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Can I use LIFX bulbs with a dimmer switch?

Peter Boyle
By Peter Boyle
in Hobby Electronics
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Hi, I am looking at getting smart lighting for my house and have decided on the LIFX blubs. When I went to order them I realized that they may not work as I have dimmer switches across my house. Could someone tell me if I could use these bulbs with a dimmer switch (even if I can't dim the lights from the switch itself).

 

Thanks

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A dimmer turned up to full brightness should be indistinguishable from a normal switch just in the "on" position.  That said, if you're committed to these, just change out the switches, it's not that hard or expensive.

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Ok thanks, I was prepared to change out the switches but just wanted to check to see if they are able to work with the dimmers at all. I'll probably just change them out because the last thing I want to happen is people in my house to try use the dimmer and damage the bulbs or anything.

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1 minute ago, Peter Boyle said:

Ok thanks, I was prepared to change out the switches but just wanted to check to see if they are able to work with the dimmers at all. I'll probably just change them out because the last thing I want to happen is people in my house to try use the dimmer and damage the bulbs or anything.

If I were to guess what would happen if you did try to dim them, it would be that they'd flicker heavily and/or just shut off.  I wouldn't expect damage per se, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility either.  Maybe @iamdarkyoshi would know

Solve your own audio issues  |  First Steps with RPi 3  |  Humidity & Condensation  |  Sleep & Hibernation  |  Overclocking RAM  |  Making Backups  |  Displays  |  4K / 8K / 16K / etc.  |  Do I need 80+ Platinum?

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7 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

If I were to guess what would happen if you did try to dim them, it would be that they'd flicker heavily and/or just shut off.  I wouldn't expect damage per se, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility either.  Maybe @iamdarkyoshi would know

They might get damaged by a non 100% dim actually. I'd either tape the knob at 100% or replace them with standard binary light switches.

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10 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

They might get damaged by a non 100% dim actually. I'd either tape the knob at 100% or replace them with standard binary light switches.

Yeah I think i'm just going to replace the switches to save worrying about other people trying to use the switch. Thanks everyone

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