Identify a light bulb as LED ?

[Smokin Okie]

I put the 60 watt equivalent daylight bulbs in and wow !! Brightness. I'm just mad at myself for taking so long to get this done.

 

[thirdeye]

Dimmers made for incandescent lights don't play nice with LED bulbs.

Got that issue in my hallway. It's a 3 way switch circuit with a dimmer on one end. I can either replace the dimmer with a LED compatible, or just replace the dimmer with a regular switch, which is what I intend to do since we don't use the dimmer anyhow.

We have 2 fixtures that have am omcamdescent dimmer in the circuit, and the LED bulbs I bought to use were marked 'dimmable' and they work fine.

 

[TripleLindy]

Today’s lighting prefers to identify as bulb neutral.

 

[DougE]

We have 2 fixtures that have am omcamdescent dimmer in the circuit, and the LED bulbs I bought to use were marked 'dimmable' and they work fine.

The dimmers in my house were made before LED was a thing and it's like being in a disco if you put LED bulbs in the fixtures. I replaced the dimmer in the basement with a regular switch a few years ago, because, you know, people seem to forget there is an "OFF" position. My friend gave me a 3 way switch to replace the upstairs dimmer a little while back, but I haven't switched it out yet. I have 3 fixtures running down the hallway ceiling and one is out again now, so I am going to pull the dimmer and put a regular switch before I replace it.

 

[thirdeye]

The dimmers in my house were made before LED was a thing and it's like being in a disco if you put LED bulbs in the fixtures.

Ahhh, maybe my dimmers are not as old as I suspected. We did some remodeling about 5 years ago and the electrician replaced all outlets and switches. So maybe that's why I don't have issues after switching to LED bulbs.

 

[DougE]

Ahhh, maybe my dimmers are not as old as I suspected. We did some remodeling about 5 years ago and the electrician replaced all outlets and switches. So maybe that's why I don't have issues after switching to LED bulbs.

That would do it. I expect any dimmer made since LED lighting came out are compatible. I don't really need the dimmer so it's getting replaced with a regular3way switch.

 

[Winterrider]

DougE , got the same thing, dancing lights after they are turned on and warmed up.

 

[DougE]

DougE , got the same thing, dancing lights after they are turned on and warmed up.

Tried the dimmer full on and however else, but I had to put an incandescent back in. It just would not run without flashing and carrying on.

 

[1MoreFord]

The info I have always heard is that not all LED's are dimmable and to look for the ones that say they are.
Likewise I have heard some do not like to be in fixtures with enclosed globes and some don't want to start in cold weather like some of the fluorescent lamps.

 

[chopsaw]

got the same thing, dancing lights after they are turned on and warmed up.

Tried the dimmer full on and however else, but I had to put an incandescent back in. It just would not run without flashing and carrying on.

I've fighting this for years . I saw an episode of ask this Old House . Air date Feb. 11 2023 .
" How to trouble shoot a dimmer switch " Basic take away is that the switch has to match the fixture . I checked my switches and adjusted accordingly , and now mine work with LED bulbs . 100% dimmable , meaning that it can be set at any percentage of full .
He says in the video that they now make a dimmer that works with all fixture and bulb types .
One problem for me was I tried this when they first came out . Nothing worked , so I gave up or just used incandescent bulbs . The technology advanced and I wasn't aware of it .
Search the bold type and you should be able to find that episode if you're interested .

 

[zwiller]

We have dimmers on pretty much all light fixtures and would agree that nowadays it's a safe bet you are OK that both the light and dimmer will work as expected. Even the cheapo LED bulbs are dimmable. 5-10 years ago you'd have to read the label to confirm.

I HAVE to share this. You guys have any pull chain lights, like in the closet? Wife's closet light started acting up. Last house I wired up switches for the closet lights and came close to doing that but on a whim I went looking and low and behold there are motion sensor led fixtures. They are CHEAP too. No batteries or anything, just wire it up. OMG so slick. There is a TON of cool stuff like that. Outdoor wifi programmable dimmer/timer. Tiny little wifi outlet plugs you can tell Alexa to turn off or program yourself. Wifi bulbs that dim or even change color, even have candelbra base now.

 

[Winterrider]

chopsaw , good to know as I did replace the dimmer switch a few yrs ago that was suppose to be combatable. Will try another, thanks !

 

[chopsaw]

dimmer switch a few yrs ago that was suppose to be combatable.

Right . Compatible with what is the question . I've paid 30 bucks more than once for " compatible " . That episode took me to school . Know what type of fixture you have , or get a switch that works with them all .

 

[DougE]

I've fighting this for years . I saw an episode of ask this Old House . Air date Feb. 11 2023 .
" How to trouble shoot a dimmer switch " Basic take away is that the switch has to match the fixture . I checked my switches and adjusted accordingly , and now mine work with LED bulbs . 100% dimmable , meaning that it can be set at any percentage of full .
He says in the video that they now make a dimmer that works with all fixture and bulb types .
One problem for me was I tried this when they first came out . Nothing worked , so I gave up or just used incandescent bulbs . The technology advanced and I wasn't aware of it .
Search the bold type and you should be able to find that episode if you're interested .

All good info, but we never dim the hallway lights anyhow, so going to a 3 way switch in place of the dimmer is what I will do.

 

[chopsaw]

3 way in a hallway is the norm . I dim the kitchen counter , and the lights on the fireplace .

 

[DougE]

3 way in a hallway is the norm . I dim the kitchen counter , and the lights on the fireplace .

3 way dimmer, LEDs don't like it, and we don't dim the lights, so a regular 3 way switch makes more sense.

 

[chopsaw]

I have regular 3 ways in my hallway . Not sure why anyone would dim a hallway .

 

[DougE]

I have regular 3 ways in my hallway . Not sure why anyone would dim a hallway .

It was like that when we moved ........ guess maybe ambiance if you were entertaining in the living room ..... having the hallway lit but dimmed, might add to the overall effect, but hell, we rarely have anyone over aside from family.

 

[JWFokker]

Figuring out if a bulb is LED can be confusing. I had to do this with my lights at home. To see if a bulb is LED, check a few things. LED bulbs don’t get as hot as the old-style bulbs do. They're usually made of plastic, not glass, with a chunky part at the bottom. Also, when you turn them on, LED bulbs light up immediately, but the old ones take a bit to get bright.

I found these tips on leds.to. It's a website with lots of info about LED bulbs, like how to tell them apart from other bulbs and if they'll work for your lights. Their articles made it easier for me to figure out my bulbs.

 

[normanaj]

This is what the vast majority of standard LED bulbs look like: