Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Lamp dimmer question: Can I plug in two lamps for effectively 130 total watts safely?

  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Posts
    6

    Lamp dimmer question: Can I plug in two lamps for effectively 130 total watts safely?

    I have a caseta lamp dimmer. The instructions say that you can have a total of 100 LED watts, or a total of 300 incandescent watts. I have a string of outdoor LED lights I have plugged into 1 end of the dimmer for about 120 watts. I have another floor lamp I'd like to plug into the other outlet which uses another 10 or so watts. Can I do so safely or is that gonna blow everything up?

    Thank you.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Posts
    342
    I would just buy two. It is likely that this will function, but the in-rush current will likely cause some thermal issues and shorten the dimmer's lifespan. Even though the overload is only 30 watts, that's 30%. For the cost of a second lamp module, it's worth it to just use two unless you have a device count issue.

    Hope this helps!

  3. #3
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Posts
    6
    Quote Originally Posted by evankirkhart View Post
    I would just buy two. It is likely that this will function, but the in-rush current will likely cause some thermal issues and shorten the dimmer's lifespan. Even though the overload is only 30 watts, that's 30%. For the cost of a second lamp module, it's worth it to just use two unless you have a device count issue.

    Hope this helps!
    Thank you for chiming in. Here's why I was just going to go with this one: I have 4 garden LED light strings connected to 1 end. There's no way for me to wire it any differently, and that's going to pull 120 watts regardless. That's why I figured I could go ahead and put another 10 on the otherside. These lights only get used for a few hours every evening, and always at 50% dimmed, so is it still really bad if I wish to use it in my current configuration? I guess I'm not necessarily concerned about the longevity of the electronics themselves, moreso if its going to be a fire hazard.

    Thanks

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Posts
    342
    It's not about the amount of current that's being pulled during normal use, it's about the in-rush current caused by LEDs. A 60W replacement LED draws about 13W in normal use, but during start up consumes around 60W. This is why LED dimmers are rated for a relatively small amount of LED load compared to incandescent. I see two solutions: If there's a way to hardwire the outdoor lights, you could hardwire them to a PD-10NXD. That will do 250W of LED. You could even use a PD-6CL, 150w LED rated. If that's not an option, you could remove the existing box and install a 2 gang box with an in-wall dimmer connected to a Lutron dimming receptacle (important). A dimmer cannot be connected to a regular receptacle because devices that are not lights shouldn't be connected to a dimmer, as they could fry themselves or start a fire. A dimming receptacle has a special shape, meaning nothing that isn't a lamp with the special plug installed can be plugged into it. See this document for more information regarding dimming receptacles.

    It might not set your house on fire, but if it's used every day it's gonna fail eventually. Removing the extra 10 watts will help, but it's a band-aid. An in-wall dimmer and dimming receptacle is a lasting solution that you'll never have to worry about failing right when you need it.

    Sorry this isn't the answer you're looking for, but I hope you'll now understand more clearly.

  5. #5
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Posts
    6
    While I have an extra PD-10XD that's connected to a porch light no longer in use; there's no real way for me to wire that into a switchable electrical outlet, without doing extensive electrical work/rerouting. You see, we just had a sunroom built and I wanted to make it easy for my parents to turn on and off the outdoor lights and the sunroom lights, all with Siri. In any case, I was able to get the load down to 108 watts. I think maybe I'll keep it at that until lutron decides to make a higher capacity lamp dimmer.

Similar Threads

  1. Plug in lamp dimmer inside of low voltage transformer
    By bozack in forum General Discussion - CAS
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 05-20-2019, 11:20 AM
  2. Lamp Dimmer with 2 Types of Lamps
    By jaycam99 in forum General Discussion - CAS
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 11-01-2018, 02:49 PM
  3. Plug in lamp dimmer
    By Squill in forum General Discussion - CAS
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 06-02-2016, 08:53 AM
  4. Anyone used Caseta plug in lamp dimmer with LED Lightstrip
    By adams in forum Design Assistance - CAS
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 04-24-2016, 07:10 PM
  5. Replies: 3
    Last Post: 04-18-2016, 02:47 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •