Weather Resistant dimmers

[Jerramundi]

I believe Lutron has always called them Companion or Accessory dimmers.

Bravo Lutron. Ahead of the curve.

Master/Slave terminology has been used for several decades in other electrical areas, for example sequential digital circuits such as:

I chuckle at the Master/Slave terminology because there exists an unlimited number of better ways to identify the same relationship. Wife/Husband for example

Just waiting for the PC police to disallow gender based designations on types of connectors ...

I don't want to alienate any potential future help, but I am a Leftist, so I support these actions to a degree when it comes to sentient beings. Inanimate objects like Male/Female plugs would be going crazy, but I digress off topic. My apologies to the OP, I'm done.

 

[djd]

Do they make a 120 volt dimmer suitable to dim LED bulbs and rated for outdoor use?
Thanks in advance.

I had a customer put landscape lights in and want to control them with his lutron smart home system . They have worked over a year and i highly recommend an extension and seal the covers. Those dimmers were about 100$ a pop. They are rated for weather.

 

[Jerramundi]

I had a customer put landscape lights in and want to control them with his lutron smart home system . They have worked over a year and i highly recommend an extension and seal the covers. Those dimmers were about 100$ a pop. They are rated for weather.

You got a model number on those supposedly "weather rated" dimmer switches?

 

[LarryFine]

There are also master and slave cylinders in hydraulic systems, like the clutch and brake on my bike.

 

[Jerramundi]

There are also master and slave cylinders in hydraulic systems, like the clutch and brake on my bike.

Not surprising. It makes perfect sense that the descriptors for a type of relationship that was prevalent throughout most of recorded history made their way into things like electronic and hydraulic systems.

We like to think that we're far removed from this history, but it's really only been a couple generations... but I digress.

 

[synchro]

There are also master and slave cylinders in hydraulic systems, like the clutch and brake on my bike.

And in cartoon shows as well:

 

[Srv52761]

Update:
After the suggestion and following discussion on using indoor rated dimmer in weatherproof box and cover I emailed Lurton and Hubbell. Short answer - no.
Hubbell was succinct, it is not rated for outdoor use.

Lurton expanded.
It’s operating conditions are ambient temperatures of 32°-102° Fahrenheit and max of 90% relative humidity non-condensing. (This means they would have to limit its outdoor use to climates that do not regularly exceed those parameters - Mediterranean maybe? Although, when my air conditioner went out last summer it felt like it was 90% rh in the house.... )
Additionally the internals are manufactured differently in weather resistant devices.

It appears then that unless you can find a weather resistant dimmer, one can not control replacement LED bulbs on a patio with a dimmer outside, and needs to either go with string lights and one of those inline dimmers with a remote, or put the dimmer indoors.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I installed a Homeworks switch outdoors against Lutrons recommendation and afaik it is still there and functioning fine. That was 15 years ago... The home owner knew it was a risk but he said go for it... I also have dimmers on my screen porch with standard plates---shhhhh-- been there for 20 years

 

[Srv52761]

I installed a Homeworks switch outdoors against Lutrons recommendation and afaik it is still there and functioning fine. That was 15 years ago... The home owner knew it was a risk but he said go for it... I also have dimmers on my screen porch with standard plates---shhhhh-- been there for 20 years

And, I KNOW our bathroom exceeded 90% rh every morning for about an hour when our kids were still here. (hot water bill vs. help with tuition was probably a wash maybe)

 

[Jerramundi]

I installed a Homeworks switch outdoors against Lutrons recommendation and afaik it is still there and functioning fine. That was 15 years ago... The home owner knew it was a risk but he said go for it... I also have dimmers on my screen porch with standard plates---shhhhh-- been there for 20 years

I guess I'm still a bit of a greenie relative to you all, because doing this kinda stuff scares the poop out of me, lol. Unless it's for someone I know personally, I can trust them, they approve it, and I'm 100% certain there will be no risk of injury, I can't bring myself to do it. My head just spins with potential worst case scenarios.

I used to know one EC who would do stuff like this all the time. His logic was, well if the HO approves it, just document it in the invoice and get your job done, get paid, and go home.

I understand where people are coming from with this, but I feel like, as the EC, it's your responsibility to slap the HO's hand with a ruler when they try to touch a hot stove, lol.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I guess I'm still a bit of a greenie relative to you all, because doing this kinda stuff scares the poop out of me, lol. Unless it's for someone I know personally, I can trust them, they approve it, and I'm 100% certain there will be no risk of injury, I can't bring myself to do it. My head just spins with potential worst case scenarios.

I used to know one EC who would do stuff like this all the time. His logic was, well if the HO approves it, just document it in the invoice and get your job done, get paid, and go home.

I understand where people are coming from with this, but I feel like, as the EC, it's your responsibility to slap the HO's hand with a ruler when they try to touch a hot stove, lol.

I agree with you but IMO, this was not a danger to anyone. The worst case is the unit would fail and need replacing . The owner was okay with taking that chance. If I thought for one second someone would get hurt then I would not have done it.

 

[Jerramundi]

I agree with you but IMO, this was not a danger to anyone. The worst case is the unit would fail and need replacing . The owner was okay with taking that chance. If I thought for one second someone would get hurt then I would not have done it.

Oh no, I'm not by any means trying to imply that you did something dangerous. Not by any means.

Like I said, I've done it as well... and I absolutely agree that it's not dangerous if the proper precautions are taken. When and if I do it, and I'm sure you're the same way, the proper WP box is used, the proper WP cover is used, I include a wire type EGC bonded to the device itself just in case, for whatever reason, the 6/32's bonding the device to the box happen to rust out (which they shouldn't, but sometimes do), I tape the shit out of the switch terminals, etc.

I'm just saying I'm a little more hesitant to do it for anyone other than people I know personally that wouldn't lie about approving it.