The dimmable LEDs didn't buzz that much to begin with, and I think the buzz from them is less noticeable w/ this dimmer, but I couldn't swear to it.
Another annoying thing about dimmable CFLs w/ conventional dimmers is the uneven drop-out of lights near the bottom of the dimming range. This dimmer has an adjustment dial which is supposed to help eliminate this effect, but basically it seems to just allow you to raise the bottom of the range such that the light that drops out first governs the dimming range, in other words the dimming range is governed by the "least-dimmable" light.
All in all, I can't say this dimmer doesn't help to reduce the undesirable characteristics of dimmable CFLs and LEDs, but given the cost, I'm not sure I would make the purchase again.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program In our quest to be eco-efficient around the house we have undertaken a major project to replace all our lighting with CFL's and LED bulbs where appropriate, and to introduce dimmer switches on most all of our lighting (especially hallways, common areas, kitchen, etc.) In fact, with the exception of our bathrooms and laundry room, there isn't much left that doesn't have a dimmer switch on it.
The problem has always been, though CFL's and LED lighting do not play nicely with standard dimmers. Even dimmers that say they were designed for use with LED and CFL lighting often produced a horrid "buzzing" noise or the light was "sorta dim" at best. Realzing that we may have to settle for "sorta works", I was on a mission to find something else -and the Lutron product really delivered!
No more buzzing was the first thing I noticed. We hooked this up to our bedroom lighting and we were amazed at the difference it made from the dimmer it replaced. We never knew our LED lighting go get this dim! We never enjoyed watching TV in the bedroom in such PEACE AND QUIET!
Our only complaints are that the dimmer slide switch is a bit "small" to get too -especially if you have big hands. I also do not like the way you have to wire-nut in the wires. Modern switches come with snap-in slots for wiring, but Lutron has chosen to stick with the wire-nut approach. While it works, its just a pain in the rear to do for some wiring and I feel it also is a bit more dangerous -especially if you don't get the exposed wiring completely secured with the wire-nut.
Other than that, if you have LED or CFL lighting then this dimmer is the one you have to use -you WILL notice a difference the moment you get it installed. Your bulbs and your electric bill with thank you.
Honest reviews on Lutron DVWCL-153PH-WH Diva Dimmable CFL/LED Dimmer with Wallplate
I have never been a fan of the extreme orange 2700K hue of tungsten bulbs...far too orange for my tastes. As a photographer, a very orange hue makes it difficult to evaluate the color quality and accuracy of my photo prints, which I often have to do at night. To get around the problem, I finally started making the switch to CFL bulbs. I much prefer 5200K, 4100K, and 3500K color balanced bulbs to 2700k tungstens. I prefer the more sunlight-balanced bulbs for rooms I work on my photography in, and 3500k for areas where I live or eat. I purchased one of these HED dimmers for a dimmable room that I recently replaced with 7 TCP TruDim 41315TD35K bulbs. I was at first very displeased with the TCP bulbs, as they are loudly touted as something they seemed very much NOT:
"Uniform" dimming from 100% to 2%
No hum or buzz
Compatible with "standard non-illuminated 600watt incandescent slide or rotary" wall dimmers
Not a single one of those "facts" is true about the TCP TruDim line of bulbs. I now have ten TruDim bulbs in my home, three in a lamp that has a built-in dimmer dial, and the other 7 are in a ceiling fixture with upwards and downwards facing lamps. I used 100watt equivalent (23watt CFL) bulbs in the lamp with the dial, and they seem nearly qualify for all three of the above points. They don't seem to have an audible buzz (I have a higher sensitivity than most to such things, and I can barely hear a hum when dimmed, no one else I've ever asked could.) They don't "uniformly" dim, and don't dim to 2%, but they get pretty close.
The other 7 bulbs started out not functioning well at all. They did not dim uniformly at all, they exhibited a VERY loud electronic hum at any level other than the maximum, and they would pulse and flicker at anything less than about 50-60% dimming level. That was even AFTER the recommended 2-hour burn-in time that the TCP packaging box indicated was required to condition the bulbs for proper dimming. The dimmer was a rather ancient 14-year old rotary dimmer, and I figured it could stand replacing.
I purchased two Lutron Diva dimmers from the local hardware store, one CFL/LED compatible, one not (but otherwise the same design and style). They were the same price, $29. I tried the non-CFL compatible dimmer first. It had the same problems as the ancient 14-year old rotary dimmer, and did not seem to affect the electronic hum much. I swapped in the CFL/LED compatible version, and things definitely improved. The full fixture dims much more smoothly than it did before, however there is one point at which the bulbs demonstrate an abrupt but moderate drop from one brightness level to another. Definitely not uniform from 100% down to 2%, but its a hell of a lot better than it was. At the low end of the dimming range, the bulbs sometimes flicker just a bit, but usually stabilize within a few seconds. The electronic hum definitely improved, but it is still present and audible. How loud it is is somewhat linked to the dimming level...above the point were the abrupt drop in brightness occurs, the hum is not terrible, below it gets loud enough to be somewhat annoying.
One of the rather handy things about the CFL compatible Lutron dimmers is the limiter dial. Hidden in the lower left corner, you can use this dial to set a limit on the lower end of the dimming range. This prevents a problem that is common to all dimmable CFL bulbs...pulsing, flickering and dropout...from occurring. Its easy to adjust...just power on the fixture, power up to full power so all bulbs turn on. Turn the dial up to increase the limit and down to decrease. Slide the dimmer down to the bottom, and adjust the dial until the bulbs no longer pulse, flicker, or drop. I recommend leaving the bulbs at that level for a while...more conditioning. Minor flicker will usually go away once the bulbs are fully warmed up, and dimming will generally be smooth. I am fairly certain any lack of smoothness is the fault of bulb design and quality rather than dimmer design or quality when using an HED (High Efficiency Dimmer...CFL/LED compatible) type dimmer.
"Conditioning" of dimmable CFL bulbs seems to be an essential factor in their performance. Without a solid 2-hour or longer initial full-brightness burn-in, it seems most CFL bulbs won't function properly. Reconditioning seems to be necessary if you have not used a dimmable fixture with dimmable CFL bulbs for a while (not really sure what the minimum time may be...several weeks to months.) Recondition at full power for at least an hour for best results. I've also noticed that with a proper HED dimmer, while dimming may improve, conditioning your bulbs at different levels can also help. The amount of electronic hum seems to be a property of the bulbs, and it gets a lot worse if you have a cheap dimmer, shoddy power quality (noisy signal), etc. Hum won't go away with an HED dimmer in most cases, however it might get slightly better near the full-on position.
I've been fairly happy with non-dimmable CFL's so far. Most of the ones I have used turn on pretty quickly, and only need a few seconds to "warm up" and produce the right brightness and color temperature. Its been somewhat hit or miss with color temperature, as there is often a slight magenta tint that throws off an otherwise proper white balance. I have not been particularly impressed with dimmable CFL's so far. They are most definitely not what they are touted as by a long shot. Its good to know that when paired with an HED dimmer, things improve...however it is also disappointing that you have to spend an extra $30 a pop to buy such dimmers (especially when the box for every bulb clearly states they are compatible with standard incandescent dimmers). I guess the only saving grace is the 12,000 hour rating and two-year warranty and guarantee the TCP TruDim bulbs when using a compatible dimmer. With music, conversation, or other ambiance the electronic hum of TCP TruDim around or above 60% (where that visible drop in brightness usually occurs), the hum usually becomes inaudible when a proper dimmer is used.
Definitely recommend using one of these dimmers if you have otherwise unruly dimmable CFL bulbs. They definitely help, and hopefully as technology improves (or LED's become cheaper), the problems that plague CFL adopters will disappear.
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Our home is fitted out almost exclusively with Cree L6 LED modules which draw around 11 Watts each; because standard Lutron Maestro dimmers are unstable with loads of less than about 45W we've been unable to use them on strings of fewer than five modules without horrible flicker (Lutron's uber-expensive dimmer for electronic loads doesn't suffer from this problem, unfortunately it doesn't have much dynamic range with the Crees). When Lutron announced a new dimmer specifically for CFs and LEDs we thought we'd give it a shot. The bottom line? It's fine at the top and bottom of the dimming range but it still flickers in the middle of the range, although not as bad as the Maestro. Note that it's also a three way, not a N-way like the Maestro with companion dimmers.
This device probably works fine with the very small universe of devices that the package insert indicates that it works with, but if you're using Crees you won't find this materially better than the sexier Maestro dimmers.
