LED lighting has become a popular solution for people looking to reduce their energy consumption.
Lightwave Dimmers have been purpose designed to be compatible with the latest dimmable LED lamps. Nevertheless, there are some varieties of LED that may still have trouble dimming and may flicker. This may be resolved by increasing the total load (adding more bulbs), but not always. To ensure successful dimming, a good solution is to use pre-tested bulbs recommended on our compatibility chart.
Always look out for the symbols on the side of lamp boxes that indicate that it's dimmable:
Our new charts are constantly being updated and expanded. If you do not see the lamp type that you require, please feel free to give us a call for extra advice.
LED loads differs from incandescent load (and will be significantly lower than the max incandescent load). Each LED lamp differs in terms of its operational behaviour and subsequent compatibility; therefore loading limits vary between different lamps. We strongly recommend that you check Lightwave compatibility charts for Smart and Connect Series dimmers for the maximum and minimum recommended loading limits and lamp numbers for each lamp type.
Due to this disparity, we do not offer a universal maximum LED load, however, as a general guideline please see below:
We make the following recommendations if you are using lamps/bulbs that are NOT on our compatibility charts:
Smart Series
We recommend no more than 15 LED lamps per gang with a max rating of between 80-100w.
10w minimum per channel which can be reduced to around 5w when a neutral wire is connected.
This recommendation applies to 1, 2, 3 and 4 gang dimmers
Connect Series
1 & 2 Gang dimmers - We recommend no more than 10 lamps per gang with a max rating of up to 60w
3 & 4 Gang dimmers - We recommend no more than 8 lamps per gang with a max rating of up to 55w
Min 20w per channel on all connect series dimmers
We have had more success with the Smart Series dimmers when it comes to compatibility, due to the calibration settings built into the dimmer. This allows the dimmer to switch between leading and trailing edge driving modes, and select a minimum and maximum dim level. Minimum load will still apply here, however it will vary depending on how compatible the lamps are. Our chart states lamps which we can confirm work, however other LEDs may be compatible but we cannot verify this.
When it comes to LED’s they have such a short lifespan due to the changing technology and components within the bulb As the industry changes, it is difficult for us to keep on top of the LED’s that are being introduced into the market. However, from testing the smart series range of dimmers with multiple different bulbs, most dimmable LED’s will work with the dimmer as long as you have calibrated the dimmer and have made dimming level adjustments. Most bulbs will work with an auto calibration but if not then a manual calibration from the app can help
Unfortunately, some bulbs do not work, these bulbs include G4's, G9's, MR16's, LED tape with 12v dimmable drivers (must be 24v), energy-saving bulbs, and some low-wattage bulbs.
*Every effort is taken to ensure the information provided about the lamps on this chart is accurate. Due to fluctuations in conditions of electrical supply and individual installations LightwaveRF do not guarantee this chart will work in all situations and will accept no liability against lamps purchased. The chart is for guidance purposes only to highlight limited testing completed internally.
Smart Series - Compatible Lamps
Please see the links below for more compatible lamps, ensuring you are selecting the correct series of dimmer.
Comments
2 comments
Please can you tell us which LED strips work as well with your Lightwave dimmers gen 1 and gen 2. I can never seem to make them work.
Neither did I. In the end I had to buy some relays and have the light switch turn these on. The "other end" of the relay turned on the strip.
I initially bought mechanical relays but turning on the light would make them buzz when turned on (for about a second) because even though the light switch was defined as a switch and not a dimmer, in actual fact the power is still fed in (voltage increased) for about a second. As a result I replaced them with electronic ones and bought some heat-sinks.
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