I installed a dimmer switch in my washroom and it's making a buzzing noise. The more I increase resistance/rotate the dimmer clockwise, the louder it gets.
The humming seems to be coming from the common wire, not from the light fixture, live wire or from the mechanism within the dimmer itself.
The dimmer switch is advertised to hold up to 600w and I'm currently using 340w.
I tried to remove some of the lights and the noise persists.
The one thing I did notice is that the common wire isn't exposed or attached at the end, a section of the wire has been stripped at that's what the original switch was attached to.
How can I lessen or completely rid myself of this humming noise?
Edit: I've since replaced my Leviton rotary dimmer with a high end Lutron sliding dimmer and the problem still persists, at the same loud volume.
Best Answer
All dimmers buzz a little bit. They "chop up" the AC waveform, which creates mechanical vibration (buzzing) and electrical noise (EMI). Usually they are the most quiet when the lights are fully bright, and get louder as you dim the bulbs. Here is a good page that describes what is happening. A different dimmer may be quieter, although Leviton does make solid products.
I suspect, however, that you may be using the "new" CFL (compact-fluorescent) bulbs? They're the ones with the twisted white glass tube. The electronics in most of these bulbs interact poorly with the dimmers and can cause a lot of noise problems, both audible and electrical.
Now that it has become difficult to find incandescent bulbs (at least here in the USA), a lot of people are having to choose between paying substantially more money for "dimmable" CFL bulbs, or simply replacing their dimmers with simple on/off switches.
Good luck :)