Haunted touch lamp related

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John120/240

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Olathe, Kansas
Have a rotary dimmer single pole, that controls a 3 head track light.

Ionic air cleaner plugged in to wall recptacle on same circuit.

When you use the dimmer if affects the air cleaner. What's going on?

Thank you
 
John120/240 said:
Have a rotary dimmer single pole, that controls a 3 head track light.

Ionic air cleaner plugged in to wall recptacle on same circuit.

When you use the dimmer if affects the air cleaner. What's going on?

Thank you
Click to expand...

In what manner is it "affecting" the air cleaner?

Is the air cleaner receptacle hooked on to the switch leg and getting "dimmed"?

Could it be just a function of the amp draw of the track light affecting the voltage drop of the whole circuit, including the air cleaner plug?

Plug the air cleaner in somewhere else. Or describe what's going on with it more specifically.
 
Dimmers are known generators of EMI. Known to cause issues with other sensitive equipment.
Try installing an EMI filter ahead of the Air Cleaner if warranted and cannot be moved to another circuit.
 
#1 No it is not a switched recptacle.

#2 The dimmer causes the iconic air cleaner vary it's speed relative to the dimmer.

A table lamp on this recptacle works just fine. The easy fix will be a seperate

recptacle. Thank You
 
John120/240 said:
#1 No it is not a switched recptacle.

#2 The dimmer causes the iconic air cleaner vary it's speed relative to the dimmer.

A table lamp on this recptacle works just fine. The easy fix will be a seperate

recptacle. Thank You
Click to expand...

John, did you try BOTH parts of the duplex? It was common practice to have half a duplex as constant hot, and the other half switched (or in this case, dimmed).

I would try the table lamp in both halves of the duplex (if you haven't already) to rule that out. If the table lamp dims in the same "slot" the ionic was plugged into..well as the Mythbusters say "Well there's your problem. " :grin:

I find it difficult (but not impossible) to believe that the ionic device is being affected without being directly controlled by that dimmer.
 
Mxslick both halves of the duplex are constant hot. Could EMI cause this?

Air cleaner works fine in other rooms, table lamp on the problem duplex
recptacle works O K. Thanks
 
mxslick said:
John, did you try BOTH parts of the duplex? It was common practice to have half a duplex as constant hot, and the other half switched (or in this case, dimmed).

I would try the table lamp in both halves of the duplex (if you haven't already) to rule that out. If the table lamp dims in the same "slot" the ionic was plugged into..well as the Mythbusters say "Well there's your problem. " :grin:

I find it difficult (but not impossible) to believe that the ionic device is being affected without being directly controlled by that dimmer.
Click to expand...

Using a dimmer on a receptacle is a violation of 404.14(E)

Lights plugged into a receptacle are not permanently installed.
 
John120/240 said:
Mxslick both halves of the duplex are constant hot. Could EMI cause this?

Air cleaner works fine in other rooms, table lamp on the problem duplex
recptacle works O K. Thanks
Click to expand...

Thank you. Yeah in this case the only cause really, could be EMI. Either radiated or impressed on the AC line on that circuit.

hurk27 said:
Using a dimmer on a receptacle is a violation of 404.14(E)

Lights plugged into a receptacle are not permanently installed.
Click to expand...

Wayne, yes that is correct but I can't count how many times I have seen the switch on an older home or apt's switched duplex replaced with a dimmer.

Homeowners don't give a rat's pootootie about Code and want it done the way they want it done. And any HO or handyman can easily replace a switch with a dimmer.

Of course they then sometimes wonder why their TV/stereo/Vacuum either doesn't work right or lets out the magic smoke when they put the plug in the wrong slot. :grin:
 
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