Why do dimmer switches make my lights flicker/change in intensity and how can i fix it?...I am using regular old style bulbs not high efficiency bulbs--thanks
This is a tricky one.. when i inquired to the maufacturer they came up with several reasons.. dimmers are electronic and any electronic noise on the line can cause it to freak out...when it is on full the dimmer is not engaged. When the dimmer is dimmed the electronics kick in and are subject noise. Ahh what is noise? noise is caused by motors, or transformers (like phone chargers) or god knows what. you can try to move the circuit breaker from one leg (phase) in the panel to the other. that might doit.. or the noise could be coming from your outside your home or if you are in an apartment.... anywhere..... you can try fo put in an old resistor type dimmer if you can find one... then when it all starts to work... your wife will say... whats the humming noise!... and thats another story.. use candles
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They are incandescent and not fluorescent right?
Dimmer switches are just a simple variable resistor. It's basically a coil of wire with an arm that travels along the coil to make contact with it in different parts of the coil. The coil has resistance so if the arm makes contact at the first of the coil there is little resistance and light is bright. As the arm travels down the coil the resistance increases and lights dim. If the arm isn't making good contact with the coil it can cause the flickering. Don't know if it's even possible to clean these and I'd recommend trying a new dimmer switch. If the flickering continues you may have a bad lightbulb socket that is not making good contact with the wiring or the lightbulb. This could be a potential safety hazzard as the arc'ing of the electricity could build up a lot of heat.
In order to better assist you determine what the problem is, I would need to know more about the dimmers you are using (Brand name and model numbers please) along with the number of lights you have connected to each lighting circuit controlled by each dimmer. Also, please provide the approximate age of the dimmer switches or when they were installed. By providing more info, we can help resolve your problems - Thank You!
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