DVELV-303P Questions

Have a room with 7 Cree 65w equivalent LED floods in a 3-way setup. The bulbs flickered with the original Lutron dimmer (which I expected).
Ran out to my local HD and got a DVCL-153P. Flickering was gone, but the bulbs buzzed and I had to set the minimum level adjustment fairly high, otherwise they wouldn't turn on if left dimmed all the way down. Lived with this for a while, then looked at Cree's recommended dimmers sheet. Along with the DVCL, it listed the DVELV.
Read up on how ELV dimmers may help with buzz, and I do have a neutral in this location.
Purchased a DVELV-303P soon after and just got around to installing it today. The buzz is completely gone!

However, a few things concern me:

- There is no minimum level adjustment like on the DVCL, although the bezel has the cutout for it.
However, I have not had any problems with the lights coming on, even if the dimmer is left at its lowest level.
They do not come on instantly when left all the way down, but they didn't with the DVCL either.

- The slider does not travel all the way to the top of the slot as on the DVCL. It stops about 1/8" from the top.

- That said, while I haven't swapped it back to compare, I could swear I am not getting as much light out of the bulbs as I was with the DVCL.

Can anyone confirm if these are problems or expected behavior?

Thanks in advance!

All dimmers have a built in high end trim of ~10%. So the most you will ever get is 90%.

There is no reason the slider should not go to the top.

Lutron also makes a DVRP-253. It is similar to the DVELV but has "new circuitry" to better accommodate LEDs. It is less expensive than the ELV but you will probably have to special order it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by randyc

All dimmers have a built in high end trim of ~10%. So the most you will ever get is 90%.

There is no reason the slider should not go to the top.

Lutron also makes a DVRP-253. It is similar to the DVELV but has "new circuitry" to better accommodate LEDs. It is less expensive than the ELV but you will probably have to special order it.

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Appreciate the info randyc - Was going to remove the bezel and look for a possible mechanical issue, but HD carries them, so will just check another/return it.
There is definitely no play, which made me think it was intentional.

As for the high end trim, wouldn't I have seen that with the DVCL as well? Maybe it has to do with the "stuck" slider after all.

Re: the DVRP-253 - looks to actually be slightly more than what I paid for the DVELV @ $79 (at least on the couple sites that actually have it).
It's apparently still an ELV dimmer, only reverse-phase.
The only other Lutron dimmers I see which are "made for LED" are the DVCL series, which is what I had before the DVELV.

Will report back after I've handled another DVELV-303P.

Thanks again!

Hello Deckard,

Thank you for your post!

If the new dimmers slide still does not go to full please email LEDs@lutron.com . The dimmer should always slide to the highest end for the DVELV-303P.

We hope the new dimmer resolves your issue!

Julia K.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Julia K.

Hello Deckard,

Thank you for your post!

If the new dimmers slide still does not go to full please email LEDs@lutron.com . The dimmer should always slide to the highest end for the DVELV-303P.

We hope the new dimmer resolves your issue!

Julia K.

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Hi Julia -

Unfortunately, it appears that HD does not stock any ELV dimmers in stores (at least none of the locations near me), so I will order one from Amazon.
In the meantime, I did quickly pop the bezel off of the DVELV to see what was causing the slider to stop 1/8" from the top.
Once removed, the slider in the bezel does indeed move freely the entire length of travel.
It is the mechanism behind the slider inside the dimmer which will not go all the way up.
It does not appear to be blocked by anything, it just stops.
Will update once I get the new DVELV from Amazon.

Thanks!

Received the new DVELV-303P today and thankfully, the slider travels the full length of the track, so the previous one must have been defective.
Swapped it out and now all is well.
Plus, in reference to my original post, I am now getting what I remember to be the same light output when the slider was all the way up on my original DVCL.
Thanks again for everyone's help and suggestions!

I also have a few halogens on this circuit. They all light for about an hour... they all dim... but after an hour or so, they shut off... no breaker issues. Then after awhile they turn back on. The switch seems to get hot. I think I need another dimmer 3 way switch as well as another on off ( it is a three way afterall).. What models should I purchase for this Halogen/Incandescent way over 300 watts? Actually 634 watts total.