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[oldnewbee]

My first question here.

i have dimmer lights in my room and last week "the switch" failed, bought a new switch and all seemed well (for 36hrs at least), then my new switch failed (lights constantly on).....or did it? got another new switch and my lights are still in the constantly on mode. where should i be looking for the issue i have.

Thank you all you wonderful people

Oldnewbie

[Mr White]

If you changed a switch, and the lights it controls work as expected, then sometime later the switch does not control the lights as it did, it is most likely the switch has failed.

You do not say what the make/model of the dimmer switch is, or the type and quantity of lamps the switch is to operate.

Long gone are the days of "One dimmer switch suits all lights"

[oldnewbee]

i do not think it is the switch, as i said the switch was changed (to a click) and they worked for 36 hrs and that switch I thought failed giving me the symptoms i now have, but after i swapped to a new switch i still have the same symptoms ie in dim no off. I do have a really cheap Axiom switch i could try but my feeling is that it's a little deeper than the wrong switch.

[ericmark]

For any electronic switch to work without a neutral you need at least a 5 watt load, so if dimming to 50% that means at least a 10 watt bulb.

There are two ways a dimmer switch can work, one is it reduces power to the lamp or power supply, and two it sends a signal to the lamp or power supply by clipping the wave form leading or lagging which tells the lamp or transformer to dim.

With the latter what one has to realise is a pulse width modulated or switch mode power supply has a built in regulator so it does not matter if the voltage varies the electronics compensate for it, so unless the device knows you want to dim the lights, it will also compensate for any wave form clipping.

EU rules say lamps must state if they can't be dimmed, however it does not say they must publish how they are dimmed, so a bulb does not need to state if a leading or lagging dimmer switch is required.

Also old dimming switches were designed for 40 watt and over lamps, odd but the old switches are still sold, for the rest of EU they have neutrals at the switch, so they used different dimming switches to us. In the UK we realised there was less volt drop due to less cable being needed if the ceiling rose acts as a junction box not the switch, and also it allows use of independent controlled ceiling fans and emergency lights, and when designed we did not have dimming switches.

For a single bulb the smart light bulb works better, it is only when using multi-bulbs when it gets expensive to use smart light bulbs, but with multi-bulbs you can arrange it so can switch just some of the bulbs off.

My landing lamp [attachment=1]DSC_6057.jpg[/attachment][attachment=0]lamp-landing_1.jpg[/attachment] is set up so I can select just centre bulb or four outer, or all 5, so 3 levels of lighting without dimming the bulb, OK actually the centre bulb is dimming and colour changing, but showing the idea of adding a smart relay so you can select what bulbs are switches on, yet still have the wall switch capable of switching lights on/off.

In my case only the centre lamp works with wall switch, but that is up to how it is wired, could have inner, outer, or both on wall switch even fit a twin wall switch if I wanted.

I have used multi-lamps for years to adjust room lighting, but in the main display lights, up lighters and table lamps supplement the ceiling lamps, rather than fit relays in the ceiling lamp, but the advent of LED lamps has forced us to change how we control our lights.

[Mr White]

i do not think it is the switch

To prove that, change the switch to an on/off switch, and see what the result is.

Also as I previously said

You do not say what the make/model of the dimmer switch is, or the type and quantity of lamps the switch is to operate.

It would be beneficial to have this information.

[oldnewbee]

I will try the on/off type to confirm my issue and also sorry i forgot to mention the lamps etc,,,,, they are G9s 8 in total that have been working fine since around 2012 and the switch is a click brand( i have no idea as to model other than it is not the led type). hope that may help

[ericmark]

OK not found any G9 bulbs which are smart, so that is out, my wife also has G9 bulbs in her bedroom, and they did cause a head ache getting them to work.

Step one I added a load capacitor [attachment=1]load-capacitor.jpg[/attachment] that stopped the lights flashing when switched off, but still a shimmer when on.

Step two was change the bulb, one single quartz bulb in whole chandelier and other 4 LED's worked OK, however did not really want quartz bulbs.

Step three was find an LED bulb that worked. My wife found some bulbs on the internet [attachment=0]G9-comp.jpg[/attachment] the bulb was very much larger than the G9 used before, and the covers which MUST be fitted with quartz bulbs so white hot bits can't drop onto carpet if the bulb explodes, could not be fitted with the LED bulbs, however not really required, but it made the whole lamp look very different.

One failed I was able to repair, but in mean time I ordered replacements so this is what they say on the box
"22019274
G9-69SMD-5730
AC:220-240V
White"
They can't be officially sold in UK as no watts or lumen given. Likely 720 lumen 9 watt, but unmarked. I have not removed the capacitor but likely no longer needed, found pack of 6 on Amazon for £15, my wife has not complained as I told her before she bought the chandelier I did not like G9 bulbs, but she insisted.

It really depends on the chandelier to how the larger bulbs will look, or if even fit. The electronic switch I have is an Energenie MiHome, and there is a chart with them giving suitable bulbs, there is only one G9 listed, a Philips, and they did not work.

Hope you have some luck, please say how you get on.