Switch – Why doesn’t the dimmer switch work after installing LED bulbs in the ceiling light

dimmer-switchled

I have three pendants and a 5 bulb fixture over my table it has Antique Edison bulbs in the fixture with yellow tint I want brighter bulbs, I purchased LED equivalent bulbs and when I put two or more into the fixture the dimmer will not turn on or off the fixtures. Can someone help me to understand why? could it be the dimmer switch? we purchased house with the dimmer switches here, fixture works with the bulbs it came with even when I dim them.

Best Answer

This is common with older dimmers and LED's. Old dimmers use a small amount of power to activate the switch (almost always silicon controlled switch called an SCR or thyristor) the small amount of power is enough to light the LED's. You need a dimmer that is LED compatible I would get a quality name brand dimmer as not all dimmers are created equally.