Dimmer noise

In my experience this was a major problem with dimmers some years ago. New dimmers do not exhibit the problem. Try a new dimmer, and don't buy the cheapest one you can find.

Edesilva...When I said that the new dimmers which I have bought are quiet I meant with respect to buzz on audio equipment. They must have done something to avoid noise getting on to the power lines.

Halogens are just a different kind of incandescent and there is no noise problem. The problem with using a dimmer with them is that they don't get really hot, which is what a halogen must do to burn off deposits that dim their light.

Some compact flourescents can be used with regular dimmers. However, they won't start with reduced voltage, so you need to turn the brightness up for a second when you turn them down. Once they are lit they dim just fine.

The eco-friendly bit really bugs me. They talk about the energy that is "wasted" making heat. But in my part of the country we need heat most of the year, at least at night when lights are on. If the light bulbs don't make heat my oil burner needs to run longer. They are only eco-friendly when your air conditioner is running.

Edesilva...I don't know the particular brand of dimmer which works for me, but the package it comes in does talk about eliminating interference.

You are right about low voltage halogens. I am in the process of having such a system (cable lights) installed in an addition I am building onto my house. I did need to buy a special type of dimmer for this application, but the price was about $28 (not $50).

But you are wrong about the eco-friendly lights. A BTU is a BTU, and electric heat is 100% efficient. My oil burning furnace is about 87% just after it has been cleaned and adjusted, and starts to go downhill before the service man's truck is out of my driveway. Of course an electric BTU costs more than an oil BTU, but if the environmentalists would let us build some nuclear plants that would change.

BTW, I do have quite a few of the compact flourescents, but this is to avoid heat in some ceiling fixtures, to reduce load on some circuits, and to avoid frequent replacement in inaccessable locations.

Edesilva...For a recessed ceiling fixture in a one story house the heat distribution would be poor indeed. But for table lamps and the like which are used right next to people the distribution is good. I once (50 years ago) worked in an architectural office doing HVAC design, and I remember at the time being amazed by how much of the heat load on an AC system is due to lights.