Recommendation for dimming plug for Christmas lights

[simonmason]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a dimming plug that I can control Christmas lights indoors? I am using standard T5 LED strings - two @ 150 bulbs. Want to switch on and off and also dim as they are a little too bright. I had them plugged into an older dimming module but it wouldn't switch them off and flickered when I dimmed - not enough power for it. I have them in a peanut right now just for on and off. Thanks.

[Wade]

I use an older version of this with only a few LED bulbs and I don't get any flickering. I keep it at 40%. It may depend on the specific LED lights, of course. Mine is one of the older GE/Jasco branded devices.

[kenm]

A simple trick to resolve the flickering is to add a non-LED night light to the circuit to draw a bit more power. Dimming plugs have somewhat gone away since there's nothing to keep someone from plugging an inductive load (vacuum cleaner) into the plug and starting a fire. For the same reason, it's against NEC to install a dimmer on a switched outlet.

[randy]

I have several Leviton DZPD3-2BW and a couple of EVA LOGIK dimmers and they both work well. Before we switched to Twinkly one of the Levitons controlled our tree LED lighting.

[bobchase]

If you are using Insteon, then an old 2456D3 LampLinc works fine with a GE 150 lamp LED string. However, I have no experience with the newer plug-in dimmers that Insteon is now selling.

[SteveW]

I am using standard T5 LED strings

Please clarify. "T5" lamps are tubes, like old-school fluorescent tube lights. One website of many, showing types of holiday light types: https://www.christmaslightsetc.com/p...ide-Visual.htm

If you meant typical strings of small LEDs, like these:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-Energy-S...hts/1003313186

or tubes filled with strings of LEDs, then they aren't intended to be connected to a dimmer, so expect uneven dimming range (or worse, failure).

Just for the heck of it, I connected four strings of mini-LEDs to a new Minoston MP31ZD Z-Wave dimmer plug. It works, but dimming isn't smooth.

On the other hand, if these are "officially dimmable" bulbs, then this dimmer plug should work:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SHDQJKD

[Rupp]

A good old fashion X10 lamp module will work with dimmable lights. https://www.x10.com/products/lm465

[simonmason]

Rupp Funny, I thought about that. I still have a couple of X-10 switches around the house running through an XTB and into my RCS Commstar and then into HS through serial. However, I am moving my wiring closet into a new cabinet and it was top of my list to replace those 3-4 modules and pull all of that extra stuff.

SteveW Thanks. I am referring to those bulbs. I didn't know what they were called so googled it and T5 was the first thing I found. They are GE bulbs - in my case they are switchable between white and colored. The added circuitry to switch between white and color might not play well with the dimmer but thought I would try. I have some minoston plugs - not dimmable - and thought I would give this a shot. If not, I will double the price and try the GE/Jasco which people have had good luck with. Thanks everyone.

[SteveW]

Interesting about the (ambiguous) naming of "T5".

I am sure that the Minoston non-dimming plug will work with these lights to simply turn them on or off (no dimming). It is a simple electromechanical relay switch, so it doesn't "care" what is plugged into it, as long as it doesn't exceed the wattage rating (and of course, the LED lights won't exceed it). I have three strings in series plugged into a Minoston switch now, and it works fine.