I switched bulbs in a chandelier from incandescent to LEDs. There are 54 bulbs in total. I got 4.5w filament dimmable LEDs, 40w equivalent. These to be specific.
It’s a single pole installation. When the light is at full power, it’s fine as expected, but whenever I dim it, there is a buzzing from both the lights and the dimmer.
I’ve read a bunch online about making sure the dimmer can handle the load, but 54 bulbs at 4.5w is only 243, so I think the switch should be able to handle it. Any ideas?
I’ll keep it simple. The bulbs you linked to aren’t listed on the compatibility chart. Which doesn’t necessarily mean that they WON’T work with the dimmer .The problem could still be something else. But it means that the manufacturer hasn’t tested that particular bulb with that dimmer. And these bulbs and these dimmers ( especially retrofit dimmers with no neutral connection ) are extremely finicky.
You can use that link to talk to someone at Leviton. It may be futile but they may be aware of an issue with a particular class of bulb. Or you could check with the bulb manufacturer to see if they have a list of recommended dimmers.
I also know a little trick you can try. Put ONE incandescent bulb in somewhere In the fixture. That very well might fix it. It’s kind of a quick fix for a LOT of dimmer compatibility problems. I use that one all the time, especially in my home. If that works but isn’t aesthetically acceptable, you can try to figure out a way to install a 25w load resistor on the circuit. It would have the same effect. Be aware they get really hot.
There is a commercially available part that should work. Under 10 bucks at Amazon. It doesn’t matter that it’s a Lutron part and you have a Leviton dimmer. This type of power interface is interchangeable.
And here are the installation instructions. That will give you an idea of what’s involved.
What you are doing is, in effect, adding an incandescent bulb to the circuit. The dimmer needs a certain amount of resistance in order to work properly. You will notice this piece is sold as a minimum load interface, and in theory you have enough load. But the resistance provided by the LED bulbs can be a little spotty and unreliable. An incandescent load or equivalent load resistor provides a steady reliable source of resistance and allows the dimmer to work properly.
Remember to first confirm that this is the problem by replacing a bulb with an incandescent bulb. If the chandelier design and electrical capacity allows, replacing one or more bulbs with incandescent is still the easiest fix.
There is one caveat. I’ve never used the part I linked to above. I’m a professional lighting control specialist, but I usually work with larger centralized architectural systems. We have a $150 dollar part that we sell for the same purpose. It’s got screw terminals and a lot of sleek packaging around it but I’m assuming both parts are ultimately basically the same. But you know what they say about assuming. If you have further problems, you can PM me.