Lamp dimmer question....

[numeroclaire]

Hi everyone,

So I read on here in several different threads that a lamp dimmer is a good way to regulate the heat output of a ceramic heat emitter. I have a 60W and 100W CHE, and saw that someone had mentioned the Lutron brand lamp dimmer, and they are affordable, so I ordered two from Amazon (one for each CHE). They arrived and on the package it states, "WORKS ONLY WITH INCANDESCENT/HALOGEN BULBS." Is that put on there just so people don't try to use them with LED lights, and is safe to use with CHE's? Or is it not safe to use with CHE's and I accidentally ordered the wrong ones? I put a photo of the packaging below:



Thanks!

[bcr229]

LED's are finicky, some will work with a dimmer switch while others won't. Usually you have to purchase LED lights that are specifically designed to be dimmed.

The CHE won't care, it can run just fine on a dimmer.

Now bear in mind that the dimmer just dials back the heat output from the CHE, it doesn't adjust the CHE output so that it maintains a constant temp in the enclosure. The enclosure temperature can rise and fall in synch with your ambient room temperatures as the CHE output is constant, unless you adjust it manually.

[Doggtyred]

Hi everyone,

So I read on here in several different threads that a lamp dimmer is a good way to regulate the heat output of a ceramic heat emitter. I have a 60W and 100W CHE, and saw that someone had mentioned the Lutron brand lamp dimmer, and they are affordable, so I ordered two from Amazon (one for each CHE). They arrived and on the package it states, "WORKS ONLY WITH INCANDESCENT/HALOGEN BULBS." Is that put on there just so people don't try to use them with LED lights, and is safe to use with CHE's? Or is it not safe to use with CHE's and I accidentally ordered the wrong ones? I put a photo of the packaging below:



Thanks!

This will work fine for a CHE.. provided the wattage is in the serviceable range of the dimmer. The comment on the package is intended for lay consumers to indicate that this dimmer will not work on typical CFL or LED bulbs (there are dimmable varieties of both but my experience is that they dont dim well)...

This will work just fine on a load that mimics the load of an incandescent bulb.

[JoshSloane]

Any lamp dimmer will work great with a CHE. Companies put disclaimers like that on packaging because they do not want to be held responsible for use of the product with something that they didn't intend its use for. Ive used dimmers with heating pads, bulbs and CHEs with great success.

[Mr. Misha]

Now bear in mind that the dimmer just dials back the heat output from the CHE, it doesn't adjust the CHE output so that it maintains a constant temp in the enclosure. The enclosure temperature can rise and fall in synch with your ambient room temperatures as the CHE output is constant, unless you adjust it manually.

This is the most important part when running a dimmer. Depending on where you terrarium is, the temperature can fluctuate a decent amount especially during the night. Make sure you check your temps a few times to make sure your temp is on point.



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