Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  1
Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Dimmer causing flicker of other (non-connected) loads

  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Posts
    5

    Dimmer causing flicker of other (non-connected) loads

    Moved into a new house and added a bunch of Caseta in-wall dimmers which are mostly working great with ecosmart LEDs.

    Two of the Caseta dimmers control a few separate outdoor sconce loads. These several sconces turn on/off smoothly and dim/brighten smoothly. However, whenever either of these two specific Caseta-controlled loads are turned on (even at 100% brightness), many other lights in the home (not controlled by these dimmers but rather by other Caseta dimmers) begin to flicker! All of these other loads will dim/brighten smoothly if activated independently or in combination with each other, but whenever the outdoor lights are on, they immediately start flickering. At first I thought the lights in the house were just all flickering at night every night, before realizing that it was because the outdoor sconces were scheduled to turn on at night and there was direct cause/effect when the outdoor lights were switched on/off.

    I have never heard of something like this happening before. Any ideas? I will try replacing the LEDs in the outdoor sconces because they are the only lights in the house that still have their original LEDs (possibly non-dimmable), but is it actually possible for a load to create so much noise that it impacts many other lights in the home controlled by different circuits?

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    2,587
    It is possible. Noise in the electrical system is amplified by the dimmer.

    It wasn't long ago that electricians didn't worry about keeping neutrals separated. They are all tied together in the panel anyway!? Modern electronics use the neutral. Ghosting is an example. Like a ballast/driver load won't turn completely off because it shares a neutral and something is dumping noise on the neutral. Separating neutrals in a house is a time consuming task.

    I would check the sconce bulbs first.
    If the dimmer has a neutral connection make sure you use it. Even if the directions say you don't need it.
    Try a neutral-dimmer on the sconces. Everything works better with a neutral connection.
    Convergence Technologies Raleigh, North Carolina
    www.convergenceusa.com

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    579
    I don't think this is a dimmer issue and may be an indication of a more serious electrical issue in the house like a floating neutral. Have the dimmers been installed correctly? Did anything else get disturbed during the installation? In particular, did the neutral bundle move around? Sometimes if the neutral bundle was not twisted together properly one of the wires can pop loose when you stuff a dimmer in the box. You can put the switch back to see if the issue continues just to be sure, but I've been an electrician for a long time and have personally installed a few thousand dimmers by now (god that sounds sad when I type it out) and have never seen this happen unless there was something goofy with the wiring.

  4. Likes randyc liked this post

Similar Threads

  1. PD-6WCL dimmer stops working when branch circuit connected
    By halftone in forum Troubleshooting - CAS
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 11-28-2021, 10:14 AM
  2. What dimmer/switch will work for 450 Watt LED loads?
    By ghurty in forum General Discussion - RA2
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 10-02-2019, 11:48 AM
  3. Plug in dimmer for ELV loads?
    By AndyM in forum General Discussion - HWQS
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-23-2018, 10:56 AM
  4. MAELV-600 Dimmer Causing LED Recessed to Flash On/Off at Full Intensity
    By decent dan in forum Performance Issues - LED
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 01-11-2018, 12:11 PM
  5. MAELV-600 Dimmer Causing LED Recessed to Flash On/Off at Full Intensity
    By decent dan in forum General Discussion - LED
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 09-27-2017, 07:43 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
  •