Not everybody takes the time to read the warning labels on everything they buy, but this is something we should all be aware of. On a final note, for clarity, dimmable CFLs are fine.
You'll want to pair them with the right type of dimmer to get the best performance, but you don't have to worry about them catching on fire.
Skip to main content. By Peter Troast January 21, What happens when you screw a CFL into a dimmer switch: CFLs are a more complicated piece of technology than incandescent bulbs, which presents a problem when they're connected to a dimmer switch. Happy Wednesday! Want to learn more about how our digital marketing services can benefit your home performance organization? A power supply causes a gas inside the tube to become electrically charged — i. Plasma televisions work the same way, using tiny phosphor cells to emit red, green and blue light, which combine into a color image.
Fluorescent-lamp plasmas, for example, have an unusual property — as increasing amounts of current flow through them, their resistance drops, allowing even more current to flow. Rogoff notes that engineers have found plasmas useful in dozens of everyday applications. Going forward, plasma-generated nuclear fusion could become a clean source of electricity. Related Questions What do Legos have to do with engineering?
They generate more heat than regular ballasts, and must be flush-mounted on a grounded heat-conducting metal fixture, with adequate ventilation. Another problem is that for most dimming ballasts, you cannot use an ordinary light dimmer switch. A special three-wire dimmer is required.
Although the manufacturers often say that any dimmer will work, if you dig into their literature you'll find that a specific model of dimmer is required for each dimming ballast. If you want to use a standard two-wire dimmer, you will need a special type of dimming ballast such as Lutron's Tu-Wire ballast that is recommended for ordinary dimmer switches. In my experience, Tu-Wire ballasts tend to be fairly noisy. They also produce a lot more radio interference. See also fluorescent-lamp-interference.
The biggest disadvantage is that, unlike a standard fluorescent fixture, there is no starter to replace. When the dimmer stops working, you must replace the entire dimming ballast. Lamp Notes Last updated Jan 27, Dimming Fluorescent Lamps Fluorescent lamps have many advantages over incandescents: they are available in a variety of color temperatures, they have a large surface area that creates a better architectural effect, they last longer, and they use less electricity.
Also, most dimming ballasts require standard four-pin bulbs and four-pin rapid-start sockets. They won't work with two-pin bulbs or instant-start sockets, because these have the two pins shorted out on each side, which will damage a dimming ballast. Make sure your fixture is wired according to the manual that comes with your ballast before firing it up. For example, you can't have two sockets wired in series. Because it violates the electrical code to put a dimmer on a receptacle, the lamp must be built into the wall or ceiling, or the dimmer must be attached to the lamp fixture.
Of course, this is also true for conventional dimmers.
0コメント