Does my dimmable LED lamp fit in my old dimmer?

Dimcurve LED lamps VS dimcurve halogen lamps

What on earth is a dimcurve? This is quite simple to explain. The dimcurve of a lamp refers to how far you can dim a lamp. So whether you can dim your lamp to 70% or 90%, for example.

When you connect an LED lamp to an old dimmer, for instance, one that was designed for a halogen lamp, and you dim it completely, your LED lamp would still emit about 50%. You can’t fully dim your LED lamp with an old dimmer. This is because these old dimmers were designed for higher wattages. A 50-watt halogen lamp, for example, requires a stronger dimmer than a 5-watt LED lamp.

For the optimal effect of your dimmable LED lamp, it is recommended to purchase a dimmer specifically designed for LED lamps. These are indeed suitable for dimming your LED lamp to its lowest setting. This way, it’s even easier to create the desired atmosphere in a room.

Are there different types of LED lamp dimmers?

Yes, indeed. A dimmer that needs to dim 6 spots, for example, doesn’t need to be as strong as a dimmer that has to dim 15 spots.

If you want to dim 2 to 8 spots, a 7-110 Watt LED dimmer would be suitable. If you want to dim 8 to 16 spots, a stronger dimmer is recommended, such as a 20-250 Watt LED dimmer. It is not advisable to dim more spots at the same time. For instance, you would have only 60% light reduction instead of 70%. This is significantly less.

Can I connect my LED spots myself to a switch or dimmer?

It’s quite simple to connect your LED downlights yourself. However, it is very important to distinguish between dimmable and non-dimmable LED lamps. Dimmable LED lamps should not be connected in parallel, but in series.

This is important because in this way, you avoid differences in the voltages that the dimmer uses per lamp. This can occur in a parallel connection if, for example, one bulb goes out. In a series connection, however, the voltage is evenly distributed over the number of lamps in such a case. This is much safer, energy-efficient, and contributes to the sustainability of your LED lamp.

At the top of this blog, you can clearly see the difference between a series connection and a parallel connection.