I have a tiny inner courtyard that needs a very dim antique light, but not too bright that it shines into the bedrooms.
Finding low-wattage replacement bulbs is a hassle, and I can't imagine ever needing anything bright for this circuit.
Is there any way I can add a resistor to the light switch (or to the light socket itself) to lower the brightness?
Best Answer
Remember a resistor dissipates heat, if you have a 50 w bulb and want only 25 w of light a resistor would now be heating the area where it is connected also 25 w resistor would be fairly large and more expensive than A dimmer. A dimmer switch would be a safer and more energy efficient way to dim the bulb as the circuitry limits what part of the AC cycle is allowed to pass. So use a dimmer not a resistor.