ringing/humming sound from bulbs
#1
ringing/humming sound from bulbs
I had 3 can lights installed in our front entryway. They are on a 600W Lutron dimmer. Each can has a 75W R30 Westinghouse Spectralite bulb. Problem is that when I dim the lights I get a ringing/humming sound.
I put in some 65W R30 Westinghouse bulbs and the humming is gone but the bulbs are WAY dimmer. They are only 650 lumens vs 1020 for the 75W Spectralites.
Does anyone know what causes this ringing and what I can do to get rid of it? I see that the current 75W R30 Westinghouse bulbs I have are 130V and they have the same bulb in 120V. Would that make a difference? Maybe I have bad bulbs? I would rather not loose the brightness.
Thanks!
Nick
I put in some 65W R30 Westinghouse bulbs and the humming is gone but the bulbs are WAY dimmer. They are only 650 lumens vs 1020 for the 75W Spectralites.
Does anyone know what causes this ringing and what I can do to get rid of it? I see that the current 75W R30 Westinghouse bulbs I have are 130V and they have the same bulb in 120V. Would that make a difference? Maybe I have bad bulbs? I would rather not loose the brightness.
Thanks!
Nick
Last edited by vigoriton; 12-05-05 at 12:22 PM.
#2
Hi is it a constant ringing or intermitant? as if its on and off (especialy when cold) it can be the contacts not quite touching properly, I have also known dimmers to cause the bulbs to buzz, you can get dimmers that dont do it but as far as i know its quite normal, it would be a bit suspect if its very loud though!
#5
The normal solution is to change to a different type or brand of bulb. But you've already done that, and you prefer the light from the buzzing bulb. I guess I would encourage you to try a third kind of bulb. Perhaps you can find one that gives you the light you want without the buzzing. Try a bulb other than Westinghouse. Try Philips or Sylvania.
#6
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I recently learned, the ringing is caused by thin, cheap, or poorly supported filaments that oscillate when dimmed. You can try 130 watt bulbs, fan rated bulbs, or what is called rough service bulbs--all of which have tougher filaments. I am not sure though if you will find any of these in R30. Maybe you can compromise after you see what works. See also:
http://www.iccsafe.org/cgi-bin/ultim...745;p=1#000000
http://www.iccsafe.org/cgi-bin/ultim...745;p=1#000000