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Basic Recessed CFL Question

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Posted by ronnyk (My Page) on
Wed, May 13, 09 at 13:30

I am considering putting CFL recessed lights in a family room as part of a renovation project. I would like to have the lights be dimmable but am confused as to whether the dimming is dictated by the ballast type on the fixture (magnetic versus electronic), the bulb type (I.e. a dimmable versus non-dimmable CFL bulb) or a combination of both. Can somebody clarify for me?

Thanks,

RonnyK

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RE: Basic Recessed CFL Question

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I'll try to clarify
"magnetic or electronic" describes the type of ballast used to drive a plug-in compact fluorescentl amp.
Neither are capable of dimming.
For this you must use a "dimming" ballast, an electronic dimming ballast.They are extremely expensive.
CFL usually refers to a screw in fluorescent lamp, and there are dimmable CFL lamps on the market.
These lamps are used in regular light fixtures.
But beware.
This technology, in the screw in lamps, has not been perfected, and is open to under-performing.Performance is affected by the type of fixture thet are installed in( their life is shortened and their output is decreased by the build up of heat in the fixture used.
Their performance is affected ,as well, by the quality of the dimmer used.

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