Patriot Lighting Led Compatible Dimmer

Why Trust The Spruce

This article was written by Camryn Rabideau, who is a freelance writer and product tester for The Spruce. While researching products for the article, she spoke to Joel Worthington, President of Mr. Electric, for insights on buying and installing dimmer switches in your home. Based on his guidance, she selected switches that were compatible with a wide range of bulb types. Whenever possible, she also prioritized products that could be used in both single-pole and 3-way applications and didnt require a neutral wireboth of which offer more versatility in installation.

Emma Phelps offered additional assistance with this article by connecting with Bryan Johnson, CEO of Shades of Light, to learn more about the benefits of installing dimmer switches and the aesthetics they offer to elevate a home.

Signs Of Incompatibility Between Dimmer And Lamps

Whether you’re trying to dim under cabinet lighting in your kitchen or overhead lighting in your office building, the symptoms of having incompatible devices paired are similar. The most common complaints involve the light bulb not dimming to expected low levels, blinking or flickering at certain thresholds, humming, or buzzing. Other dimmer compatibility issues include:

• Drop out: the light cuts out suddenly prior to reaching the bottom of the dimming range

• Pop on: the lights brighten more suddenly than expected at a certain point when dimming towards full brightness

• Unresponsive: lights remain at a constant brightness for some or all of the dimming scale, not responding to adjustments made at the dimmer

If you experience any of these symptoms, turn off the lights and troubleshoot because chances are there’s nothing wrong with the dimmer or the lights, the two just aren’t meant to be friends.

Best Overall: Lutron Maestro Led+ Dimmer Switch Single

• Works with virtually all dimmable bulbs

• Advanced tap controls

• Wallpate not included

Who else recommends it? Bob Vila also picked the Lutron Maestro LED+ Dimmer Switch.

What do buyers say? 91% of 4,000+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.

The Lutron Maestro LED+ Dimmer caters to different needs and preferences, is compatible with single-pole or multi-location dimming applications, and offers 250 different brightness levels. Its flexible, user-friendly, and adaptable design earns it the top spot on our list.

This dimmer switch is a standout largely thanks to its intuitive controls. A rocker along the side allows you to change the brightness level of the light, but the dimmer also relies on tap controls to let you do more beyond adjusting the brightness range. One tap will set your lighting to your last-used brightness or turn your lights off, while a double tap will bring your lighting to maximum brightness. If you dont want to turn the light off instantaneously, press and hold the switch to activate the fade-to-off feature. With this feature, you can program how long it takes the light to shut down, ranging from 10 to 60 seconds.

Switch Style: Tap, Rocker | Dimensions: 2.3 x 2.3 x 4.6 inches | Operating Voltage: 120 | Circuit Type: Single pole or multi-location | Mounting Type: In-wall

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Best Smart: Kasa Smart Dimmer Switch Hs220

Courtesy of Amazon

• Able to control via smartphone or voice commands

• No smart hub needed

• Gentle off feature slowly fades lights

• May not work in older homes

If you enjoy technology, the Kasa Smart Dimmer Switch might be the perfect option to add more smart functionality to your home. You can operate this Wi-Fi-connected unit remotely from your smartphone or via voice commands given to Amazons Alexa or Google Assistant. It also has an on/off rocker switch, up/down dimmer buttons, and a brightness indicator on the switch itself for in-person operation, and it works with LED and CFL bulbs up to 150 watts and incandescent bulbs up to 300 watts.

You can only install the Kasa Smart Dimmer Switch in single-pole applications, and it does require a neutral wire, so it may not work in older homes. Thanks to its smart functionality, the switch can be put on an automatic schedule, and theres even a gentle off feature that gradually fades the lights, giving you time to get into bed or leave the room.

Switch Style: Rocker | Dimensions: 5.04 x 1.77 x 3.35 inches | Operating Voltage: 120 | Circuit Type: Single-pole | Mounting Type: In-wall

What Causes Led Buzzing

The cause is often a compatibility issue known as em interference between a dimmer switch and a LEDs driver . When traditional bulbs like incandescent and halogen buzz, it is usually the filament vibrating that you hear. However, LEDs are electronic devices and work in a completely different way. They dont use a filament at all. The audible hum or buzzing sound you hear is likely the LED drivers internal electronics vibrating.

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Use An Led Dimmer Switch

People often assume that they can use their normal and ordinary dimmer switch for LED lights, however this is not possible in many cases. 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.

If you dim a standard bulb such as halogen and the light intensity is reduced to 50% via dimming then the halogen bulb will give almost no light output, however if you do the same with an LED bulb the LED light will give 50% of its light capacity at its fullest. A standard dimmer switch cannot be used with an LED light as you will never be able to dim the LED light either completely or not very well. LED lights need their own special electronic dimmer switch to have a fully functioning and dimming light.

Best Rocker: Lutron Diva Led+ Dimmer Switch Single

Courtesy of Home Depot

• Works with virtually all dimmable bulbs

If you want your dimmer switch to match other fixtures in your home, the Lutron Diva LED+ Dimmer has a discreet slide control next to the classic rocker switch. You can install it on single-pole or 3-way lights, and it works with pretty much any type of dimmable bulb, including LED and CFL bulbs up to 150 watts or incandescent and halogen bulbs up to 600 watts.

This dimmer switch is incredibly easy to use. The rocker turns lights on/off to your favorite light level, and the small slider on the side dims and brightens the light. As for installation, it takes as little as 15 minutes , and it even comes in several colors to match your homes other switches.

Switch Style: Rocker | Dimensions: 4.25 x 1.6 x 2.1 inches | Operating Voltage: 120 | Circuit Type: Single-pole or 3-way | Mounting Type: In-wall

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Help With Dimmer Switch

I recently installed a new ceiliing fan that has a built-in LED. It’s a Patriot Lighting brand from Menard’s and specifies on the box that the light is dimmable with a compatible LED dimmer. The unit came with a remote contol and receiver that allows you control the fan speed and the light color/dimness, and the whole unit is wired to a single pole switch.

Last week, I purchased 2 dimmer switches, one for the light and one for the fan :

Dimmer for LED:

Speed control for fan:

The room is already wired with a single pole for a fan and two 3-poles on either side of the room for a light. So my plan is to replace the single pole with the fan control, and replace one of the 3-poles with the LED dimmer.

The fan unit has a memory, so with the remote control wired up, I set the fan to the fastest setting and the light to the brightest setting. Then I rewired everything to the set up with the switches.

Best Design: Wemo Wifi Smart Dimmer

Courtesy of Amazon

• Compatible with most voice assistants

• Night mode uses lower light level

• May not work in older homes

For a sleek, modern fixture thats packed with functionality, you cant go wrong with the WeMo Smart Dimmer. You can control this Wi-Fi-connected switch from anywhere using your smartphone, and you can also control it using voice commands, as its compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit’s Siri.

The WeMo Dimmer offers a variety of useful features, including Night Mode, which automatically uses a lower brightness setting during certain timeslike when you go to the bathroom at night. It also has an Away Mode, which turns lights on and off randomly to make it appear like you’re home. It’s fairly easy to install, but keep in mind that this switch requires a neutral wire, which older homes may lack.

Switch Style: Tap | Dimensions: 4.99 x 3.2 x 1.75 inches | Operating Voltage: 120 | Circuit Type: Single-pole | Mounting Type: In-wall

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Which Led Dimmer Switch Should You Choose

In our dimmer switch range you will find various LED dimmer switches available for purchase. It is recommended to always choose the most recommended and suitable LED dummer switch than the average cheaper switches out there, as cheap and poor quality LED dimmer switch tend to have a short lifespan. Electronic dimmer switch are ideal as they tend to be more universal and are suitable for all bulb types such as incandescent, halogen and LED lights. When choosing a dimmer switch ensure that you pay attention to the power output that the switch can handle, for example if you have a bulb with 100W you must have a dimmer switch that can handle this power output.

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Low Clearance Installation Method

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Choosing An Installation Method

There are two different methods that you can use to install your aspectLED Ultra-Thin recessed LED lights. The amount of vertical clearance that you have at the light location will usually help you to decide which method to choose.

If you have at least 1.75 of space above your drywall, you will usually choose the conventional installation method. If you have a pipe, wire, joist or other obstacle in your way, you may be able to use the conventional installation method, if you have enough room to get a junction box through your hole. If you have less than 1.75 of space above your drywall, youll typically use the low clearance installation method.

How To Stop Led Lights From Buzzing Step By Step

Step 1 Determine if only one light is buzzing, or if its all of the lights in the circuit. If its only one light, replace it with a new one. If its all of the lights, move on to step 2.

Step 2 Bypass the dimmer switch. Turn the power off. Then take the two wires off the dimmer switch and connect them together using a wire nut. Next, turn the power back on. Do the lights still buzz? If yes, theres not much you can do other than replace the lights with high quality LED lights. If they dont buzz, go to step 3.

Step 3 Replace the dimmer switch. If the lights did not buzz when you bypassed the dimmer switch, then its most likely the dimmer that is incompatible with the LED bulbs.

LED lights are electronic devices, and using an older triac dimmer that was designed for the resistive load of an incandescent lamp will seldom work well. Most LED bulb manufacturers provide a list of recommended dimmers that they have tested to be compatible with their products. Of all the dimmers on the list, there are two types to look for that will likely work best at eliminating the buzzing.

What youre looking for is a CL dimmer, LED+ dimmer, or an ELV dimmer on the list.CL and LED+ dimmers are made by Lutron and designed to be compatible with LEDs. My experience with them has been excellent. They have a low-end trim adjustment that allows you to get the best dimming range possible. CL and LED+ dimmers will eliminate the buzzing on most brands of LEDs, but not all.

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How To Know If Your Bulbs And Dimmer Are Compatible

It’s a common misconception that any LED dimmer can be paired with any dimmable LED light bulb. Unfortunately that is not the case and the same is true of dimmable fluorescent bulbs paired with fluorescent dimmers.

The easiest way to ensure that your light bulbs and dimmer controls are compatible is to check the lamp’s manufacturer spec sheet or dimmer compatibility sheet. At 1000Bulbs.com, these PDFs available under Brochures & Spec Sheets on the lamp’s product page. If you have a dimmer switch already and are looking for new bulbs, check to see that the dimmer is listed on the PDF prior to purchasing the bulbs. If you already have light bulbs and are looking for a dimmer switch, find the product page for the bulbs and check the PDF for a list of compatible dimmers to choose from. The specific dimmer compatibility information will always be with the bulbs rather than with the dimmer.

If your dimmer isnt listed on the dimmer compatibility sheet, dont lose hope. The compatibility sheet will often list common dimmers or whole lines of dimmers by the manufacturer part number or catalog code. It is also possible that the bulbs you are using just havent been tested with that specific dimmer switch. If you need confirmation of partial or full compatibility, contact the manufacturer of your bulbs to verify.

Best Slider: Lutron Skylark Contour Led+ Dimmer Switch Single

Courtesy of Home Depot

• Works with a variety of dimmable bulbs

• Numerous colors available

• On/off switch is small

The Lutron Skylark Contour LED+ Dimmer Switch features a large slider for adjusting the brightness level of your lights and a small on/off rocker on the bottom. The switch is compatible with both single-pole or 3-way applications, giving you more versatility in its installation. It also works with dimmable LED and CFL bulbs up to 150 watts or incandescent and halogen bulbs up to 600 watts.

The Contour dimmer has a smooth-sliding knob, and it comes in a wide range of colors to match your decor. It doesnt require a neutral wire, making it easier to install in homes of all ages, and the brands patented technology allows you to optimize the dim range of your bulb to prevent flickering.

Switch Style: Slide | Dimensions: 4 x 1.75 x 2 inches | Operating Voltage: 120 | Circuit Type: Single-pole or 3-way | Mounting Type: In-wall

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Possible Reasons For Led Light Flickering

There are a number of reasons that your LED bulb might be flickering, but usually, it has nothing to do with the LED bulb itself. Instead, it probably has to do with the current being fed through the bulb. A uniform current creates a consistent light, whereas a non-uniform current can cause some flickering.