# Dimming Xenon & LED lights



## alselec53 (Jan 4, 2012)

Installing some kitchen undercounter lights, They may be xenon or LED. I know CFL bulbs need special dimmable bulbs and dimmers. But do xenon and/or LED UC lights need a special dimmer? or special bulbs? I've also seen xenon with a Hi/Lo switch. It seems like I've heard these don't dim all the way down like an incondescent bulb also. 
I think you can get a regular dimmer if it says xenon dimmable? not sure about LED. Any ideas would help.
Thanks.


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## electricmanscott (Feb 11, 2010)

First the fixture must be dimmable and second you need a dimmer compatible with that fixture such as line voltage, electronic low voltage, led, etc. Third, are these fixtures going inside the cabinets?


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## alselec53 (Jan 4, 2012)

*Dimmable xenon*

No, they are going on the bottom of the kitchen cabinets. They are 120v probably 20 watt. 3 or 4 bulbs per strip fixture. Are these dimmable? in Xenon or LED?


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

Every fixture is different. Some are dimmable, some aren't. Look at the box if you are at the supply house, download some spec sheets. Very often these fixtures need ELV dimmers, ie electronic low voltage. The better fixtures are usually dimmable, but it needs to say so in the literature or oops, magic blue smoke...


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## ecelectric (Mar 27, 2009)

If they are in fact dimmable , then there are a variety of led dimmers out there now . Actually I have some led recessed in my house that seem to work well with my existing maestro dimmers.


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

alselec53 said:


> Installing some kitchen undercounter lights, They may be xenon or LED. I know CFL bulbs need special dimmable bulbs and dimmers. But do xenon and/or LED UC lights need a special dimmer? or special bulbs? I've also seen xenon with a Hi/Lo switch. It seems like I've heard these don't dim all the way down like an incondescent bulb also.
> I think you can get a regular dimmer if it says xenon dimmable? not sure about LED. Any ideas would help.
> Thanks.


 If you're using the Xenon high voltage strips, as far as I know, you can use a regular dimmer on them. If they're low voltage you'll probably have to use an electronic dimmer. It sounds like you have the high voltage ones if they have the high-low switch on them.


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## ecelectric (Mar 27, 2009)

They dim down pretty low just like regular bulbs , almost down to nothing with no flickering


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## alselec53 (Jan 4, 2012)

*Dimmable xenon*

Xenons are dimmable, and LEDS are not, or rarely, from what I found.
Xenons have no filiment, like halogen & incondescent, LED is a diode of course.
Fluorescent is a mercury vapor gas with a coating on the glass, and a cathode at each end.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Lutron makes combination dimmer for LED's and CFL's

Xenon lamps I don't know





http://www.lutron.com/Pages/Default.aspx


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

alselec53 said:


> Xenons are dimmable, and LEDS are not, or rarely, from what I found.
> Xenons have no filiment, like halogen & incondescent, LED is a diode of course.
> Fluorescent is a mercury vapor gas with a coating on the glass, and a cathode at each end.


Led's can be dimmed just fine with the right dimmer.


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

HARRY304E said:


> Lutron makes combination dimmer for LED's and CFL's
> 
> Xenon lamps I don't know
> 
> ...


Xenon should be a standard line voltage dimmer. Assuming the luminaire is line voltage?


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## ecelectric (Mar 27, 2009)

I've done it with plane old led bulbs, recessed led ,and seagull led fixtures with no problems yet. And like I said you can dim them pretty low , almost off . But yes not all are dimmable but alot are.


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## ecelectric (Mar 27, 2009)

I've dimmed fluorescent also with dimmable ballasts . It's expensive but can be done


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