Can Led Lights Be Used With A Dimmer

Use an led dimmer switch.

Can led lights be used with a dimmer.

Dimming the bulb will likely cause erratic behavior such as flickering or buzzing and ultimately may cause damage to the bulb. A good rule of thumb to apply one that is used by most manufacturers is to take the maximum rating of the dimmer switch and divide by 10 or in other words use 10 of the max. Not all led lights are designed with dimming capabilities. So what happens if you use non dimmable leds on a dimmer.

Many online shops offer a sorting function where you can filter by dimmable lamps. Especially for led bulbs there is a huge selection of dimmable models. Check the box or product description first to make sure they re dimmable seen below. If you install a non dimming led bulb in a circuit with a dimming switch it will likely operate normally if the dimmer is at its 100 or fully on.

Some led bulbs are designed for use with standard dimmer switches while others are not. Some fixtures such as under cabinet and recessed lights may need special led dimmer switches for proper performance. Existing dimmer switches often have a minimum power of 50w but because led lights tend to have lower wattages than the standard bulb when a bulb is connect to that dimmer switch it will not reach the minimum power required and would usually confuse the dimmer switch and the lights start to flicker make buzzing noise or overheat. The proportion of dimmable led luminaires is slightly smaller.

If you have to do this we suggest keeping the bulb at full power. People often assume that they can use their normal and ordinary dimmer switch for led lights however this is not possible in many cases. Led light bulbs can be used in light fixtures controlled by dimmer switches but you may well find that traditional dimmers may not work or may work inadequately with some led bulbs. Whether an led illuminant or an led luminaire is suitable for use with a dimmer can be seen from the marking.

Make sure you have dimmable led lights.