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How Dimmer Switches Work ?
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by: ScottRodgers
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Word Count: 368
Dimmer switches help in creating a good environment in dinning room or home theater as per your choice. They are not so difficult to install. Once you decide to buy these dimmer switches for your home, have good knowledge about them.
Dimmer switches can only work with 120V incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs. They can not be used with fluorescent bulbs and most compact fluorescent bulbs.
The basic reason behind this is that dimmer switches are meant to work with bulbs with wire filaments, which are present in 120V incandescent and halogen bulbs. On the other hand, fluorescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs contain a gas that requires certain amount of voltage to operate the light. Also for low voltage halogen bulbs, a special dimmer switch should be used.
Two different kinds of dimmer switches are: single pole and 3-way dimmer switches. A single pole dimmer switch can be operated from a single location or single switch. A 3-way dimmer switch can be operated from two different switches located at different locations but out of two, only one is dimmer switch.
Earlier dimmer switch technology worked on the principal of controlling the voltage to the light fixture. As the dimmer switch was turned up or down, the voltage supplied to the light fixture was also elevated up or down according to it. They generally used a rheostat to vary the voltage of the light and this was highly energy inefficient.
But now, TRIAC are used to operate the dimmer switches. TRIAC can efficiently and quickly power on or power off a light bulb. This frequency is so high that no one can detect when the bulb was off.
As light is turned off for a portion of time using these TRIAC based dimmer switches, dramatic energy can be saved by them. In addition to this, life of the light bulb is also significantly extended. For example, if the bulb is dimmed to 50% of its output, it will save near around 40% in energy costs and can extend the life of the bulb up to 5-20 times depending upon the bulb type.
In the last, a dimmer switch can give a smart look to your dining room, living room and especially a home theater room.
About the Author
Scott Rodgers is a writer with ample experience in electricians work all over the country. His exemplary guidance has generated business opportunities for a lot many Grove City Electricians (Need one? click here!) and Fort Washington Electricians (Need one? click here!).
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