Intermatic HA06 with Dimmable Fluorescent Lights

[Jimmyjam]

Is anyone using an Intermatic HomeSettings HA06 dimmer switch with dimmable fluorescent lights? I just tried two of mine, and the lights will not turn on. The LED on the switch itself lights up for about a second and turns off when the switch is turned on. I have been able to get the lights to flash a couple of times, but they didn't stay on. Normally they just stay off. If it matters, they are PAR30 fluorescent lights made by Feit Electric.


I was able to hook the lights up through a normal dimmer switch and have them working. I also hooked the ha06 to an incandescent light and it worked as well.

 

[BrettS]

Is anyone using an Intermatic HomeSettings HA06 dimmer switch with dimmable fluorescent lights? I just tried two of mine, and the lights will not turn on. The LED on the switch itself lights up for about a second and turns off when the switch is turned on. I have been able to get the lights to flash a couple of times, but they didn't stay on. Normally they just stay off. If it matters, they are PAR30 fluorescent lights made by Feit Electric.


I was able to hook the lights up through a normal dimmer switch and have them working. I also hooked the ha06 to an incandescent light and it worked as well.

Unfortunately you will probably never get a CF bulb to work with a two wire (no neutral) automated switch, and I believe that the HA06 is a two wire dimmer. The switch needs power to operate and two wire switches take their power through the filament of the bulb. That just won't work with a CF bulb. Dimmable CF bulbs will work with three wire automated (neutral required) switches.

If your switch controls more than one bulb then you can probably get it to work by leaving one standard incandescent bulb and replacing the rest of the bulbs with CF, but that might look kind of funny.

Brett

 

[IVB]

I have HA06 working "fine" with most of my dimmable CFLs. I say "fine" because in the MBR where there's only 2 bulbs, it flickers slightly in the full off position but not too much. In rooms with 4 CFL bulbs on the one fixture or switch, it's totally fine.

Heck, I actually used regular (non-dimmable) CFLs by mistake once as the package looked identical, it was 3 weeks before I noticed the box didn't say "dimmable" on it and swapped them out.

 

[BrettS]

I have HA06 working "fine" with most of my dimmable CFLs. I say "fine" because in the MBR where there's only 2 bulbs, it flickers slightly in the full off position but not too much. In rooms with 4 CFL bulbs on the one fixture or switch, it's totally fine.

Heck, I actually used regular (non-dimmable) CFLs by mistake once as the package looked identical, it was 3 weeks before I noticed the box didn't say "dimmable" on it and swapped them out.

That's pretty impressive. I haven't found any dimmable (or otherwise) CFL's that will work with any two wire dimmer... including an HA06. What brand are the blubs that you're using?