[Message Prev][Message Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Message Index][Thread Index]

Re: X10 and fluorescent lights



"P J" <pj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:gna9h6$rp7$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>I have an old X10 light control setup in my house with only incandescent
>lights being controlled by X10. With the recent push for energy saving
>fluorescent lights I am not sure if it would be possible to replace the old
>bulbs with the new ones and still have my X10 controls working. How are you
>handling this situation?
> pj


Last March I replaced 75% of the lights in my house with CFLs (I think all
N:Vision brand from Home Depot.).  I have a combination of about half and
half - some are controlled by X10 switches and some aren't.

My experiences from nearly a year of CLFs and X10:
1. Interference with X10 signal generated by the CFLs - none confirmed.  All
X10 controls are as responsive as they were before the transition.  However,
see #2 about spurious dimming.

2. CFLs on a WS467.  Dimming not supported and not advisable.  I could 'dim'
the light but I noticed no difference in light output until the bulb turned
off at about half dimmed.  It buzzed lowly as the dimming level increased.
I have disabled local dimming which I had previously enabled by modding the
switch.  Sometimes I hear a slight buzzing sound from the wall switch itself
which goes away when I turn the lights OFF then back ON again.  My guess is
that the switch is trying to dim for some reason.  This is on a switch that
still supports local dimming - so I don't know if someone accidentally
dimmed it, or if stray X10 signals [possibly from the CFLs] caused the
switch to go to a dimmer level.

3. CFLs on a WS467 - lights turn ON just fine and will go OFF, but the CLF
flickers about once every 2-3 seconds.  Apparently this is caused by the
local sensing current [so the X10 switch will turn on when you manually turn
on a lamp that has it's own on/off witch].  I have not yet tried to modify
the switches to disable this feature - reather I have resorted to adding a
incandscent light bulb to the circuit.  For my porch lights, this is one of
four bulbs, but in the kids's bedrooms, this is one of two bulbs - so I'm
not getting as much electricity savings as I could.  I've heard about adding
a suitable resistor to the socket to remedy, but haven't felt secure enough.
I do plan to add a small 25W light to the porch circuit to illuminate the
house number, then I can use 4 CFLs instead of 3.

4. CLF life.  I have not put the CFLs in high-traffic (turning on and off a
lot) locations, or places where they would be on only for short periods of
time.  And some of them are recessed in the ceiling.  But I have only had
two bulbs fail - one after 3 months and one after 8 months.  I haven't yet
requested a refund on those bulbs.  All the rest are still going strong.

5. Dim start-up.  At first, the CFLs almost instantly reached full
brightness, but after just a few weeks, the slower startup was noticeable.
now, after 8 months, it is VERY noticeable and becoming annoying.  I have
actually added some incandescents back in to a fixture (still a mix) where
we couldn't tolerate the delay.  When I replaced the few that did burn out
with new bulbs of the same vintage, there was no apparent difference in
overall brightness so they don't seem to be getting dimmer with age (yet).

6. X10 switch life.  So far I have not had to replace any of my wall
switches. Of course, we avoid dimming them, but they haven't shown any sign
of abuse from either driving the CFL or from any interference.

YMMV.

Jim




comp.home.automation Main Index | comp.home.automation Thread Index | comp.home.automation Home | Archives Home