Plug in dimmers

Folks, just a heads up to anyone using "plug-in dimmers" or "lamp dimmers" to control their CHE units or heat lamps -- they CAN go bad. Today I had to replace one of them.

It had started getting chilly in the house and i couldn't understand why the heat was so low in one of the terrariums. I touched one of the CHEs and . . nothing. No heat from it at all. I plugged it directly into the ac strip and it began to warm up. I tested the dimmer out on lamps and it was dead as the proverbial door-nail.

So, if you do plan to use a dimmer for regulating overhead heat to an enclosure, may I suggest that you make sure that it has a locator button on it. The locator button remains lit as long as the unit is getting power. The one that died didn't have one. Otherwise, you'll need to periodically touch the heat source to verify that the dimmer is still operational. Lesson learned.

<><Peace

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Originally Posted by dadofsix

Folks, just a heads up to anyone using "plug-in dimmers" or "lamp dimmers" to control their CHE units or heat lamps -- they CAN go bad. Today I had to replace one of them.

It had started getting chilly in the house and i couldn't understand why the heat was so low in one of the terrariums. I touched one of the CHEs and . . nothing. No heat from it at all. I plugged it directly into the ac strip and it began to warm up. I tested the dimmer out on lamps and it was dead as the proverbial door-nail.

So, if you do plan to use a dimmer for regulating overhead heat to an enclosure, may I suggest that you make sure that it has a locator button on it. The locator button remains lit as long as the unit is getting power. The one that died didn't have one. Otherwise, you'll need to periodically touch the heat source to verify that the dimmer is still operational. Lesson learned.

<><Peace

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Good info.. I use one in the quarantine tank so I should look for a new one with a light. [emoji1360]


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Originally Posted by dadofsix

Folks, just a heads up to anyone using "plug-in dimmers" or "lamp dimmers" to control their CHE units or heat lamps -- they CAN go bad. Today I had to replace one of them.....

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About how long had you been using it? Just wondering, as I use a number of dimmers on my lamps+ and I can't recall more than one ever failing...in many years.
(maybe I'm way over-due? -lol) I don't run high wattages though, maybe that makes them fail sooner?

Thanks, but I’ve always used the ones with lights because I thought they looked cool, lmao. But that’s a very good point, I don’t even think they cost that much more.

Any electrical device can fail. At least when the dimmers do fail they seem to turn off not full on.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

About how long had you been using it? Just wondering, as I use a number of dimmers on my lamps+ and I can't recall more than one ever failing...in many years.
(maybe I'm way over-due? -lol) I don't run high wattages though, maybe that makes them fail sooner?

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The power went out during a bad storm a few weeks back. The neighborhood lost a transformer that was close by my house. I suspect that that's when it stopped working. For all I know, it may have had
an internal fuse that blew.

<><Peace