On this page 3 sections
Dimmer switch installation that matches the load — LED, fan, or mixed
Dimmer switch installation in Sacramento fails when the device does not match the fixture. LED, CFL, and old incandescent each want a different dimmer, and a fan should not sit on a lamp dimmer. The circuit and the load decide the dimmer, not the wall plate.
LEDs strobe or buzz on the old dimmer
Usually an incompatible dimmer, not a bad bulb. Swapping lamps first is how people buy the strobe twice.
A fan on a lamp dimmer
The light can dim. The fan should not sit on a lamp dimmer. Separate control, or two devices in the box.
The fixture is new — the dimmer has to match
The dimmer has to match the new load. This job is the control.
Dimmer switch installation: the device listed for this load, not the wall plate
Dimmer switch installation is matching the device to the load. LED strobing is usually the dimmer. A mixed circuit wants a dimmer listed for what is actually on it.
-
Listed for the load
LED, CFL, incandescent, or a mixed circuit. The listing, not the finish, decides it.
-
The box has to take it
Fill, a neutral if the dimmer needs one, and a yoke that sits flush.
-
What moves the cost
Whether the box needs a neutral, and how many locations. Dimmer switch installation in Sacramento is a device job on a sound circuit.
When a dimmer isn’t the right job
A dimmer matched to the load is this job. A plain on/off switch, or the fixture itself, are not.
You want a plain switch or a three-way fixed
That is switches.
The lights themselves are wrong for the room
That is lighting installation.
Dimmers questions
The LEDs strobe or buzz on the old dimmer.
Usually this job — the dimmer is not listed for that load. Swapping lamps first is how people buy the strobe twice.
I only want on and off.
That is switches.
Can a fan and a light share one dimmer?
The light can dim. The fan should not sit on a lamp dimmer. Separate control is the ceiling fan conversation, or two devices in the box.
The fixture is new. Do I change the dimmer too?
Often yes. The dimmer has to match the new load. The fixture install is lighting installation; this job is the control.
Do you need an electrician to install a dimmer switch?
The dimmer has to list the LED load. We match the switch to the fixtures so they do not flicker.
Can I just add a dimmer switch to my light fixture?
If the lamps and the dimmer are listed together, yes. Cheap LEDs on a random dimmer flicker. We pick a compatible pair.
Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.Want the detail? Flickering lights
Helpful guides
Flickering lights
One LED on a dimmer is a different problem from half the house brightening and dimming. Where it happens, and what else changes, tells you where to start.
Read guideLED flicker on a dimmer
Usually the bulb, the driver, and the dimmer are not a listed match — not a failing panel. Call (279) 972-9272.
Read guide
Serving 19 communities across the Sacramento area
Litel Electric serves homeowners throughout all 19 communities in our service area — from Davis and Woodland to Roseville, Folsom, and Elk Grove.
Get estimate
Tell us what is happening, or what you are planning. We read the details, tell you what else we need to know, and explain the next step before anything is scheduled.
- 01
You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.
- 02
We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.
- 03
Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.
- hi@litelelectric.com
- License
- CSLB #1115460 · C-10 electrical