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Thread: Maestro CL Dimmer with Warm Dim Bulbs

  1. #1
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    Maestro CL Dimmer with Warm Dim Bulbs

    I have the Maestro CL Dimmers (MACL153M), and I'm looking for either retrofit recessed light trims or BR bulbs that I can put into my recessed fixtures with the warm dim function (such as Philips, Juno, or Green Creative). Have you tested any bulbs with that feature? Do you have any recommendations?

  2. #2
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    These haven't been tested yet. I have some experience.

    Philips WarmGlow- should be good, but have an LUT-MLC incase flickering occurs.
    Juno WarmDim- Juno recommends neutral wire dimmers, which the MACL does not have. You can try, but this is the most expensive option, followed by Nora's ComfortDim.
    TCP had the Allusion line which should have performed well, hard to find, though.
    I have never tried the Green Creative versions, but their bulbs are usually great quality.

    I am personally using the Philips WarmGlow with moderate success on older RRD-6D dimmers without CL technology. I went this route to replace the R20 bulbs in my kitchen, which at the time no one else had this option. I do need to install a LUT-MLC as the shared neutral is causing some issues that I am hoping the shunt capacitor will solve. I am also using the BR30s with good results.
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    Quote Originally Posted by SDR-Mike View Post
    These haven't been tested yet. I have some experience.

    Philips WarmGlow- should be good, but have an LUT-MLC incase flickering occurs.
    Juno WarmDim- Juno recommends neutral wire dimmers, which the MACL does not have. You can try, but this is the most expensive option, followed by Nora's ComfortDim.
    TCP had the Allusion line which should have performed well, hard to find, though.
    I have never tried the Green Creative versions, but their bulbs are usually great quality.

    I am personally using the Philips WarmGlow with moderate success on older RRD-6D dimmers without CL technology. I went this route to replace the R20 bulbs in my kitchen, which at the time no one else had this option. I do need to install a LUT-MLC as the shared neutral is causing some issues that I am hoping the shunt capacitor will solve. I am also using the BR30s with good results.
    Thanks. That's helpful. Unrelated, I have a Feiss wall fixture that has integrated LEDs that is slightly buzzing (again it is worse at full brightness). I contacted them, but they're still looking into it. Any ideas to mitigate this?

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    Always start with a neutral wire dimmer if you can. All ELV dimmers have the neutral wire. MLV/Forward phase you could go MRF2-6ND-120-WH. ELV/reverse phase the MAELV600WH should suffice. If there is not a neutral wire present, the LUT-MLC shunt capacitor in conjunction with the MACL153MWH would probably be the next best bet.

    This is all provided that the Feiss fixture is a dimmable LED.
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  5. #5
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    Always start with a neutral wire dimmer if you can. All ELV dimmers have the neutral wire. MLV/Forward phase you could go MRF2-6ND-120-WH. ELV/reverse phase the MAELV600WH should suffice. If there is not a neutral wire present, the LUT-MLC shunt capacitor in conjunction with the MACL153MWH would probably be the next best bet.

    This is all provided that the Feiss fixture is a dimmable LED.
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by SDR-Mike View Post
    I am personally using the Philips WarmGlow with moderate success on older RRD-6D dimmers without CL technology. I went this route to replace the R20 bulbs in my kitchen, which at the time no one else had this option. I do need to install a LUT-MLC as the shared neutral is causing some issues that I am hoping the shunt capacitor will solve. I am also using the BR30s with good results.
    The longer I use the WarmDim, the more flicker I am experiencing. I am going to switch to the new 6ND and report the changes. Installing the LUT-MLC helped some, but flicker remains.
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  7. #7
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    Hello brokencycle,

    Thank you for your post!

    At this time, there is no industry standard for the manufacturing of LEDs. Because they are all made differently, they will all react differently to the dimming signals that dimmers create. Additionally, we have few very dim to warm LEDs, and none in the BR20/BR30 style. Some LED manufacturers will do their own compatibility testing and make their own recommendations. We would recommend contacting the companies you are interested in to see what bulbs they have to offer that performed well with the MACL.

    As for the buzzing you are experiencing.When LEDs are used on dimmers they create high current spikes. These spikes can cause the dimmer or bulb itself to buzz. Because this is due to the internal circuitry of the bulb itself, this is a hard thing to overcome. There are two main recommendations. The first is using our LED Product Selection Tool, www.lutron.com/ledtool, this tool generates Report Cards that will state if buzzing was noted during testing. The second is to try an MAELV-600M. This is not a guaranteed solution, but the MAELV can greatly reduce the high current spikes, reducing or eliminating the buzz. However, the ELV in the model number means it is reverse phase dimmer, not all LEDs are rated for reverse phase dimmers. You would have to confirm with the LED manufacturer that their LEDs are rated for ELV or reverse phase dimming.

    Finally, do not use the LUT-MLC on any forward phase dimmers, including the MRF2-6ND-120 and MACL-153M. It is only rated for digital switches and ELV dimmers and will not eliminate buzzing or flickering issues. Please see below:

    http://www.lutron.com/en-US/pages/Su...Number=LUT-MLC

    Hope this helps!

    Julia K.

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