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dimmable led bulbs that don't buzz?

Anyone had any luck getting a dimmable led bulb that doesn't buzz?

I've got a couple, and if you screw them into a socket that is not controlled by a dimmer, they are quiet as a church mouse. As soon as you relocate them into a socket controlled by a dimmer, they buzz like a vibrator on a formica table.

I guess I'll end up getting CFL. I've recently gotten a few of the 10w leds that seem to work really well as a light bulb as long as they aren't screwed into a socket that's controlled by a dimmer. And since we've got 6 bulbs in our bathroom, I'd like to swap to a cfl or led. I've considered moving the dimmer to another socket, and may end up doing that.

Which brands? I want to make a switch in a couple of high traffic locations in the house and want to know what you've had good/bad experiences.

I've ordered 4 different bulbs to see what I thought of each.

I think this is my favorite, and is not dimmable. It's the most like a regular light bulb
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EUAQ5UA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Philips 429381 10.5-watt (60-watt equivalent) 800 Lumens 3000K A19 LED Household Light Bulb, Bright White

This one also works well and is dimmable. It works well in our ceiling fan because there's limited space, but you wouldn't want it exposed because it doesn't look like a regular bulb.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I134ORI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Philips 433227 10.5-watt Slim Style Dimmable A19 LED Light Bulb, Soft White

this one is dimmable, but has the buzz. It seems to work pretty well, but if you look at the very top, when it's lit, it's got a dark area. It's only an issue if the bulb is in an exposed socket like a downlight or something and you can see the end of the bulb.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BYG7O8A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cree 9.5-Watt (60W) Soft/Warm White (2700K) LED Light Bulb

I've had good experience with a Cree branded light for standard recessed lights in the past that I got at HD. Actually, they were recommended by someone here on the board. They came on instantly, had good light quality and looked good.

Would NOT recommend this one. I tried the "daylight" option and don't like the color of the light (they had regular color, I wanted to try the daylight), but for me the big problem is that when you turn the bulb on, it takes a fraction of a second to come on. That doesn't sound like that big a deal, but it's definitely something that I don't like in a light bulb.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0073COMUW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
LE 10 Watt A19 E27 LED Bulb, 60 Watt Incandescent Bulbs Replacement, 830lm, Samsung chip LED, Daylight White

Not bulbs but i finally found strips with a convertable that was magnetically dim-able Took me a while, but glad i found them.

Steve,
All those LED lamps are entry level products and the drivers are not that adaptable. I can research a little tomorrow for you but try going directly to the manufactures website to see which type of dimmer they suggest or require.
Lutron makes a "CL" dimmer that is made for Edison base LED retrofit lamps that should kill the buzzing. You can find them at Home Depot or online. I Could send you one to try also.
Pass & Seymour makes an adaptive dimmer that I have great success with when others have come up short. It is a premium in the cost department.

If interested I can post specs tomorrow when I am in the office and have all the info in front of me.

This is basically what I do most days by the way, find the best compatibility of LED product and controls to work in different new and retrofit applications for both residential and commercial projects.

You need a digital dimmer. And not all digital dimmers like all LED lights, sometimes it takes a couple shots.

I have the Philips L Prize bulbs and a Lutron dimmer, possibly the CL type DByers mentioned, it was about $50 vs. $20-30 for the others that claim to be LED compatible but buzzed.

Has to do with reducing the amperage vs. the voltage I think (or the other way around?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mysticllama (Post 8377954)

you need a digital dimmer. And not all digital dimmers like all led lights, sometimes it takes a couple shots.

I have the philips l prize bulbs and a lutron dimmer, possibly the cl type dbyers mentioned, it was about $50 vs. $20-30 for the others that claim to be led compatible but buzzed.

Has to do with reducing the amperage vs. The voltage i think (or the other way around?)

Try this Luton site for more info and to use their LED selection tool. Not all LED's will work with an electronic dimmer. Some want a MLV, some a forward phase and some a reverse phase dimmer. Some will dim but only to a certain point and many will say they dim but really won't. The driver is the weak point in this equation and tends to be the one place that manufacures will use what ever is cheapest and available.

Dimming CFLs and LEDs

im serious, 3M: Dimmer Compatibility

It's difficult with leds. In the end I went to a store that only sells lighting. Talked to a very knowledgeable guy and ordered what he told me to order. Will advise how that went once the stuff arrives next week.

I have been installing these for a good part of the last few years and had no problems. Damn good lights. Its a few bucks more, but worth it imo. Call them and they will walk you through the dimming process. Lutron dimmers are one of the better switches out there.

oops, here's the link Homepage | Rayon Lighting Group

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticLlama (Post 8377954)

+2

If you check the dimmer mfg websites, they usually have a list of "approved bulbs" or bulbs that have been tested and found to not buzz. The issue with buzzing can be designed out by using higher quality components on the PCB in combination with potting the assembly. Unfortunately, many, if not most aren't potted due to cost, cure times, etc.

You may have to try a few different dimmers to get the right combo.

Don't give up. If you do, and buy CFLs, good luck dimming them.

Check out a company called LEDnovation. It is now defunct but you can still buy inventory of LED light bulbs, pretty inexpensively from places like Grainger.com or 1000bulbs.com. LEDnovation light bulbs are all potted and a significant amount of engineering work went into designing them. They are defunct only because they couldn't compete with the vast supply chains of the big dogs like Philips. PM me if you'd like more information.

If it helps any, we've had wonderful success with Cree (Ecosmart) recessed and gimbal lighting on Lutron CL dimmers all over the house.

For strip and rope LEDs, I bought the LEDs + drivers from Environmental Lights and they're paired with Lutron magnetic and electronic low voltage dimmers. They work flawlessly. Environmental Lights is in San Diego but they were able to help me figure out what materials were needed and compatible with each other, and I placed the order online.

I am on the back end of an entire home remodel and have replaced every incandescent with an LED bulb, all FEIT Electric, from Costco at $10 for a 3-pack. I have no buzzing at all but as MysticLlama mentioned, I have replaced all my dimmers. I'm no electrician but that's basic work and I was sure to buy the "LED Compatible switches.

FWIW, if you have recessed can lights, UtiliTech (easily found at Lowes) makes an entire LED can set-up with adapter that screws into the bulb socket, pure plug and play with dramatic improvement in overall light output.

thanks guys. This is an apt that we're renting, so I'm not likely to purchase a dimmer to install. It's all very good info, and I may pull the plate off to see what sort of dimmers we have, and then see if they have a preferred bulb. I suspect they're very cheap and not the right kind. I may just end up putting the dimmer in a spot where I won't be using led bulbs.

Solid State Lighting for Incandescent Replacement

Quote:

3 Existing Control Types
Existing dimming controls can be divided into two broad categories: incandescent phase-cut dimmers and fluorescent controls. The division is more conceptual than practical, as some fluorescent ballasts respond to a phase-cut signal, and there exist some LED power supplies that respond to control types originally intended for fluorescent ballasts. This paper addresses applications using phase-cut dimmers typically used with incandescent lamps.
3.1 Incandescent Phase-Cut Dimmers The phase-cut dimmer was developed for incandescent lamps. One of the advantages of phase-cut dimmers is that a standard switched lighting circuit may be easily retrofitted with existing wiring by merely changing the conventional two-way switch to a dimmer control. In a standard installation, current that is conveyed through wires to the lamp powers the light fixture. In a simple switched lighting circuit, a switch in the “on” position will allow the current to pass unmodified through the switch to the lighting fixture. The switch in the “on” position allows the fixture to use electricity all the time. Figure 1 shows this concept.
8 Global standards under development have generally adopted this definition for LED light sources. They will become formalized with the publication of completed consensus industry standards.
© Copyright 2010 by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. 7
LSD 49-2010

A phase-cut dimmer is a unique kind of switch that uses a special circuit to “turn on and off” the current supply to the fixture at regular intervals, typically 120 times per second. This is fast enough that the human eye does not perceive any interruption, in the same way that celluloid movies look continuous even though they are actually a series of static images shown in very quick succession.9
The amount of time the current is “on” determines how bright or dim the lamp will be. For each “on/off” cycle (1/120th of a second), the more time current is “on,” the brighter the lamps will be and the more energy used. This is shown in Figure 2.
In the United States, power is delivered from the electric utility as a sinusoidal voltage, with a root mean square (rms)10 value of 120 volts and repeating 60 cycles per second (see Figure 3). A phase-cut dimmer contains a thyristor semiconductor device (triac, field effect transistor, or silicon controlled rectifier) that acts like a switch. When the thyristor turns “on,” current flows through the circuit; when the switch turns “off,” no current flows through the circuit. By turning the switch “on” and “off” twice every line cycle, the rms voltage applied to the lamp is reduced from 120 volts to a lower value, so the rms current that flows is also reduced. As the rms current flowing through the lamp is reduced, it dissipates less power, and so produces less light.

Yep, modern dimmers are needed to go with modern lighting or they will buzz like a chain saw. I had old-school dimmers everywhere in my house and in many cases I just changed them to a switch if I didn't use the dimmer much. My house is now about 1/2 CFL and 1/2 LED with only a few incandescent fixtures left that rarely get used. It's been a 5 year learning curve for me but last month my Edison bill was $38. :)

2700k is the magic # for lighting color to pass the wife test.

I have never found an LED bulb bright enough to require dimming....