Will my dimmable LED lamp fit into 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 much you can dim the lamp. So, whether you can dim your lamp, for example, to 70% or 90%. """"''''

When you connect an LED lamp to an old dimmer, like the one used for halogen lamps, and you dim it completely, your LED lamp would still emit about 50%. So, you cannot fully dim your LED lamp with an old dimmer. This has to do with the fact that these old dimmers were developed for higher wattages. A 50-watt halogen lamp, for example, needs a stronger dimmer than a 5-watt LED lamp.

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

Is there a difference in types of LED lamp dimmers?

Yes, indeed. A dimmer that needs to dim 6 spots doesn’t need to be as strong as a dimmer that needs 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 advised to dim more spots simultaneously. In that case, instead of a 70% light reduction, you might only get a 60% reduction. This is significantly less.

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

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

This is important because, in this way, you won't have a difference in the voltages that the dimmer uses per lamp. This can happen with a parallel connection if, for example, one lamp fails. A series connection, on the other hand, distributes the voltage evenly across all the lamps in such a case. This is much safer, energy-efficient, and contributes to the longevity of your LED lamp.

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