Battery powered 3-way dimmer switch
#1
05-08-20, 02:09 PM
Battery powered 3-way dimmer switch
The front door of my house is on a wall that had no light switch, making it really inconvenient when entering in the dark. There was no way to fish wires to that wall, so my electrician at the time (6 years ago) installed a battery-powered dimmer switch that works as a three-way with a conventionally wired dimmer on the other side of the room. The switches control a chandelier over the dining room table, and the LED candelabra bulbs in the chandelier tend to flicker. When it gets really bad I change the batteries but within a week or so the flickering returns. Is this common? Is there a fix? Maybe a higher quality battery-powered switch?
#2
05-08-20, 02:25 PM
Group Moderator
I might start looking for a new cordless switch system. 6 years ago LED lights were in there infancy and dimming was almost unheard of so there might be some incompatibility between the switch the bulbs.
eddieo45
voted this post useful.
#3
05-08-20, 02:25 PM
It could be the combination dimmer and LED. Some dimmers don't work well with LED and some LED don't dim very well.
eddieo45
voted this post useful.
#4
05-08-20, 03:12 PM
I might start looking for a new cordless switch system. 6 years ago LED lights were in there infancy and dimming was almost unheard of so there might be some incompatibility between the switch the bulbs.
#5
05-08-20, 10:09 PM
Group Moderator
Look to a Lutron system. In the link is just one of the many kits they offer. There is dimmer that gets installed in place of the switch. The small button unit standing in the picture is an ultra thin wireless remote that can be mounted in a second location. It comes with a plate so that it looks just like a wired switch. This can also be paired with Alexa.
This dimmer/switch requires a neutral.
Most remote type switches will require neutral so check what you have at your switch.
Key words...... Lutron - caseta - pico remote
Basic Caseta kit
This dimmer/switch requires a neutral.
Most remote type switches will require neutral so check what you have at your switch.
Key words...... Lutron - caseta - pico remote
Basic Caseta kit
#6
05-12-20, 02:21 PM
This dimmer/switch requires a neutral.
Most remote type switches will require neutral so check what you have at your switch.
Most remote type switches will require neutral so check what you have at your switch.
#7
05-12-20, 10:25 PM
Group Moderator
They may have updated the circuit to not require a neutral now.
Having a neutral would not be a problem.... it just wouldn't be used.
Having a neutral would not be a problem.... it just wouldn't be used.
eddieo45
voted this post useful.
#8
05-15-20, 10:13 AM
it's a second home and I'll be there later today for the weekend; once I determine whether there's a neutral wire I'll make my decision. There's another product that requires one.
#9
05-18-20, 01:59 PM
So, I checked the current dimmer and it does, indeed, use a neutral wire (it's the Leviton 6696). Lutron confirms that the PD-6WCL will NOT work with a neutral, but they have another model, PD-10NXD-BL, that will. But get this: when I stuffed the current switch back into the wall I was careful with the little antenna wire, leaving it un-kinked and alongside the switch. Now the dimmers work without flickering!
