humming sound from lighting fixture
I’m getting a humming/buzzing sound from incandescent bulbs when I have the lights dimmed with a standard 120V lighting dimmer switch. What causes this and are there dimmer switches out there that do not cause the lights to buzz? The buzzing is slowly driving us crazy.
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I just started a thread about the same thing last week. I got a bunch of very technical answers with some great answers that gave me more than I bargained for. Maybe you can find the thread titled "dimmer switches-whats all the buzz about?" through an advanced search.
Short answer, you most likely have a cheaper dimmer switch
Dimmer switches actually work by turning the lights on and off many times per second, which can cause the filimants in the bulbs to vibrate, which is the noise you are hearing.
Your solution is to go out and spend 45 to 50 dollars or more on a top quality dimmer swith, which employs mechanismas that apparantly get rid of the problem...so I was told.
Thats about as much as I can help as I am learning about thins myself. But try and find that other thread because it has EVERYTHING you need to know
Edited 12/5/2005 11:44 am ET by xosder11
Sometimes it's the filament in the bulb, not the dimmer. Certain types of bulbs can be very loud, and it varies from brand to brand. Try replacing the bulb with a different type before you blame the dimmer.
good to know. I was thinking I would try that anyway as in my case I just don't want to spend that kind of cash. Do you know of a specific brand or type of bulb that we should try?