double dimmer switch

[burntfinger]

I have 9x50watt bulbs on one dimmer button and 3x50watt transformer bullbs on the other. With all 9 bulbs in it overloads switch (250wattx2) and cuts out after 10 mins. Anyone suggest a switch that has 500 watt capacity per gang(?) and will work on standard light fitting AND low voltage fittings. Is this mission impossible - trying to make good a botched job by builder. Cheers.

 

[plugwash]

i think you may need to use two seperate dimmers

a small dimmer pack with 0-10v control is another option

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have 9x50watt bulbs on one dimmer button and 3x50watt transformer bullbs on the other. With all 9 bulbs in it overloads switch (250wattx2) and cuts out after 10 mins.

Or to put it another way, a 450W load overloads a 250W dimmer and it cuts out after 10 minutes. Now there's a surprise....

Anyone suggest a switch that has 500 watt capacity per gang(?) and will work on standard light fitting AND low voltage fittings.

I've never seen anything more than 400-500W available in an ordinary wall switch format, and only then single-gang (because of the heat). Factor in that you typically need to derate dimmers to 75-80% for halogen and ELV transformers, and that gives you a max of 300-400W load.

I'd be delighted to be proved wrong by anybody, but I fear that for a dimmer rated at 600W you'll need to look at industrial/theatrical products.

How easy would it be to rewire the lights and make the 9x50W into a 4x50 and a 5x50?

Is this mission impossible - trying to make good a botched job by builder. Cheers.

Why did you get a builder to do your electrics?

 

[securespark]

You can get 1000W single gang dimmers -

VL1000 from tlc.

Don't know what load u can use on these.

In any case, it will involve chippy-chippy of the wall....

 

[securespark]

How did you singe your digit?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Excellent news!

burntfinger - ignore what I said, fortunately I'm wrong.

But as SS said, you'll need to dig a bigger hole in the wall, as it's a single gang dimmer, so you'll need one of these:

 

[ban-all-sheds]

How did you singe your digit?

The picture above no longer displays - don't know why, 'cos it used to, and the picture is still there. If you look at the text of my post, you can see the full URL - and if you go there you'll see the cartoon.

It appears that for some reason the string <novoserve DOT no-ip DOT biz> gets changed to "k" - if you right-click the image placeholder and look at properties it'll say it's http://k/YaBBImages/avatars/leccy2.gif rather than http://növöserve.nö-ip.biz/YaBBImages/avatars/leccy2.gif (o's changed to ö's to get it to show up).


I sincerely hope that this is a bug, and not some dreadful act of censorship!

 

[securespark]

Ban, ouch!!

Cremated finger

The box ban shows has fixed lugs so you have to be careful about positioning (not having a go, ban, honest!!). You could use 2 single gang boxes linked with a box jointing piece, Appleby make them not sure what part number. This will give youadjustment for out of true.

In any case, make sure your boxes are deep enough to mount dimmers and have space for wiring. Further, many mfrs insist on a certain depth of box to allow heat to dissipate.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The trouble is that if the box does end up not quite horizontal, you can't adjust two single accessories independently to be horizontal because they won't line up....

 

[securespark]

True, Ban.

Maybe better with Bans boxy little number, then.

 

[burntfinger]

thanks for all the suggestions - most helpful. After 6 months of building work and now finished couldn't face knocking more holes in newly painted wall (or rather Mrs Burntfinger couldn't). A bit of lateral thinking has resulted in me replacing 7 of the bulbs with 20watt and keeping 2x 50watt over the table - total load on the offending switch = 240watt. Yes it's not as bright in there but it's enough and keeps the leccy bills down. Thanks again, even you sarcky buggers.

 

[securespark]

Which sarcky b*ggers, you ungrateful s*d?!!

 

[securespark]

ban.

My guess is censorship. Because you are "from the other side" (as is your avatar), they have taken great offence and scrapped it.

No doubt they've got a legit excuse, but as Jim said, nobody here has the courtesy to e-mail you and let you know what's going on....

 

[plugwash]

someone was rather agressively promoting novoserve here

as a result links to it got banned

pita i know

 

[fountainman]

I sincerely hope that this is a bug, and not some dreadful act of censorship!

some sites will NOT let you link to a picture on their site