While having dinner at a pal’s home the other night something hit me. The evening was great; good food, fabulous hosts, and a general perfect time. But what finally minted me was the background lighting in the kitchen. Sure, I had seen dimmed lighting before, but now I located appreciate what a subtle change in lighting can do for the mood of an evening. So what if you too would like سوئیچ سیسکو to put in a dimmer switch in your home? This article will help you select what style and features to look for in a dimmer. Our previous article addresses dimmer installation, and the next installment amounts it all up with easy installation for the right application.
We covers the choices available here for incandescent or halogen lamps (most common). You will need a specialized dimmer switch for fans, compact fluorescent lamps, or the tube style fluorescent lamps and in a future article we can explain those choices. But never use a regular dimmer switch for these applications.
The first step is selecting the style and type of dimmer switch that fits your home. Color choices are similar with white, cream color, or brown being the most common colors. Usually you want to also match the style of buttons you already have. Some homes have the traditional small toggle switch that shines. Others have the more sophisticated Decora style buttons that are large rectangles almost flush with the switch plate that toggle backwards and forwards from finger pressure at either end. These styles are interchangeable given you get the right switch plate cover, therefore it is a matter of personal taste and typically choosing to match all of those other home.
In the traditional style, dimmers come in round buttons that you twist to poor the lights and push to toggle the lights on and off. Another style has a regular on off switch but at the side is a small little slide that can be moved to create the light level. Both of these types are nice in that you can set the lights at a level you like normally and then just flip the lights on and off without having to adjust the dimming each time. The opposite style is available in this type of traditional switch that looks exactly like a regular switch except it doesn’t snap on and off. When you go to move the switch to turn the lights on, instead of clicking on and off it moves efficiently between the two going from complete to full off and anything in between. My preference with one of these though is the combination switch and sliders as being most convenient to use.
The Decora style buttons have even more options. The simplest have a directory slider that goes along similar to the continuous are the on to off type described above. Next is my economical favorite which looks like a regular switch but has the added slider quietly. With the help of some additional consumer electronics inside the box, the choices can get even fancier. One just uses the touch of your finger and continuously dims or brightens unless you remove your finger. Others you push and hold down either end of the switch and a series of indicator lights quietly will show the ability level. Another option that can be handy is a backlight on the switch so it glows orange when the switch is off. This becomes useful when using a dimmer switch to regulate a night light in the bathroom. You can control how bright the light is and if someone didn’t remember to turn it on before going to bed you can at least find the switch!
Make sure you know how large a power load the switch will be linked to and then look at the rating on the dimmer switch you are looking for. You might need to get a high watt rated switch. For example if a switch is rated for 350 T, you can have a chandelier that has 5 60 Watt lights (5×60=300) but 5 75 Watt lights would require a higher rated switch.
The only other choice you need to be aware of is whether you will need a two-way, three-way, or in rare cases a four-way switch. Two-way are the most common and that is when only one switch controls the light. Three-way buttons are essential when two buttons be capable of turning the light off an on, typically seen when there is a switch for the light at two entrances into the room. Four-way buttons are used for a very big room that has three or more buttons controlling the same light. If you want to know how to connect up a three-way or four-way switch, you can read our previous article on that topic.
Now you are practically an expert on dimmer switch styles. If simple is what you have in mind, the local hardware store has you covered. I have also had great luck buying dimmer buttons online. They tend to offer better pricing and more selection of color and style, and good online stores can help you with the installation over the phone.