Trigger if dimmer is >X

[denisl]

My foyer light has a bunch of bulbs drawing a lot of current and my 1000W Cooper Aspire Master switch can get hot when the foyer light is left on.

I'm trying to setup an event that is -

IF the dimmer is >75%
ANDIF the device has been on for 45 minutes
THEN change the dimmer to 50%

Any thoughts how to do this? Don't see how I can do ">75%" as a trigger.
I have spuds easytrigger but don't see it there either.

Thanks

[randy]

My foyer light has a bunch of bulbs drawing a lot of current and my 1000W Cooper Aspire Master switch can get hot when the foyer light is left on.

I'm trying to setup an event that is -

IF the dimmer is >75%
ANDIF the device has been on for 45 minutes
THEN change the dimmer to 50%

Any thoughts how to do this? Don't see how I can do ">75%" as a trigger.
I have spuds easytrigger but don't see it there either.

Thanks

Use Easy Trigger as the trigger:

IF the device has been in the range [76,100] for exactly 00:45:00

Then set device to 50%

[waynehead99]

I might be wrong but wouldn't dimming it lower cause more heat since resistance is higher?

[ewkearns]

I might be wrong but wouldn't dimming it lower cause more heat since resistance is higher?

I think all modern dimmers use some form of chopper circuit, instead of a variable resistor. However, that said, I can image how a switch passing nearly 1000W could get a bit warmer....

[randy]

I think all modern dimmers use some form of chopper circuit, instead of a variable resistor. However, that said, I can image how a switch passing nearly 1000W could get a bit warmer....

They do, and the devices that do the switching have very low resistance on the current path. For those reasons, I wouldn't think they would run any cooler at 50% than they do at full. I know some of my old Lutron (before HA) dimmers would still output a modified sine wave, even at full power - that is why they still got warm at full power.

While the OP said he had a 1000w dimmer, I don't know what the load is, but if it is over 500w I would think a switch to LED lighting would be the best move. My entire back yard is lit with floodlights, a total of 10 150 watt incandescents were replaced with 17 watt LED floods. Almost 90% of the energy use is gone and they are brighter.

[mikedr]

There's a way to do this without any plug-ins.

Set an event trigger of when "this device changes and becomes..." "a custom value or value range of" 75 to 100 (say). The action is to start a timer. The attached screenshot shows an example of the trigger.

Then, create another event that when the timer reaches 45 minutes, you turn off the device, stop the timer, and reset it to zero.

[randy]

There's a way to do this without any plug-ins.

Set an event trigger of when "this device changes and becomes..." "a custom value or value range of" 75 to 100 (say). The action is to start a timer. The attached screenshot shows an example of the trigger.

Then, create another event that when the timer reaches 45 minutes, you turn off the device, stop the timer, and reset it to zero.

Since he wants to set the lights to 50% if they are above 75% for more than 45 minutes, you would also need a third event to stop the timer if the light was (manually or by HomeSeer) set to 75% or less. The Easy Trigger event in post 2 will do it with a single event. The OP said he tried Easy Trigger.

[denisl]

Thanks guys for the help. Honestly I need to run the lights at 50% to see if it will actually be cooler. I didn't think that the switch was adding resistance to the circuit but I guess it could be how it works. The switch is 1000W, the lights are more like 300-500W (I don't recall off hand how many 40W bulbs I have in the fixture but I think around 10 or so).

I'll try when I get home.

[denisl]

Just quick follow up - the easy trigger worked perfect.

The switch definitely runs cooler at a lower setting. I used a temp gun (over a month ago so I forget the readings) and I remember it was a significant difference. Still warm on low but not hot. I have 15 60W bulbs pushing 900W when at full on.

[Uncle Michael]

Have you considered LED bulbs?

If you do not need full range dimming capability, there are some relatively inexpensive dimmable LED light bulbs available from the likes of Home Depot and Lowe's that can reduce the current draw of the fixture by nearly 90% - more at dimmed settings.

I have been quite impressed with the color of the light as well. There has been a dramatic improvement over just the last year.

[denisl]

Have you considered LED bulbs?

If you do not need full range dimming capability, there are some relatively inexpensive dimmable LED light bulbs available from the likes of Home Depot and Lowe's that can reduce the current draw of the fixture by nearly 90% - more at dimmed settings.

I have been quite impressed with the color of the light as well. There has been a dramatic improvement over just the last year.

I have but find that the dimming of LEDs to be a bit jittery. I have some LED high hats I just installed and I have to disable any ramp rates on my switch otherwise they flicker terribly when trying to dim. Also, on full dim the lights are at 100%.

I'll be replacing this fixture in about a year and will give LEDs another shot then.

[Uncle Michael]

I have but find that the dimming of LEDs to be a bit jittery. I have some LED high hats I just installed and I have to disable any ramp rates on my switch otherwise they flicker terribly when trying to dim. Also, on full dim the lights are at 100%.

Yes, dimming LEDs is still problematic. It appears to depend a great deal on the dimmer. I can achieve about 30-50% of the max light level, at best, with some of the current LED lights, but none of them ramp acceptably. And none that I've tried achieve really low light levels (10% or lower).