I recently purchased a new house and replaced the dining room fixture with an old fixture from my previous home (I just liked the way it looked). However, the fixture that was in place before worked off a dimmer switch, and the fixture I put in its place was not previously on a dimmer. Once the "new" fixture(from my old home) was in place, the dimmer simply turned the light on and did not dim the lights. Is there something I can do to remedy this, or do I need to replace the switch with a standard on/off light switch?
If the fixture (new one) is fluorescent and the one you took out was incandescent then that may be the problem.
I would be interested to see what the make and model of your "new" fixture is for a couple of reasons.
1: There are certain brands that make fixtures specifically for dimmability and some specifically not for such a function.
2: If the brand of the dimmer and the brand of the fixture do not match, it is possible that the technology to power both are not compatible with each other.
3: The similar situation can (and usually does) occur when using dimmers, fixtures and light bulbs that do not connect with each other.
In a perfect electrical world, everything would be universal and thus, everything would be compatible with everything to avoid issues such as these.
However, since this is NOT a perfect world, and a perfect electrical world can not exist within this one...you need to try your best to make sure that everything matches. If not by brand, then DEFINITELY my the *functions* that each part of this equations has; I.E. dimmability and light bulb compatibility!!
I hope this helped a little bit, let me know if you have any other questions!
~THDGIRL
1: There are certain brands that make fixtures specifically for dimmability and some specifically not for such a function.
2: If the brand of the dimmer and the brand of the fixture do not match, it is possible that the technology to power both are not compatible with each other.
3: The similar situation can (and usually does) occur when using dimmers, fixtures and light bulbs that do not connect with each other.
In a perfect electrical world, everything would be universal and thus, everything would be compatible with everything to avoid issues such as these.
However, since this is NOT a perfect world, and a perfect electrical world can not exist within this one...you need to try your best to make sure that everything matches. If not by brand, then DEFINITELY my the *functions* that each part of this equations has; I.E. dimmability and light bulb compatibility!!
I hope this helped a little bit, let me know if you have any other questions!
~THDGIRL
Thanks for the info however in this case I'm sure he just got the wiring goofed up. People shouldn't be monkeying around with electrical if they don't really understand what they're doing.
Post a reply as Anonymous
Related Discussions
Light stays on switch doesn't work!
I have black and red wires hooked into the light switch on one side. Three black,three white and one red all attached together in th...
2
answers
almost 18 years by Wolley
Pre-treated Cedar Mail Post
Hello, I purchased a cedar mail post that has been treated with a waterproof and UV protective sealant. I think it also has a stain ...
0
answersabout 11 hours by BV023349
Craftman 7 1/4 circular saw model 31510860
looking for a replacement switch for my circular saw
0
answersabout 2 hours by BV023354
Replacing a Light Fixture
I have 3 wires coming out of my ceiling. Black, Red and White. The previous fixture had 2 wires from the ceiling connecting to one f...
0
answersabout 15 years by cdngeo
