LED Swap out Question with new dimmers...

[nfmmalice]

I'm just starting the first phase of my HA swap out after receiving my Hometroller pro s3. We opted to do the switchout on the first two room of the house first, and I'm trying to make heads/tails of everything to make sure I only have to spend the money once.

In my Front room, I have a bank of 12 Floods on a Single Dimmer. I was looking to swap all the CFL's in there for Dimmable LED Bulbs.

In my Second area, I have a Chandelier with 6 Bulbs, and it is on one dimmer.

How do I go about figuring out which switch I need to swap these out? This will be the absolute FIRST Zwave switch Swap I'm doing, and I want to make sure I do it right the first time.



I did a forum search for Zwave Dimmers and CFL's but I perused about 10 threads and couldn't find the information I was looking for.

I'm sorry if I'm asking a question to which the answer is easily accessible, but If someone could point me there, it would certainly help keep me from making this mistake in the future. LoL.

[nfmmalice]

After reading a little more in depth, I think the VRM10-1LZ would probably be the best choice to replace the DImmer with the 12 Floods on it.

I haven't yet pulled off the Dimmer that is there, so Im not sure if the install only has a 2 Wire, or if it has a 3 Wire setup.

If it only has a two wire setup, are my only options to either use a 2 Wire Dimmer and accept any negative drawbacks, or try and reverse snake a new 3 Line Wire? (I'm not sure I want to get into the latter.)

If I read Automated's rundown correctly, the 2-wire SHOULDN'T have an Issue with a 12 Flood Circuit.. I think. Also I'm looking to replace all my CFL's with the EcoSmart Par 38's, for reference.

[Uncle Michael]

I have no experience with those dimmers, but I do know that dimming LED lamps is not fully standardized yet. In every case that I've attempted, dimming performance has been a function of the number of LED fixtures on the circuit.

As an aside, while your goal of doing the swap once correctly is the right one, it is a good idea to be prepared for some pain. HA as we practice it is not a mature field, and you will often find that what you are doing has never been done quite the same way before. So, there's always an opportunity for a surprise. It can make for entertaining challenges - or revolting frustration - depending on your mind set and expectations.

[NicolaiL]

I think you'll find it is a bit trial and error. As Uncle Michael says dimmable LEDs are not fully standardised yet.

You need to make sure you get a dimmer that will work with the load you are going to put on. Traditional dimmers usually only work at a minimum of 40W (at least here in the UK) and if you only had a few LEDs on a single circuit you could end up with a total load of less than 40W in which case you might not be able to dim the lights.

You will also find a lot of it is down to the LEDs themselves. Many are specifically not dimmable and those that are should be tested prior to any large purchase! You might some of them do not dim down very far before they turn off (and vice versa for turning on, i.e. comes on fairly brightly). This is typically an LED issue, but can also be caused by the dimmer.

You can also experience humming noise from the LED drivers and/or the dimmers themselves so that's one more thing to look out for.

Best LED dimmer I have found so far is the Vitrum ThinkSimple range, but I'm not sure they are available in the US though.

So, it's like most other home automation; can be a little hard to get working, but usually worth the hard work

[nfmmalice]

Thank you both very much for your input. I'm prepared for a bit of trial and error... and actually prepared for more error than trial. LoL.

In calculating Loads for a given switch, how would I go about it?

If I have 12 LED's on a Dimmer Currently, and Each LED is rated at 18W, would I calculate that at a 216 Watt Load? And If So, would the Leviton VRI06-1LZ Z-Wave 600-Watt 2-Wire Dimmer:

http://store.homeseer.com/store/Levi...mmer-P574.aspx

Be a suitable Dimmer?

The LED's I'm looking at note that they ARE dimmable (however much that means in the infancy of Dimmable LED PAR's).

[NicolaiL]

I have no experience with the US dimmers so can't comment on your choice, but it does not state anything about working with LEDs, it only mentions capability for 600W incandescent loads. It might work, it might not ...

I'd look for a dimmer that specifies it works with LEDs and ideally one that supports both trailing edge and leading edge loads. Most dimmers are leading edge, but some LEDs require trailing edge dimmers which are not quite as common and usually more expensive, typical!

As for load you are going down the right path. Depending on how the LED works (and depending on how the manufacturer specifies load) you may need to add a watt or two for the driver itself.

I guess I would always look for something that has a little headroom between the calculated wattage and the dimmer rating. Or you could assume the specs are all fine and that the dimmer rating is definitely up to spec.

Note: I am not electrically qualified, so take all this for no more my thoughts. You should get this validated by someone qualified before you burn down the house or electrocute yourself!

[nfmmalice]

Hehe, I hear ya Nicolai. I always take what people are saying as their opinions, and not a "Do it this way"... Unless I'm paying them to do it. In that case, I expect them to be right. Haha.

The only reason I suggested that Leviton, was because I thought that in Automated's write up, for 2 Wire Loads, he noted Incandescent dimmers.

If there is a Suitable 2-Wire LED Dimmer, I would be more than open to check it out. I'll do more research and see if I can find a 2-Wire LED dimmer and see if that changes the outlook.

Thanks again!!

[Uncle Michael]

I'd recommend pulling the existing switch before going much further and determine whether you have a neutral in the box. Your options - and likelihood of getting the performance you desire - will be much greater if you have a neutral.

[NicolaiL]

Just one more piece of advice for what I am finding here in the UK. Even though you have a dimmer rated, say, 150W and dimmable LED lights rated at 10W each you can not put 15 lights on the same circuit.

That will work for on and off, but for dim you have to discount the dimmer switch wattage by up to 90%. So for a 150W dimmer you typically end up with no more than 2 or 3 LEDs lights.

[nfmmalice]

Okay, after an extended AFK from "fun" related household chores, I have had a chance to pull my existing dimmer, and it is a Lutron Skylark s600 (Single pole) Dimmer. It appears to be 2 Wire.

What would be a suitable replacement for DImming 8 LED Floods?