LED Dimming problem

6 years ago

Please help.. we've just had LED downlights fitted to our kitchen diner. Two sets of 9, on separate dimmer switches. The big problem is that when dimmed they flicker, almost like strobe lights. They hurt the eyes. We are really disappointed. They are fine when turned on full. Can anything be done so that we can dim them more comfortably? thanks

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duffyp2

6 years ago

I have the varilight dimmers working well with dimmable leds. I do remember that there is an initial setup sequence to calibrate them to the circuit load. It is a sequence of on and off a few times. The guide posted should help.

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Comments (19)

Carolina
6 years ago
I'm not technical, so don't ask me any further questions ;-), but I do know that LED lights require a dimmer switch that is specifically for LED lights. Also, you need LED lights that are suited for dimming. There are ones that aren't and there are ones that are. Make sure both your lights and your dimmer are suited to each other.
Carolina
6 years ago
See? There are dimmable and 'normal' ones.

https://luxliteuk.com/collections/gu10-lamps
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No Problem :) One thing for both of you is that the brightness of LED bulbs is not really rated in Watts any more. Lamp brightness is measured in Lumens. When you're looking at the specification of an LED fitting, whether it is a dedicated LED lamp or a replacement for a standard bulb pay attention to the Lumens output. Better quality LEDs will generally have a higher Lumens output. Also check colour temperature measured in Kelvin (the lower the number the warmer the colour - 2700K is warm white and similar to halogen bulbs, 4000K is cooler and more suitable for security lighting). Also although not specifically relevant in this case, for interior fittings check the Colour Rendering Index. This dictates how well colours are shown by the light fitting. 100 is the same as daylight and most halogen lights measure around this figure. High quality LEDs are around 95 and lower quality start at 80. Finally, some LED replacement bulbs can be bigger than their incandescent equivalents so you will need to check how much space you have in the fitting to see if the LED will fit. As these are security lights, I'm not going into dimming.... : ) Here are the details of a Philips bulb that should hopefully work: Philips G9 Bulb Hopefully this is of help.
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PRO
FPA architects
6 years ago
Hi

unlike the old filament light bulbs, not all LED bulbs can be dimmed - Have you checked the GU10 LED bulbs are dimmable? (the bulb description should state it is dimmable) Alternatively, perhaps check the dimmer switch is compatible with the light fittings - if they are older switches that used to dim filament bulbs there is a chance they wont work with LED bulbs
Jane A
Original Author
6 years ago
thanks for your time, they are definitely dimmable downlights. Just not the desired outcome at all :-( Our electrician who fitted them is looking into fixing it but hasn't come up with anything yet.
Jane A
Original Author
6 years ago
They are brand new dimmer switches, we've gutted the back of the house, rewired etc.. everything electrical in there is new.
Carolina
6 years ago
Oh that's disappointing! Hope it gets fixed.
PRO
FPA architects
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
There are a couple of types of dimmer switch, one type is referred to as Trailing Edge and the other is Leading Edge. Leading Edge dimmers are designed to work with the old filament bulbs - one of the problems with using a L.E. Dimmer with LED lights is the bulbs flicker when dimmed. Trailing Edge dimmers are designed to work with LED bulbs - both types can be bought new, perhaps the new switch is not compatible?
E D
6 years ago
Are you positive the dimmable GU10s (the 'bulbs') have actually been used?
From what you describe, it sounds like the wrong bulbs have been fitted.
Jane A
Original Author
6 years ago
The reference number from the invoice takes me online to- "Varilight V-pro LED dimmer module" with trailing-edge.
chief_brody
6 years ago
Jane, I'm sure you have already done this but check the box the bulbs came in. Your delivery note says dimmable but it wouldn't be the first time the warehouse sent the non-dimmable version. At least rule the obvious out.
Jane A
Original Author
6 years ago
They are definitely dimmable bulbs.
Jane A
Original Author
6 years ago
Can non dimmable bulbs be dimmed? sadly I don't have any boxes the electrician disposed of them all.
chief_brody
6 years ago
Take out a bulb and see if it has any markings that could confirm it is the correct bulb. You cannot dim non dimmable led bulbs. If the electrician threw out the boxes this is the last option to confirm.
Jane A
Original Author
6 years ago
Just taken a few out, they are all like this ..
PRO
FPA architects
6 years ago
This is a puzzle! you mention you have Varilight V-Pro dimmers - I note these are programmable and have different setting modes (one of which is to set them up as a Leading Edge dimmer). It might be worth trying some of the different setting modes. the link below goes to the V-Pro YouTube video on programming the dimmer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id1E2hQpX-w

Good Luck
Jane A
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you! we had no idea that we could change the modes using the dimming knob. very interesting, we'll have a try with the different modes.
Jane A
Original Author
6 years ago
duffyp2 which bulbs are you using successfully?
PRO
FPA architects
6 years ago
it would be interesting to know if it works - fingers crossed

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