Question Dimmable switch for GU10 LED's

[bl0ckev]

All,

I have 3 spotlights in my house which are controlled by 1 gang dimmable switch.
I have since replaced the halogen bulbs with some 3.5W GU10 LED bulbs

With all 3 LED's in the dimmable switch seems to be suffering and flickering a little.

Does any one know if buying a new dimmable switch would fix this? Online they seem to say

• Minimum load 10 Watts

Does this mean 10W per LED bulb or 10W in total - therefore this should work for a 3 x 3.5W setup?

 

[Peter Parker]

I think that's probably 10 watts load for everything - so 10.5 watts is just over that but may be borderline.

Are the LEDs dimmable? Not all are, so maybe it's the LEDs and not the switch that's the problem?

Gary

 

[bl0ckev]

Thanks for the reply Gary.

Yes the LED's are dimmable - should I be looking to buy higher power LED's ?!
I went with 3.5W because I did not want the light to be too bright.

 

[Peter Parker]

It's shame if you have to go brighter when you don't rally want it brighter just to get the switch to work correctly.

I guess that if you swapped one LED for a halogen to bring the wattage up, then none of them will flicker? I'm only suggesting that as a test just to see if the (remianing two) LEDs then work with no flicker.

Gaary

 

[bl0ckev]

Correct, at the moment 1 is halogen and 2 are LED as it stopped the flickering - unfortunately different colours as the warm white LEDs are not too warm white looking

 

[Peter Parker]

That seems kinda conclusive then. It does look like you will have to get a new dimmer switch with a lower load threshold as you suspected.

Gary

 

[bl0ckev]

Thanks - worth a go

 

[Woodsie]

You can get a 'dummy load resistor' to add more wattage.
Something like this should work.

 

[johndon]

You can get a 'dummy load resistor' to add more wattage.
Something like this should work.

I've just installed one of those in a room that has 3 LED fittings and it has worked perfectly in stopping the flickering.

John

 

[ufo550]

Bit late now, but just for the record;

LED lamps & Incandescent or Mains Halogen lamps require different dimmer switches.
Incandescent or Mains Halogen lamps require Leading edge dimmers. LED lamps require Trailing edge dimmers. You mike strike lucky, but invariably using the wrong dimmer may cause the dimmer or lamp to fail, flicker, or poor diming range. Wattage has a bearing as been mentioned, only because Leading edge were designed with higher wattage Halogen lamps etc. You do need to consider how many LED lamps you intend to dim, as most LED dimmers have a minimum load of 10w. You may need to use a resistor, as mentioned, with a small load.
You should check with the manufacturer of the lamp, as to which dimmer to use. However, as the market is awash with LED lamps of different quality, many do not have such good technical advice.

Varilight V-Pro is good quality dimmer at a reasonable price, and is suitable for most LED lamps; Trailing Edge & LED Dimmer Switches White

At the other end of the market are, for example, Zano LED; Zano Controls - The Answer to LED Dimming

Word of caution: buy good quality LED lamps, as they will last longer, and some of the cheaper imports are, in some cases, dangerous; Some LED lightbulbs on sale now in the UK are potentially LETHAL