I installed a Lutron LED, CFL, Halogen compatible 3-way dimmer …
But very slight buzz in the dimmer. Is this normal?
Lutron and others market a significant chunk of their dimmer lines as
"CL". A
"CL" dimmer is an "incandescent dimmer" with tweaks or features tacked-on. An "incandescent dimmer" is a forward phase chopper, a leading-edge phase-cutter.
So too a "CL dimmer" is a leading-edge phase-cutting dimmer.("CL" dimmers have two added features which "just incandescent" dumb dimmers lack: range trimming and "kick start". These features are good to have, yes even with plain hot wire incandescent lights. A CL dimmer can defeat "pop on". Marketroids will say pretentious hooey: "L in CL stands for LED; CL is ideal for LED".)
I discourage the purchase of "CL" dimmers for "CL" application. My stance is a matter of principal: a job worth doing is worth doing right. For electronic integrated "CL" dimmable lighting, an "ELV" dimmer is appropriate.
Electrical current profile / waveform / shape / phase-angle, of "CL" (CFL and LED) integrated electronic lamps, usually tends toward that of a capacitive (rather than inductive) load. A leading-edge/forward-phase dimmer is inappropriate for a capacitive load. The type of AC phase control which is better suited for capacitive loads, is "trailing-edge" "reverse-phase" chopping/cutting. Marketting and copywriting departments label it
"ELV dimmer".
These "ELV" dimmers are suitable for incandescent (resistive) loads, are NOT suitable for inductive loads ("magnetic" ballasts and transformers).
I am not an engineer, I am using words which I do not fully understand, and uttering statements which likely are improper. I want to spread helpful information, not misinformation. I welcome corrections.
comic relief:
http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Education-Training/Documents/LCE/LightSources/LED/Dimming%20LEDs%20-%20LFI_2012_v1.01.pdfDimming LED sources: what's working and what still needs fixing by Michael Poplawski (Pacific Northwest National Lab) and Ethan Biery (Lutron Electronics)Page 66 out of 172 "Yes, it's dimmable!"
- "Dimmable" means "You can do something to reduce the light output"
- "Dimmable with most dimmers" means "Some of the dimmers we have in the lab reduce the light output"
- "Dimmable with standard dimmers" means "Some of the dimmers we bought at the local big-box store reduce light output"
- "Dimmable from 100-0%" means "The light output drops out below 10%"
- "Flicker-free" means "My boss can't see any flicker"