Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Dimmers Are Evil

I finally replaced the dimmer switch in my living room with a traditional on/off switch yesterday.

After I had installed my new receiver and was able to connect my DVD player to it by HDMI, I would get an odd buzzing after stopping a disc. Last week I happened to turn off the light while it was still buzzing and it stopped.

Previously I had to find a better quality light bulb to keep the filament from "singing". The light is actually in a ceiling fan. It was kind of cool being able to control the speed of the fan from the wall. But in these summer months I want the fan on max, but the light dim which watching a movie. I thought it was just the electric motor in the fan causing the globe to vibrate sometimes, because it would even happen when the dimmer was set to max. Now that I just read how dimmer switches actually work, even at max, they still are relying on a capacitor to charge before starting into the AC sine wave. So there's still a hard edge.

So I replaced the switch (only shocked myself twice). The buzzing is gone from the DVD player. I was able to use one of my favored Blue Max CFLs (14W, which is a good compromise between room visibility and overhead glare). And the big surprise, it wasn't the fan motor, its totally smooth and silent now other than the blades whipping through the air (faster than before too).

I'm so happy, I wish I had done this years ago.

Chris,
Was your DVD or TV plugged into the same circuit your dimmer was on?

BTW, I think you're supposed to turn off the power before changing switches!

Really, I tried turning the power off to the lights, but after trying all 5 unlabeled breakers, I gave up. One of those was the power to my entertainment system--not shared with the dimmer.

Though I've heard that dimmer switches can put enough noise on the wire it can affect devices anywhere on the same electrical feed.

Good to know. I currently have regular switches in my HT, but was going to upgrade them to dimmers once we decide on wall sconces (I currently have $2 light sockets as place holders - really classy!). I wired the AV equipment onto a separate circuit when I built my HT. I will upgrade to dimmers cautiously and watch for any ill effects. Thanks for the info!

I wonder if there are higher quality dimmers which bypass the triac when set to full. So they'd be noiseless at full on and full off, even if they were still a bit buzzy in the middle.

Funny, I am in the midst of installing pot lights on a dimmer in my HT room I am building. I am going to have eight lights and the dimmer on the one circuit, but the PJ and other components on seperate ones.

I have our whole TV room on remote dimmers, three different circuits and have never had nary the first problem ... whenever I get my MX980 programmed I'll have the dimmers on that remote.

Nobody likes you.

I didn't have a problem with my previous receiver which was connected to my DVD player by 6 analog cables. But with the new one and the HDMI connection I would get a buzz (pretty sure it was at 60 Hz, but not the normal hum, it was more like a bee's wings). It would also only occur after I had played a disc and stopped it.

It surely was because of some sensitivity in the gear, but still it's gone with the dimmer.

Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin' too.