Retrofit LED Can lights buzzing - I've tried 4 brands

[benrub]

I've tried several brands of LED retrofit can lights in my basement, and 3 of the 4 emit a buzzing sound, even when the dimmer is set to full brightness.

The dimmer I'm using is the Lutron PD-5NE.

I'm a homeowner, not an electrician. I hired an electrician- he was unable to figure out what's causing the buzzing sound.

Here's a video I made in which I demonstrate the buzzing sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9abl5XAV0rE


Complete information with every detail I can think of:
https://paper.dropbox.com/doc/LED-lights-buzzing-Ben--CJ1lHcnT7Eb6dqGB2yYt7YlEAQ-ipyQ0u9LBgMdv1r2yNW8J

Summary of problem

• Video demonstration on YouTube
• In the basement, I have 8 ceiling lights connected to one light switch.
• The switch is an expensive ELV switch from Lutron: the PD-5NE.
  
  • These ELV switches generally work very well. They’re specifically designed to be used with LED lights.
  • This switch requires a neutral wire.
  
  
• 6 of the 8 ceiling lights have “can” housings.
  
  • This is the model of cans that we have: The Halo H7RICAT
  • These cans are very difficult to remove.
  • Each can has a junction box which is virtually impossible to access.
  
  
• Installed into the cans are 6 LED “retrofit” lights made by Juno.
  
  • Here’s a link to the retrofit lights - Juno 65BEMW HL SWW5.
  • These 6 lights emit a buzzing sound when installed inside the cans and turned on.
  • The buzzing occurs when the lights are at full brightness and when dimmed.
  • When the lights are lowered from the cans, still connected to the power, and turned on, the buzzing stops.
  
  
• If I remove the switch and connect the 2 wires together (this is called “bypassing the switch”) then the lights turn on and do not buzz.
• The remaining 2 of the 8 lights are “canless” wafer lights, also made by Juno.
  
  • Here is a link to the wafer lights. Juno WF6 SWW5.
  • The wafer lights do not buzz.
  • These lights have a copper water pipe and an HVAC duct above them.
    
    • I assume this is why the contractor didn’t installs cans here.
  
  
• The only other things on the same circuit (that I’m aware of) are a pair of LED ceiling lights in our 1st floor pantry.
  
  • I wonder if these lights are causing the problem.

Other notes

• We have 6 Juno canless LED wafer lights in our upstairs bedroom.
  
  • They’re great— silent operation on a basic Lutron PD6-WCL switch
  
  
• I turned off every breaker on the breaker box one at a time. This did not stop the buzzing.
• I spoke to an electrician about the buzzing and he is unable to pinpoint the cause.
• If the noise is caused by electromagnetic interference (EMI), I could try wrapping the fixtures in “Faraday fabric” like this or even try aluminum foil.
• I placed an order for 4 different brands of LED 6-inch retrofit lights.
  
  • Update 2/19 - 3 of them arrived, and 2 of those 3 buzz. Scroll down for more information on this,
  • I like the Juno lights a lot and would like to keep them or replace them with a light that I like equally.

Product images

Product	Image
Lutron switch PD-5NE High quality ELV dimmer If I bypass the switch, the buzzing stops
Halo can housing The Halo H7RICAT These were here when I bought the house 7 of the 10 lights in my basement have these cans Very difficult to remove
Juno “retrofit” lights Juno 65BEMW HL SWW5 These buzz loudly when in the cans and very softly when out of the cans
Juno “wafer” lights WF6 SWW5 These do not buzz

---

Testing out different brands of retrofit “can” lights

Brand + Model	Result
Satco S11835	Tested on 2/19/24 Emits a soft buzz which gets louder when dimmed
LUXRITE LR23795	Tested on 2/19/24 Silent
Maxxima MRL-615205B	Tested on 2/19/24 Emits a buzzing sound even when out of the can
Nora NOXTW-5631BB	Arriving February 26 - February 29

[Brandon W.]

Hello benrub,

We are sorry to hear about these buzzing fixtures and appreciate your findings and troubleshooting efforts. The Caseta ELV+ PD-5NE is the safest choice to hopefully address buzzing due to that neutral connection. Since dimmers work to turn the fixtures ON/OFF 120 times a second, sometimes this can cause the fixtures to hum or vibrate in their housing. This can explain why bypassing the dimmer or installing a switch resolves this trouble.

It does not appear that we have conducted testing on these exact model fixtures. Have you had a chance to try any of the fixtures on our "LED Finder" tool here: LED Compatibility Tool | Lutron

[benrub]

Thank you for this reply Brandon.

I decided to return the Juno lights. I tried lights from Satco and Maxxima which both buzzed (already returned them)
And Halo and Luxrite which do not buzz.

I was hoping to keep the Juno lights because I really like the way they look, but the buzzing sound was too bothersome.

By the way, I tried the LED Compatibility Tool using the link you provided above. When I enter something into the search field, such as "Halo" the page refreshes and does nothing. It seems as though the search feature doesn't work.

Thank you again for getting back to me. I love LED lights but I really detest the buzzing sound, especially in my home office where I'm working in a quiet environment.