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Thread: Lutron Caseta and Edison LED bulbs?

  1. #1
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    Lutron Caseta and Edison LED bulbs?

    Had no idea until today there were common issues with Lutron Caseta and Edison bulbs (normal or LED)...I installed the Lutron Caseta dimming switch and it worked great. On the wall, or with the the app, it was awesome. But then later I turn it on and the lights start flashing. The reason why they had worked I discovered was because I had a 25 watt signal tester (one of those things that allows you to run a sensor over your electrical panel to detect currents) plugged into a plug socket in line with the lights! I now realize there are issues with under 25 watts in particular on the line. It appears this has something to do with minimum loads. Here are my questions:- I saw those Lutron synthetic minimum load modules, does that work? I hate the idea of having to buy something else. They are $100 and it seems silly. - Does anyone have any dimmable edison LED bulbs they use on their light setup that have worked well? I was considering these 100-watt ST19 dimmable LED vintage bulbs from Home Depot that actually use 15 watts each, and curious if the combined 30 watts is enough for the Lutron switch to work. But happy to hear about others out there.- Does the non-dimming switch have this issue? Wondering if for the lights where I want Edison bulbs I can get those single pole rocker switches that don't dim, and if that has an issue. Also will the pico switch work with non-dim switches? (if I want an extra switch to have multiple switches for a particular light string)- Anyone else experience this problem or have any solutions?Ultimately the reason I need the Edison bulbs is these are front porch and garage sconces. I liked getting bulbs that could go really bright or I could dim like normal most of the time. My wife loves the Edison look in the see through bulb housing. There are some non Edison LED bulbs in the house I could maybe use the dim switches on, and save the single pole non-dimming switches for the front lights.Any help here would be great. Would love some solution that didn't involve $100 synthetic pull thing that I have to figure out how to wire in. Obviously I can't leave the 25 watt signal tester plugged into the outlet forever. Thank you.

  2. #2
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    It may not be a minimum load issue. The minimum LED load on a Caseta dimmer is typically 1 bulb. Some bulbs are not going to be compatible no matter what the load is. Your signal tester is probably providing stability the same way plugging a lamp with a 60w incandescent bulb would.

    There are no standards for the manufacture of LED bulbs. One manufacturer's controls may be radically different than another. A manufacturer may use different controls for their 60w and 75w equivalent bulbs. Lutron publishes a list of bulbs they have tested. However, manufacturers change their drivers without notice so the list isn't foolproof. Lutron only tests bulbs that are submitted by the manufacturers. There are plenty of bulbs out there that will work but haven't been tested. There is going to be some trial and error.

    You can also adjust the trim on the dimmer so the bulbs can only go from (example) 10% to 90%.

    Amazon has the LUT-MLC for $10.
    Convergence Technologies Raleigh, North Carolina
    www.convergenceusa.com

  3. #3
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    Thank you, I did notice after that one for $10. At first I thought that $100 panel looking things was the only option. I might try that one now though.

    Appreciate the comments on trial and error. I just had no idea this was an issue! I always thought Lutron was this perfect system!

  4. #4
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    I had replied already from the phone but just wanted to follow up on this one from the computer with more detail in the event anyone had any feedback... I may try the LUT-MLC from Amazon ($10) as I didn't realize that existed. The only challenge though is that appears to work for setups where the LEDs flicker when turned off, or ghost when off. Mine don't do that. Mine literally have a slow strobe flash. I also just realized that the non-dimmable Lutron Caseta switch doesn't work in non-neutral switches so that is out the window. Ultimately, I am on the fence about perhaps returning. Because the outdoor sconce lights, there is a real desire to have the Edison bulbs. I am basically putting in two of these switches for lights in front of the garage and separately lights on the porch. I don't want to go through all these hoops if each time I setup a switch it requires some whole new thing to figure out. I mistakenly thought the Lutron setup just worked! Maybe I will give the LUT-MLC a go for now, try it at the sconce box where the neutral is (they say its required to setup), and just see if that solves the issue. But I don't think that solves my problem, which is when the light is on it strobes. Again my situation is I turn it on either full, or slowly, or from the app or switch, no matter what, it strobes. When I have the 25w signal device in the plug and THEN go to turn it on, it works great. When I un-plug the signal device it continues to work great. But then when I turn it off and back on the strobe returns.

  5. #5
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    There are several manufacturers of Edison style bulbs. There is a reason some cost $10 and some cost $1. Finding one that works is a pain in multiple body parts. Then, 3 months later you buy another one and the manufacturer changed something and it doesn't work.

    FWIW, there is a group trying to establish standards. They have been at it a while. They may have something tomorrow or it may be a few years away.
    Convergence Technologies Raleigh, North Carolina
    www.convergenceusa.com

  6. #6
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    Do you think installing the LUT-MLC part will help? Is there any downsides to installing that on the light bulb box end? Trying to think if it can cause other electrical problems or anything else that I should be concerned about.

  7. #7
    Authorized Lutron Contributor
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    Using a LUT-MLC is only an option if you are using a Caseta switch or the PD-5NE in reverse phase. Using a LUT-MLC on a forward phase dimmer will cause the dimmer to fail prematurely and is not recommended by Lutron. If the bulbs you want to use are not meeting the minimum load of your current dimmer then you could look at using the PD-5NE or PD-10NXD. Both these dimmers have a neutral connection and require a smaller minimum load when the neutral is connected (only optional on the PD-10NXD).

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