Dimming recpt.

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ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
I seem to recall a discussion that you cannot place a dimmer on a receptacle. I have searched and cannot find it. Customer wants a receptacle mounted on the top of his cabinets for up lighting controlled by a dimmer. Is it against code or was it the receptacle had to be listed for dimming?
 

stickboy1375

Senior Member
Location
Litchfield, CT

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
404.14(E) would be the violation, but Lutron does make dimmable receptacles now.

http://www.aboutlightingcontrols.org/products/newprods/lutron/lutron-20050303.shtml

OK, lets split hairs on this one. The lighting will be the halogen strip lighting mounted to the top of the cabinets. 404.14(E) states that dimmers shall be used to control permanently installed incandescent luminaries. If the housing is mounted to the cabinet would it then matter if it were of the cord and plug type? I can understand if it were a table lamp or such.
 

electricmanscott

Senior Member
Location
Boston, MA
OK, lets split hairs on this one. The lighting will be the halogen strip lighting mounted to the top of the cabinets. 404.14(E) states that dimmers shall be used to control permanently installed incandescent luminaries. If the housing is mounted to the cabinet would it then matter if it were of the cord and plug type? I can understand if it were a table lamp or such.


You're still actually dimming the receptacle what gets plugged in is irrelevant. A receptacle is not a permanantly installed incandescent luminare. Even if you screw the fixture down I'd say the fact that it is cord and plug connected still makes it portable rather than permanent. You can not use flexible cord as a substiture for fixed wiring so that also goes against this being "permanantly installed".

Bottom line, it's just a bad idea.

I priced the Lutron receptacle and it is 40 bucks for the recpt and 18 for the cord cap.
 

TOOL_5150

Senior Member
Location
bay area, ca
You're still actually dimming the receptacle what gets plugged in is irrelevant. A receptacle is not a permanantly installed incandescent luminare. Even if you screw the fixture down I'd say the fact that it is cord and plug connected still makes it portable rather than permanent. You can not use flexible cord as a substiture for fixed wiring so that also goes against this being "permanantly installed".

Bottom line, it's just a bad idea.

I priced the Lutron receptacle and it is 40 bucks for the recpt and 18 for the cord cap.

18 for that little piece of.... Thats really pushing it.

~Matt
 

electricmanscott

Senior Member
Location
Boston, MA
18 for that little piece of.... Thats really pushing it.

~Matt

Agreed. I won;t be buying amy but if a customer wants it I'll gladly sell them some.

Just priced a small job to wire receptacles for 3 cord and plug connected picture lights. $300.00 extra if they want them dimmed. We'll see how badly they want to dim them...or not.
 

Jesse7623

Senior Member
Location
eastern Mass
I seem to recall a discussion that you cannot place a dimmer on a receptacle. I have searched and cannot find it. Customer wants a receptacle mounted on the top of his cabinets for up lighting controlled by a dimmer. Is it against code or was it the receptacle had to be listed for dimming?
lutron makes a rec. that is listed for dimming.But why not just put a J-box in and splice or does it have to be a cord and plug and cord conn.?
 
You're still actually dimming the receptacle what gets plugged in is irrelevant. A receptacle is not a permanantly installed incandescent luminare. Even if you screw the fixture down I'd say the fact that it is cord and plug connected still makes it portable rather than permanent. You can not use flexible cord as a substiture for fixed wiring so that also goes against this being "permanantly installed".

Bottom line, it's just a bad idea.

I priced the Lutron receptacle and it is 40 bucks for the recpt and 18 for the cord cap.

what about 410.62 (C)1 ;) just want to stir the pot a little.
 

barclayd

Senior Member
Location
Colorado
OK, lets split hairs on this one. The lighting will be the halogen strip lighting mounted to the top of the cabinets.

You can dim the MR16 low voltage lamps, but I don't think you can dim the line voltage quartz halogen lamps. They need the full voltage heat to enable the tungsten cycle that re-generates the filament. Even with the low voltage lamps, they have to be operated at full voltage periodically.

db
 

stickboy1375

Senior Member
Location
Litchfield, CT
You can dim the MR16 low voltage lamps, but I don't think you can dim the line voltage quartz halogen lamps. They need the full voltage heat to enable the tungsten cycle that re-generates the filament. Even with the low voltage lamps, they have to be operated at full voltage periodically.

db


You can dim quartz halogen lamps.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
You can dim the MR16 low voltage lamps, but I don't think you can dim the line voltage quartz halogen lamps. They need the full voltage heat to enable the tungsten cycle that re-generates the filament. Even with the low voltage lamps, they have to be operated at full voltage periodically.
The regen cycle applies to line-voltage halogens, too. Run them full on occasionally.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
Other than the code says so, why is putting a dimmer on a receptacle a bad idea? I'm missing the science that says it's a fire hazard or a shock hazard

carl

IMO it could be a fire hazard to the utilization equipment plugged into the receptacle.

It may be a small risk but considering there are safer and easy work arounds why do it?
 

Rockyd

Senior Member
Location
Nevada
Occupation
Retired after 40 years as an electrician.
Larry,

This Forums Most Censored Member (and proud of it!)


I'm starting to see it now....:)

If you would just show the moderators a little respect, I could be your agent, and get you too, set up as moderator!
 
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