It is important to understand what dimmers are, how lamp dimmers work, their benefits, and more. Below, we have briefly discussed all these things to make it easier for you to choose the right one for your space.
What Is A Dimmer?
Lamp dimmers are electronic devices used to adjust a lamp’s light. Generally, you can do this by altering or changing the voltage supply waveform to the lamp. With the help of this, the density of light will decrease, and it will consume less power, which leads to lower costs.
In addition, the other benefit of using dimmers is they increase the life of the lamp, fewer lamp replacements, and less maintenance costs.
Why Use Dimmers For Lamps?
Using dimmers for lamps makes the room’s ambiance more comfortable, versatile, and cost-effective.
Sets Your Mood
You can dim the light of the lamp according to your mood. You can set it according to you, whether you have a soft, romantic mood or want a dramatic, light mood. The soft light lamp will convert the ambiance of a room in a candlelight dinner between two loved ones. On the other hand, bright lights can make it easy for you to see, work easily, or properly cook.
Flexibility
You can change the room’s light according to your activity, whether watching a movie, working, dining, or reading.
Help Improve Productivity
The wrong light can cause fatigue and eyestrain. With the help of dimmers, it becomes easy for you to control the lighting of your lamp personally. For example, the task gets easier to perform, like using a computer and working on your hobbies, which gets more enjoyable and productive.
Saves Energy
With the help of dimmers, your lights average of 50 percent will cut home electricity usage to 40 percent. Moreover, your lamp bulbs last 20 times longer, saving you from frequent bulb replacement. In this, your cost for lamp bulbs will be reduced.
Provide More Comfort
Harsh lights can give you eye strain and create discomfort for you, especially in the evening when you try to get some relaxation. Dimming the lights can create a comfortable space for you and your guests.
Basic Type Of Dimmers
There are some of the basic types of dimmers that you can use in your lamps to control the light of the bulb according to your preferences:
Rotary Or Standard
It is one of the oldest types of dimmer. It’s designed to keep the incandescent in mind. These dimmers lower the amount of power reaching the lamp and, in that way, they can generate more light.
Electronic Low Voltage (ELV)
The design of the ELV dimmer comes with an electronic driver. For most light-emitting diode bulbs, this type of dimmer is commonly used.
0-10 Volt
It is a type of dimmer that is usually used in the US and Europe for commercial applications. You need extra wiring in this, so it is best for a newly wired application or where rewiring is not a big problem.
Integrated Dimmers
Some lamps are more complicated to control than just dimming, and they also come with their systems. With these fixtures, you can have your proprietary controls, often remote-based.
Also Read: What Is A Salt Lamp? Where To Place Them?
How Do You Choose The Right Dimmer For Your Lamp?
Choosing the right dimmer for your lamp’s bulb is important and can be difficult if you are unaware. A dimmer is used to adjust the brightness level in your space, which can be used according to your lighting moods. Below, we have provided some important factors to consider before choosing a dimmer for your lamp.
Type Of Bulb
Each bulb comes with a characteristic that needs a certain type of dimmer. It is very important to look for a dimmer that can suit your lamp. Most of the dimmers come under these four bulb categories:
- Dimmable compact fluorescent light bulbs
- Electronic Low Frequency (ELV)
- Magnetic Low Frequency (MLV)
- Incandescent and halogen bulbs
Wattage
Select a dimmer with a wattage rating that matches the total wattage of your lamp bulb. For instance, if the dimmer controls a fixture with 75-watt bulbs, then you require a dimmer that rates for 750 watts or higher.
Style Of Control
Now that you understand all the technical elements, you can choose the dimmer according to functionality and aesthetics. Dimmers come in different styles, like rotaries, touch-sensitive, and toggles. Moreover, they also come in a variety of colors.
How do Lamp Dimmers work?
Essentially, a light dimmer works by chopping the parts out of an AC Voltage. It only allows the parts to reflect the light from the lamp. The lamp’s brightness depends on how much power is transferred to the lamp. If the more waveform is chopped, the more it will dim.
They control the lamp’s brightness using an electrical component known as triac.
- The triac is a switch that acts so fast that it can turn ON and OFF hundreds of times per second.
- When the dimmer is turned to the full brightness, the triac keeps all the power turned ON to supply the power.
- But, when you dim the lights, the traffic turns the power off for a longer time, so the bulb gets less electricity and the lamp bulb gives less light.
With the help of this process, the dimmer can operate the light accordingly for better performance.
Conclusion
Hopefully, with the above information, you have learned what dimmers are and how lamp dimmers work. Moreover, choosing the right one for your lamp will be easy as you know its benefits and types. However, installing the dimmers by yourself can be a challenging task and can cost you more. Trying yourself can cause a fuse in a bulb, a wiring problem, or maybe your lamps stop working.
While trying yourself is not a bad idea, let experts handle things when it comes to installing lamp dimmers. Are you looking for a professional to install dimmers in NYC? If yes, Safety Lamps Repair is a trustworthy name in the market, providing lamp dimmer installation services in NYC for a decade. Contact us at 212-348-5267 to get the best quote today!
