Insteon SwitchLinc V2 Dimmer buzzing/humming

[upstatemike]

I did not have a dimmer in either location before.

I do have a Lutron dimmer in the kitchen that is powering roap light and under cabinet halogen lights and as best I can tell it is not buzzing. It's difficult to tell with the refrigerator running.

Perhaps the buzzing is normal. It's not loud but in a quite room I can faintly hear it 20ft away. Can you please place your ear close up to one of yours and see it you hear anything when you turn it on?

Thanks,
Johnny

I just listened to a dimmer that controls 2 75 watt bulbs and heard a definite buzz when I had my ear next to it. It was not louder than other dimmers I have used and I would not have noticed it unless I put my ear right up to it as you suggest.

I wish I could reduce the ambient noise in my house to the point where this much sound would be an issue! In any case, since you did not have a dimmer there before, I think you might be unhappy with any triac based device. Is dmming a requirement or would a relay switch be OK in this location? I use very few dimmers, (dining room and living room mainly) just where dimming might truly be desired. Dimming is NOT a good strategy for power conservation when compared to CFL bulbs and other options so you should only use dimmers where the visual effect of dimming is important. (IMHO)

 

[Digger]

For what its worth I have four 85 watt bulbs on one dimmer. Everyone left the house so its perfectly quiet. I tried dimming up and down and full brightness and put my ear right up to the dimmer. I cant hear anything. The other dimmer has the bathroom vent fan so obviously I cant tell if that one hums for sure but it doesnt seem to hum.

I think my dimmers never learned to "hum" a tune.

I would call and ask Smarthome about it. Its a free call and you might have a bad batch of dimmers. Cant hurt to ask. Their tech support actually isn't bad at all. I have called twice and they were helpful both times. Even with my dead switch from a static discharge they didnt make me go through 20 mins of try this and that. After a few quick basic steps to insure it was actually dead they agreed to swap it.

Good Luck!

 

[Mike]

When I had the bad one, it was not a sublte hum, you could hear it clearly from a few feet away. There was not a question if it was working as intended.