Recent comments in /f/DIY

abecanread t1_j2sr5ko wrote

Reply to comment by Guygan in Something is causing CO2 buildup in part of the house- how do I secure the windows so I can ventilate it? by [deleted]

They said CO2 alarm. That’s carbon dioxide. It’s much less lethal than CO. It is still an oxygen displacing gas though. Also I’ve never heard of a CO2 alarm and I’ve heard other people mix up carbon monoxide and CO2. Now I wonder which it is. I kinda bet you’re right thinking that they’re talking about a CO alarm.

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Fine-Team-4296 t1_j2sr1fj wrote

Reply to comment by HanzG in How many of these recessed lights can I use on a dimmer switch? by notscammed

There are 4 general types:

https://brandon-lighting.com/methods-of-dimming/

The only ime I've seen a variable resistor in real life is in a car. It was for the high medium and low select on a fan speed for heater and a/c. I doubt they would have used them in a house because it would be dangerous due to the heat it creates but who knows.

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Fine-Team-4296 t1_j2splrn wrote

Reply to How many of these recessed lights can I use on a dimmer switch? by notscammed

I'm no electrician but that's not correct. First, what gauge wiring is ran to the lights. Second what average fuse is the line ran off of. Third, is there anything else sharing the lights with that fuse?

Those questions aside many companies recommend a max number of lights per switch. For example, verilight says 10 led lights max.

I mentioned some things you didn't ask about because I was unclear who ran the electrical. And your knowledge about what's on the fuse they may share.

"NEW" Dimmer switches CONTROL THE WAVE FORM, they have nothing to do with amps or voltage directly.

So even if you can control 10 lights on 1 dimmer - it doesn't mean you should. You need to do your research and answer the things I mentioned in the first paragraph.

This may determine while the dimmer switch can control 10 lights, but electrical line or fuse may only handle 3.

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anonymous_lighting t1_j2rwlsy wrote

Reply to comment by predditr in How many of these recessed lights can I use on a dimmer switch? by notscammed

as a lighting professional, i often find people mistake brighter white for more light which is untrue. maybe your wife thinks she likes 5000K based on the feeling it provides more light. maybe a mini lesson could help. lumens are the measurable output and the appropriate amount for the setting makes all the difference

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1feralengineer t1_j2rnsfk wrote

Reply to comment by StoneTemplePilates in How many of these recessed lights can I use on a dimmer switch? by notscammed

>What am I missing?

Power factor.

VA only equals watts in a purely resistive circuit (PF=1). In an AC circuit if the current sine wave leads the voltage sine wave (capacitive load), or the current sine wave follows the voltage sine wave (inductive load) the apparent power (VA) is higher than the actual power (W). PF=W/VA

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TrainerNaive t1_j2r5rl7 wrote

Reply to comment by velifer in How many of these recessed lights can I use on a dimmer switch? by notscammed

Your house would soon be on fire if you fitted a simple rheostat in a regular wall box and used it to control more than a few watts.

The other folks are right, the earliest domestic lighting dimmers (late 60s onward) used semiconductor switches. Commercial premises, school halls and theatres had rheostat dimmers before that but they were in huge cabinets and dissipated huge amounts of heat.

Very low power fans might have been controlled by rheostat. More likely rotary variacs (variable auto transformers).

I am a chartered electrical and electronics engineer with over 50 years' experience.

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uski t1_j2qs74i wrote

Reply to comment by Guygan in Something is causing CO2 buildup in part of the house- how do I secure the windows so I can ventilate it? by [deleted]

No update from op, this is worrying. Op if you see this can you please give us an update?

Op, pease DO NOT STAY IN THE HOUSE, you need to immediately leave and then call 911 when outside

Do not attempt to DIY a fix or find the source yourself!

Also please let us know if you find post-it notes

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1feralengineer t1_j2qbvvq wrote

Reply to comment by StoneTemplePilates in How many of these recessed lights can I use on a dimmer switch? by notscammed

The 600w rating is for a pure resistive load.

LEDs are a nonlinear load. They would fall in the capacitive category (the current leads the voltage by about a factor of about 0.8 full load/brightness). Dimming them can shift the power factor significantly (just because the wattage is reduced doesn't mean the current is reduced - especially peak currents that interplay with the semiconductors that do the heavy lifting of the dimmer).

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