dgbrown Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I have a quick question that hopefully someone can answer. I have two motion activated outdoor security lights that use two of these 150W Halogen T3 bulbs in each: http://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse-04774-150W-Halogen-Bulb/dp/B0014XTI32I'm looking for confirmation as to whether these should be wired to a dimmer or switch to control the load.TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xc420 Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Use a switch. If you already have a dimmer, program it to turn on at 100% instead of ramping up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSquared Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Halogen lamps can be dimmed. The time people get into trouble is when they have a halogen in a low-voltage fixture.I have exterior lights on a dimmer, an exterior motion sensor and door contact. The lights come on at something like 30% for the evening. If someone approaches the door, they dim up. When the door is opened the interior hall lights come on as well. I always enjoy the house acknowledging my approach. The change in lighting also gets the attention of any visitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Definitely a dimmer. The in-rush current on incandescents can be enough to be trouble with a switch.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgbrown Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Thank you all ! Dimmers it will be. Can I assume there's consensus on that these can in fact be dimmed ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Yes, they can be dimmed. Halogens are just incandescent bulbs within a quartz shell filled with halogen.My outside lights are all halogens that are all dimmed.You just have to watch the wattage on each dimmer, and don't exceed it, remembering that the dimmers must be derated if they're more than in a single-gang box.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgbrown Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Sounds good. Thanks for the confirmation. Each halogen fixture is set for 300 watts and there's one fixture in each of the two 3 gangs. I'm within spec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xc420 Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Sorry for the crap advice. I didn't know you can dim motion activated lights. It's good to know that you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgbrown Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Not crappy advice from where I sit. You were spot on with the dimmer. It seemed there was some grey area in terms of "dimming" from the three experts so figured I'd ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Duh.Apparently, I can't read very well. You could certainly dim halogens, but whether the motion sensing circuit can be dimmed, I'd guess not.Sorry about that. Lack of sleep made me miss that little detail.You could still do a dimmer and only do 0 and 100%, or you could not do motion sensing in the fixture, but do it with a separate motion sensor, and then dim them however you wish.I apologize again for missing that detail. Good luck with your project.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterwilson Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Duh.Apparently, I can't read very well. You could certainly dim halogens, but whether the motion sensing circuit can be dimmed, I'd guess not.Sorry about that. Lack of sleep made me miss that little detail.You could still do a dimmer and only do 0 and 100%, or you could not do motion sensing in the fixture, but do it with a separate motion sensor, and then dim them however you wish.I apologize again for missing that detail. Good luck with your project.RyanEYour co-workers must be rubbing off on you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuru Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Definitely a dimmer. The in-rush current on incandescents can be enough to be trouble with a switch.RyanEHi Ryan,We have a problem with some switches stuck at on position when connected to a few fluorescent lights. The load on each of the switches is much less that the rated load, but still giving problems. Any ideas on how to resolve the problem? I have been reading a post about installing a thermistor to control the in-rush current on start up.Thnx,Demos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaffle8 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Hit the switch really hard (NOT KIDDING) the relay is stuck. Better off installing a dimmer and bypass the dimming function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuru Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Hi S,Do u mean a normal dimmer or an ELV one? I think you still need the neutral wire to get 100% power to the lights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaffle8 Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Just use a normal dimmer and detatch the dimming capability. Those relay get stuck in switches all the time with a florescent load. You only need an elv dimmer when you want reverse phase dimming for and electronic load such as an Led driver or electronic transformer. But I'm serious that you can hit the switch hard enough to unlock that relay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevvo Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Just use a normal dimmer and detatch the dimming capability. Those relay get stuck in switches all the time with a florescent load. You only need an elv dimmer when you want reverse phase dimming for and electronic load such as an Led driver or electronic transformer. But I'm serious that you can hit the switch hard enough to unlock that relay.Thanks Snaffle8! You are right! I just dug out a broken (or so I thought) switch that was "stuck" on and tapped the back of it with a hammer. That switch now works! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 ^It will fail again most likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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