Can any LED fixture be Dimmable?

[RAS61]

Doing a renovation of a room and would like to add 4" recessed lights. Cooper/Halo has an "EZ canless" option (CEZ4125) that is only about $16 at HD and would be an easy retrofit. Problem is I'd like them to be dimmable and I can't find out if they are - the box and instructions say nothing, Cooper website no help and their Customer Service dept is horrible/never gets back with an answer. So with a proper dimmer switch and bulbs, can any LED fixture be made dimmable?

 

[Trapps]

It’s the bulb/switch compatibility you need to confirm. You should be fine with that housing.

 

[Terry D]

Yes, the lamps have to be dimmable and the dimmer has to be rated for LEDs. Most stuff is dimmable now. But you still need to confirm it.

 

[TRWham]

That is a trim only with no lamp, so dimmer compatibility will depend on what lamp you install. We have moved 100% to integrated puck lights for new recessed installations. Most of those are now dimmer compatible and color switching and the low profile allows installation nearly anywhere regardless of joist location.

 

[sparky 1971]

From my experience, if it doesn't say dimmable on the box, it isn't. Most reididential LED fixtures are dimmable along with most of the "R" style screw in lamps; R20, R30, R40 etc. The A19 style everyone uses to replace incandescent is a crapshoot though, about 50% of those are dimmable.

 

[Milton Shaw]

The ones that are dimmable will not dim as low as older bulbs. The dimmers have a low dim setting that is there to keep the lights from dimming so far that they will not come back on. I set mine the same as the previous bulbs and then turned them off and they would not come back on until I turned the dimmer way back up. This is using dimmable Halo and LED rated dimmers. These were on a three way circuit and the switch away from the dimmer was the one that would not start the LED light back on until I had adjusted the other switch.

 

[RAS61]

It’s the bulb/switch compatibility you need to confirm. You should be fine with that housing.

May have to buy one housing and give it a try, don't think Cooper will ever get back to me. Any recommendations on what brands or combination of switch/bulbs are best? I'm leaning toward the GU10 housing, but would go E26 if those work better with a dimmer

 

[Trapps]

May have to buy one housing and give it a try, don't think Cooper will ever get back to me. Any recommendations on what brands or combination of switch/bulbs are best? I'm leaning toward the GU10 housing, but would go E26 if those work better with a dimmer

The housing you mentioned is ~$15. For about ~$27 you could have a simpler solution that is IC rated, dimmable, has selective color temperature and offers mounting flexibility, as @TRWham suggested. Bonus is no separate bulb needed which partially (depending on bulb choice) offsets the cost increase. The 'switch' is easy to find at an orange, blue or green store, just match your wattage to the dimmer. For example, the linked Juno lights draw 13W each. A Lutron Maestro can handle 150W so technically you could have 11 lights on that one switch. I recently installed this combo with 5 lights and it is working great.

 

[RAS61]

The housing you mentioned is ~$15. For about ~$27 you could have a simpler solution that is IC rated, dimmable, has selective color temperature and offers mounting flexibility, as @TRWham suggested. Bonus is no separate bulb needed which partially (depending on bulb choice) offsets the cost increase. The 'switch' is easy to find at an orange, blue or green store, just match your wattage to the dimmer. For example, the linked Juno lights draw 13W each. A Lutron Maestro can handle 150W so technically you could have 11 lights on that one switch. I recently installed this combo with 5 lights and it is working great.

Interesting, will definitely look into and consider. Do you need to use the new construction pans or remodel joist bars, or will the mounting springs alone hold them tight to the ceiling?

 

[Trapps]

The springs are good - no additional mounting hardware is required for retrofitting, just a hole in the drywall. The light is very, um, light...

The control box can simply be screwed to a nearby joist/rafter/stud.

 

[cybrdyke]

I'd pass on that Cooper product for a couple of reasons that mostly have to do with the bulb that you'll need to put into it.
It requires a PAR16 lamp. Although other sizes of PAR lamps might fit, it doesn't specifically say that they will. My HD doesn't carry a PAR16 lamp. You'd think that they'd carry the lamp that is specified to go into the fixture.
In the future, after the one you install initially fails, about the only place you can find PAR16's is on the internet. It can be a hassle. And you'll always have to be concerned about compatibility with the dimmer. You'll have to decide what beam angle you want, wide, normal, or spot. And if you decide to go this route, get the E26 base, not the GU10. Most PAR lamps are E26, and only a few are GU10.
Personally, I'd use a wafer light that's slightly fancier than a traditional "flat" wafer light. They make them now in dozens of trim colors and recessed light sources so they dont look so boring.
Good luck,
CD

 

[RAS61]

Cybrdyke brings up a good point about finding compatible/similar PAR16 bulbs down the road, but isn't that also an issue with Puck Lights? If one fails in the future what are the odds that model will still be available? Do you need to buy a couple extra to have on hand in case one breaks or stops working in 5-10 years?

 

[nadogail]

When my home was converted to LED ceiling fixtures the specialty contractor used Home Depot Commercial Electric LED modules. They are dimmable.

The contractor specializes in lighting retrofits told me he buys the Commercial Electric Modules by the pallet load.

 

[Mark118]

I installed eight of these last year to replace some older type leds. They work perfectly, dim from 0 to 100% smoothly with the eight year old Lutron dimmer that was already in place from the previous lamps. They're really bright; I usually have them at about 60%. YMMV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FF2JR9Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Mark118]

Footnote: those were also pretty easy to install. Well, actually my rescue cat did most of the project, with light supervision.

 

[nadogail]

That cat can have a job working for me. I will keep it in Salmon and Tuna.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

Fun fact, "dimmable" bulbs are three basic types that I know of

1: line voltage input with a dimmer signal (0-10V). these look at the signal for how bright to be
2: "simple" bulbs, that have no smarts, and are built for full brightness at rated voltage. their output is proportional to voltage
3: bulbs that use a buck converter and make low voltage DC, then run a driver that gets a "dimmer signal" signal based on line voltage

non-dimmable bulbs are generally type 3, but without the dimmer feedback circuitry. these are nice because they DON'T dim when the power blips, a motor starts, etc. a good example would be a DC lamp rated for 12-48V operation. it will buck the voltage to whatever the lamps are supposed to get.

for example: https://www.jwspeaker.com/products/led-worklights-model-771-xd/1705911/
design (nominal) voltage: 12-48V DC
operating voltage: 10-55V DC
amp draw:
1.00A @ 12V DC
0.48A @ 24V DC
0.33A @ 36V DC
0.25A @ 48V DC

 

[RAS61]

Footnote: those were also pretty easy to install. Well, actually my rescue cat did most of the project, with light supervision.

I've never been much of a cat person, but if it's willing to crawl up there and pull the wire to next outlet hole I might have to reconsider getting one!

 

[cybrdyke]

Cybrdyke brings up a good point about finding compatible/similar PAR16 bulbs down the road, but isn't that also an issue with Puck Lights? If one fails in the future what are the odds that model will still be available? Do you need to buy a couple extra to have on hand in case one breaks or stops working in 5-10 years?

Not really the same issue. PAR16's are an oddball lamp TODAY. Even before LED, they were oddball. Puck lights will be around for decades and are very common. (but having a couple extras around isn't a bad idea)
CD

 

[schalliol]

Get the HALO HLB4 Series. They dim really well, and here’s one I just installed yesterday using the HLB6 (6” version with same light output) (old cans being patched today). They dim wonderfully and are cables, high CRI and available from Home Depot. I have them dimmed by a Lutron RRD-6ND and they are nice and consistent. You can check the Lutron LED Tool (quick Google) for others, but these dim evenly, without noise and without flicker. Oh, and they have a switch to change color temp too!

 

[schalliol]

Here these are wil lower dimming and repaired drywall

 

[Git]

There are two main types of dimmers for led's. First, you need to make sure the led is dimmable and then, you are probably going to have to use an ELV Dimmer. In my experience, if it is a reputable led unit - they will have a list of compatible dimmers

• MLV - Magnetic Low Frequency (actually uses a core and a coil)
• ELV - Electronic Low Frequency (solid state and requires a neutral)

I have used a lot of these 'wafer led' lights. They come in different sizes, 4, 6 or 8", round or square. The led's don't actually face down into the room - the line the perimeter of the light with them and they face inward

I have installed about 30 of these Lithonia Wafer LED's (different sizes and shapes) in my home and have been very pleased


Spec sheet with approved dimmers (other dimmers may work, they just have not been tested)