I am building new home. Need to understand more about Lutron Radio Ra products. Is there a wired version? Who installs, electrician? Thanks!
LUTRON RADIO RA is a great product for new homes or especially for remodel applications. Basically, they are wall box dimmers that work by radio frequency to create a system. As a system you can create scenes, pathways of light, interface with the alarm system, control lights by an astronomical timer and many other features.
RadioRA, the world's first radio frequency lighting control system, uses innovative communication technology and built-in safeguards to ensure reliable wireless communication between all system components. RadioRA can be installed in any home-- including existing homes, late-stage construction, and new homes - without rewiring.
In your case, since you are building, you might also look at the LUTRON GRAFIK EYE SYSTEM as well. You can learn more about LUTRON RADIO RA or GRAFIK EYE by visiting the LUTRON WEBSITE.
Feel free to contact the professionals at Residential Landscape Lighting & Design toll free at 800-239-2939 for more information or to help you build a system. Any electrician or experienced handyman can install Lutron products by turning off the power and following the illustrated instructions.
http://www.residential-landscape-lighting-design.com
Labels: Dimmer Switches, Home Automation Products, Lutron Lighting Controls
Hi, I have a loft space with 2 rows of halogen tracking lighting (8 lights total, guessing about 20W each). There are currently two switches located in different parts of the loft and I'd like to add dimmer functionality to one of them. It should not hum, etc.. and be generally high quality. Is this the Lutron DVELV a good choice? One switch I'd like to change out for a dimmer is behind a wall plate with two other switched (3 total). I haven't removed the wall plate but I'm assuming the switches are 3 discrete boxes and can be removed seperately. Is this a reasonable assumption or should I simply remove the wall plate and look before ordering? Thanks
Lutron is the world leader in wallbox and architectural dimming systems. The LUTRON DVELV DIMMER SWITCH is a high quality dimmer control designed for use with electonic transformers. If you have a magnetic transformer you should use a LUTRON DVLV DIMMER SWITCH with comes in 600 watt and 1000 watt models. The electronic control is only designed for 300 watts.
All Lutron wall box dimmer controls are designed to be ganged in a stardard box like the three gang you have. However, you must DERATE the dimmer by 20% if they are installed side by side with the cooling fins broken off. Click the derate link to view a chart on ganging dimmer controls. You might also look at the custom SCREWLESS CLARO SWITCH PLATES that Lutron sells.
Residential Landscape Lighting & Design is here to assist you. Should you need further assistance please contact customer service at 800-239-2939.
Labels: Dimmer Switches, Lutron Lighting Controls, Switch Plates
I am trying to incorporate sconces into my headboard design. living in an apartment i am not allowed to hardwire them. i also would like to install a dimmer switch for each of the two. i would then need to wire them to an outlet plug. i would just like to know if this can be done and the right way to do it.
Your best bet is to purchase some SWING ARM LAMPS that have built in dimmer controls. Since you are renting, make it simple!
Labels: Dimmer Switches, Indoor and Home Lighting, Swing Arm Lamps
I have a dual bulb outdoor pole lamp that I would like to control with a remote. Does someone make a remote control light socket base that I could screw into the two light sockets in the pole lamp and then be able to control the on/off of the lights with a remote? Thanks for the help.
I am not aware of a screw in remote control device. However, we do have a LUTRON SPACER that will work on a halogen or incandescent light source. The Lutron Spacer is a dimmer control that works in conjunction with a hand held remote.
Labels: Dimmer Switches, Outdoor Pole Lamp, Safety Lighting
I have a fiberglass swimming pool with a waterfall flowing in to it. What is the best way to light the waterfalls, so the water can be more that just noise in the dark?
Using a HALOGEN FEATURE SPOT mounted in a tree or on the house is the best way to dramatically illuminate your fountain feature. I would use the 75-watt spot lamp with the louver accessory to minimize glare. Depending on the mounting position and size of the fountain, you may need two lights to do it properly.
You will also need a LOW VOLTAGE TRANSFORMER and 12/2 LANDSCAPE CABLE to complete the job. With the 75-watt lamp, I would run a home run wire from each fixture back to the TRANSFORMER.
You can a install a DIMMER CONTROL SWITCH to soften the light and finish the job!
Labels: Dimmer Switches, Landscape Cables, Low Voltage Transformer, Waterfall Lighting
Light dimming is based on adjusting the voltage that gets to the lamp to emit only small amount of light. Light dimming has been possible for many decades by using adjustable power resistors and adjustable transformers. Electronics controlling also made possible to make them easily controllable from remote location.
Most homes have lamps or fixtures that can be made brighter or dimmer by rotating or sliding a control on their on-off switch. Years ago, this was done using a device called a rheostat--a large variable resistor. This method wasted electricity and generated a lot of heat. To control the amount of energy going to the light the rheostat had to throw a lot away, turning it into heat. For example, at half brightness a 100-watt bulb would waste about 20 watts to heat in the rheostat.
Early light
DIMMER SWITCHES had a pretty straightforward solution to adjusting light levels -- a variable resistor. An ordinary resistor is a piece of material that doesn't conduct electrical current well -- it offers a lot of resistance to moving electrical charge. A variable resistor consists of a piece of resistive material, a stationary contact arm and a moving contact arm. As charge works to move through the resistor, energy is lost in the form of heat. When you put a resistor in a series circuit, the resistor's energy consumption causes a voltage drop in the circuit, decreasing the energy available to other loads (the light bulb). Decreased voltage across the light bulb reduces its light output.
The problem with this solution is that you end up using a lot of energy to heat the resistor, which doesn't help you light up the room but still costs you. In addition to be being inefficient, these early dimmer switches tend to be cumbersome and potentially dangerous, since the variable resistor releases a substantial amount of heat.
Modern dimmers take a more efficient approach. Instead of diverting energy from the light bulb into a resistor, modern resistors rapidly shut the light circuit off and on to reduce the total amount of energy flowing through the circuit. The light bulb circuit is switched off many times every second.
Modern
LIGHT DIMMER SWITCHES use a transistor like device called a TRIAC to switch the electricity on and off very rapidly--120 times each second. Because they sort of 'chop up' the electrical power this way they are sometimes called 'chopper switches.' The current doesn't change suddenly. It rises and falls or, undulates.
The switching cycle is built around the fluctuation of household alternating current (AC). AC current has varying voltage polarity -- in an undulating sine wave, it fluctuates from a positive voltage to a negative voltage. To put it another way, the moving charge that makes up AC current is constantly changing direction. In the United States , it goes through one cycle (moving one way, then the other) 60 times a second. A modern light dimmer switch "cuts off" the sine wave. It automatically shuts the light bulb circuit off every time the current reverses direction -- that is, whenever there is zero voltage running through the circuit. This happens twice per cycle, or 120 times a second. It turns the light circuit back on when the voltage climbs back up to a certain level.
The knob or slider on the
DIMMER SWITCH is also a variable resistor but, in this case it's just used as a signal to move the turn-on point --it's not redirecting the flow of current as the old time rheostat was. With the dimmer circuitry very little energy is wasted. A typical modern dimmer control is more than 99 percent efficient--less than 1 watt is wasted controlling a 100-Watt bulb.
If we hook up a really cheap dimmer switch, we may notice a strange buzzing noise. This comes from vibrations in the bulb filament caused by the chopped-up current coming from the triac (triode alternating current switch).
BETTER DIMMER SWITCHES have extra components to squelch the buzzing effect. Typically, the dimmer circuit includes an inductor choke, a length of wire wrapped around an iron core, and an additional interference capacitor. Both devices can temporarily store electrical charge and release it later. This "extra current" works to smooth out the sharp voltage jumps caused by the triac-switching to reduce buzzing and radio interference.
Some high-end dimmer switches, such as the ones commonly used in stage lighting, are built around an autotransformer instead of a triac. The autotransformer dims the lights by stepping down the voltage flowing to the light circuit. A movable tap on the autotransformer adjusts the step-down action to dim the lights to different levels. Since it doesn't chop up the AC current, this method doesn't cause the same buzzing as a triac switch.
Most of light dimmer switches are built around the same simple idea -- chopping up AC current to reduce the total energy powering a light bulb.
Contact the professionals at Residential Landscape Lighting & Design to learn more about which dimmer control is right for you!
Labels: Dimmer Switches, Lighting Control System, Lutron Controls
I have 14 recessed lights on one lutron switch dimmer combo that is getting hot. The bulb watts is 960 but the lutron switch is rated 1000. why is it getting so hot to the touch?
During normal operation, solid-state dimmers generate heat. A solid-state dimmer is roughly 98% efficient-2% of the power is dissipates as heat, causing the dimmer to feel warm to the touch. The closer a dimmer is run to full output and the higher the load (watts) on the dimmer, the warmer it will feel. This is perfectly normal and safe.
LUTRON DIMMERS AND LIGHTING CONTROLS are designed to the strictest UL safety standard, and can handle their full rated load (a 600 Watt dimmer can handle a full 600W of power without overheating.
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW LIGHTING DIMMERS WORKLabels: Dimmer Switches, Lighting Controls, Recessed Lighting
Safety Issues When Installing Dimmer Switches:
Light dimmers are directly connected to mains you must make sure that no part of the circuit can be touched when it is operating. This can be best dealt by building the dimmer circuit to small plastic box. Remember to use potentiometer with plastic shaft and install it so that no potentiometer metal parts are exposed to user. Click here for full article on Safety Issues When Installing Dimmer Switches:
Labels: Dimmer Switches, Installation, Safety Issues
How Light Dimmer Switches Work:
Light dimming is based on adjusting the voltage that gets to the lamp to emit only small amount of light. Light dimming has been possible for many decades by using adjustable power resistors and adjustable transformers. Electronics controlling also made possible to make them easily controllable from remote location.
Most homes have lamps or fixtures that can be made brighter or dimmer by rotating or sliding a control on their on-off switch. Years ago, this was done using a device called a rheostat--a large variable resistor. This method wasted electricity and generated a lot of heat. To control the amount of energy going to the light the rheostat had to throw a lot away, turning it into heat. For example, at half brightness a 100-watt bulb would waste about 20 watts to heat in the rheostat. Click here for the whole article on dimmer switches.
Labels: Adjustable Transformers, Dimmer Switches, Security Lighting
