Can You Dim Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

The answer is yes.

Can you dim compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Also look for black or other discoloration in the flickering bulb. A fluorescent lamp works much the way a neon tube does. Shows you how he did it. Take a bulb from a fixture working properly and test it in the flickering fixture.

There are electrodes at each end that are heated in order to reduce the amount of strike current required to excite the gas in the tube. Eventually the bulb simply won t light. Fyi fluorescent lights do not dim well at all. We can say it is actually possible to dim fluorescent tubes but not without also saying that we highly discourage you to do so.

It is not recommended that you use regular compact fluorescent bulbs with dimming switches since this can dramatically shorten the bulb life. It is not recommended for your pocket time nor your expectations. These bulbs come in packaging that states their compatibility with dimmers. Dimmable cfl bulbs are available and they can be dimmed down to about 20 percent of full light output without problems.

Compact fluorescent lamps cfls are replacing incandescent light bulbs at a rapid rate due to their tremendous energy savings and longer lifetime. Fluorescent dimming how fluorescent fixtures work. Additional energy savings can be achieved by dimming but the electronic ballast required to control the lamp has a higher cost and is difficult to design. Incandescent bulbs also lose lumens but the life of these bulbs is extremely short compared with that of cfls.

Another reason you need more lumens is that a cfl will dim over time. This morning they were completely dark at first but are now very dim again. Yes compact fluorescent lamps can be dimmed. Much like cfls make sure you check the led bulb packaging to be sure it is dimmable not all are.

Often a failing fluorescent light bulb will begin to darken or even look black at one or both ends. It will lose 20 to 25 percent lumen power after 4 000 hours 40 percent of a cfl s 10 000 hour rated life. Is this a sign the ballast needs to be replaced. A quite tricky point and therefore the tough question to answer.

Both bulbs are very dim but evenly lit along their length and both the same as each other. However it requires a dimming ballast which can be quite expensive and the amount of dimming is limited to about 20. If you re thinking of using a. And what about an led light bulb or fixture.

Our kitchen light which uses two 4 foot fluorescent light bulbs is very dim.