punkrock Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 ok the old discussion starts again.. what would happen if you connected a ceiling fan (motor) to a dimmer and had the ramp set at 0? Im out of switches... Yeah if i held down the top/bottom it would "dim" and burn out the motor but if i didn't do that would it not essentially be a switch?(im thinking of installing the switch/dimmer in a jbox in my attic (out of site and reach) and covering the wall plate. then it would be programed gear running it only. (panels remotes, and 2 taps on the light switch) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrpugh Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 We had a dimmer driving a relay and a light bulb (for a load) to switch some larger loads. This way the dimmer thinks it's doing its job, and the relay will swtich your fan. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henniae Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 ok the old discussion starts again.. what would happen if you connected a ceiling fan (motor) to a dimmer and had the ramp set at 0? Im out of switches... Yeah if i held down the top/bottom it would "dim" and burn out the motor but if i didn't do that would it not essentially be a switch?(im thinking of installing the switch/dimmer in a jbox in my attic (out of site and reach) and covering the wall plate. then it would be programed gear running it only. (panels remotes, and 2 taps on the light switch)A C4 dimmer (i.e. a TRIAC based device) does not act or behave like a switch/relay no matter how you set the ramp rate. Even at full power a TRIAC based dimmer still switches the power on/off very fast so you can still cause problems down the road. C4 dimmers and C4 switches are rated for certian load types and it is probably best to follow the manufactures rated use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slemay Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Bottom line - a dimmer does not send 100% pure / clean power to a device even when it's running at 100%... whereas a switch DOES. So rule of thumb: NEVER use a dimmer on a motored device UNLESS it was designed for it (and yes, there are ceiling fans that DO work with dimmers). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil12011 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 go with the vets on this one, also Ryan E is a good one to ask, he has good knowledge on the subject, and as far as I know, most everyone on the dealer forums uses a switch and the good ol' pull chain for fans.....I do!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punkrock Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 yeah the speed will always be on the pull chain... just wondering about power. I was going to have it kick on if the thermostat got over a certain temp, rather than running AC right away. Ill do a switch... just had an extra dimmer on hand and wondering if i could pull it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 You guys are right, as far as I'm concerned. No fan speed control as of yet.Using a dimmer on a fan (even turned on all the way) is not giving the fan a nice sine wave, and the fan will tend to buzz, and eventually will buzz even if powered off of a switch.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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