Buzzing Dimmer - Most Likely cause?

ChilliBob

There's no markings on it anywhere to suggest a brand, and a Google Lens wasn't very fruitful. 

I did wonder why the ceiling rose bit was so deep, it makes sense that this is the transformer now - hence the vents on both sides. 

I've looked, it seems G4 bulbs which are LED, dimmable and 240v are pretty rare, and if they do exist are pricy - like 5-7 quid a bulb. At thay prce we're talking 50-60 quid odd  - then I'd need (probably) a new dimmer (30 for a nice stainless steel one?). 

Two schools of thought enter my head now... 
Buy non dimmable bulbs, switch dimmer for light switch and just know it works and leave it at that.

Scrap the whole thing and get a different light fitting which uses Hue bulbs. Hmm, opened a can of worms. Perhaps lamps aren't so bad ha ha 

On-the-coast

Thought you said earlier that your fittings are rated 20w/240v so why would you have a transformer?
clearly you might actually be running 12v (with a transformer) but you need to establish that firs. If the markings haven’t burnt off the bulbs that’s the easiest way to tell.  

If it’s straight 240 I’d just buy some quality G4 leds and replace the dimmer with a standard switch. All diy possible. 

But I’d be tempted to replace the whole thing. 

ChilliBob

On-the-coast said:

Thought you said earlier that your fittings are rated 20w/240v so why would you have a transformer?
clearly you might actually be running 12v (with a transformer) but you need to establish that firs. If the markings haven’t burnt off the bulbs that’s the easiest way to tell.  

If it’s straight 240 I’d just buy some quality G4 leds and replace the dimmer with a standard switch. All diy possible. 

But I’d be tempted to replace the whole thing. 

I'll look again in the morning, surely the vented bulk at the top must be a transformer? It's not exactly decorative! I'll look at the markings in clearer light to see what's going on! 

WIAWSNB

ChilliBob said:

There's no markings on it anywhere to suggest a brand, and a Google Lens wasn't very fruitful. 

I did wonder why the ceiling rose bit was so deep, it makes sense that this is the transformer now - hence the vents on both sides. 

I've looked, it seems G4 bulbs which are LED, dimmable and 240v are pretty rare, and if they do exist are pricy - like 5-7 quid a bulb. At thay prce we're talking 50-60 quid odd  - then I'd need (probably) a new dimmer (30 for a nice stainless steel one?). 

Two schools of thought enter my head now... 
Buy non dimmable bulbs, switch dimmer for light switch and just know it works and leave it at that.

Scrap the whole thing and get a different light fitting which uses Hue bulbs. Hmm, opened a can of worms. Perhaps lamps aren't so bad ha ha 

Almost certainly, yes, there's a trannie in there. And almost certainly originally rated to power 12V halogens at typically 20W a pop, so a fair cumulative power rating - no surprise it has vents! 

LED G4 are only £2 each at Screwfix, and even cheaper if bought elsewhere such as eBay. 

LED versions are physically larger, tho', so you'd need to confirm they will fit - do they have individual shades over them?

You cannot fit 240V bulbs in that fitting - it wouldn't be electrically safe without significant rewiring and the trannie bypassed. 

Have you actually checked the bulbs themselves - are they halogen? Are they blown? 

The trannie will almost certainly give you the info you require - max and min power rating, for example, and perhaps whether it needs to be trailing edge. You should be able to get a suitable electronic dimmer 'insert' for around £15 - it'll fit in the existing faceplate. And a complete SSteel dimmer for little more.

WIAWSNB

Weird.

This seemingly only has three lamps, but it doesn't show whether it has a large chrome ceiling mount.

https://www.pbteen.com/products/round-crystal-chandelier/

https://www.shpock.com/en-gb/i/Wt9NJd78kyCdNwsB/laura-ashley-xanthe-ceiling-light

WIAWSNB

Could you show us the actual bulbs, please?

ChilliBob

I've done some digging this morning, conveniently, one blown bulb the previous occupant has removed some kind of pin so I can get to it - otherwise it looked like having to unbolt the whole bottom, a right faff!

Pretty sure the bulb is halogen - can see the small wire which has broken. Whether it's dimmable halogen or not I have no idea - the identifiers are almost rubbed off.

I could just about see and snap the bulb holder too, 

Now whether this is a 240v or 12v bulb is anyone's guess - A google search suggests they're the same physical size and hence would fit, and look no different, from what I can tell.  Googling the 12100 number on the bulb Google tells me it's typically associated with low voltage but can be halogen or LED. 

So right now I reckon I have 4 out of 9 Halogen bulbs working, so the buzzing isn't going to be because of LED bulbs being used on a leading edge dimmer, so it's either missing bulbs causing it, or, perhaps the bulbs are't dimmable, or perhaps the transformer in the fitting is the cause

Will see if the sparky can shed any light on Thursday, it's not part of his work scope to look into this, and I've not used him before, so I guess I'll play it by ear! I like to have done as much investigating as I can myself though

WIAWSNB

Thanks.
Definitely halogen, and almost certainly 12V. All halogens are dimmable. Only LED and Fluoro need to have 'dimmable' types chosen.
As you say, there appears to be 240V options available in that G4 size and fitment, which is gobsmacking.
The bulb holder with the 20W max on it, can you photograph the other side, and see if it has a voltage?
But, almost certainly 12V.
Why is it buzzing? I guess either because the transformer isn't a dimmable type - you'd need to expose it to check spec - or the dimmer isn't the compatible type. Or, the dimmer is just failing/faulty/poor quality.
If you aren't up for removing the whole fitting to check the trannie, then I guess it's a sparky job.
I would absolutely look at fitting LEDs in there if they fit and are compatible - these halo capsules will become harder to come by, and will blow with annoying frequency. 

ChilliBob

Thanks back at ya!.. I didn't know all halogens are dimmable - good (but probably not overly useful now!) to know. Nothing else written on any part of either the bulb holders, or the light its self or transistor bit at the top sadly. 

So I guess I've got a few options:

1. Buy a load of LED 12v bulbs, non dimmable, and replace switch with on-off
2. New bulbs, dimmable, new dimmer
3. Scrap the whole lot and get a new light

Clearly the last option is the most expensive and wasteful, I think it swings on if I can find something my wife (and to a lesser degree, me) likes as much/more than what we have.

I suppose in some kind of irony, the dimmer might be trailing edge, suitable for LEDs, but I doubt it - from memory these are fairly new and more expensive, so a good 10-15 years ago probably far from the norm. 

Will see what sparky and wife have to say!

MynameisMichaelCane

I have a similar problem with an old standard lamp I have been given. It has a dimmer switch which buzzes when it's on fully on i.e. when it's dimmed. Reading these posts makes me realise how little I know about electricity, lights and lightbulbs. Can anyone recommend a good online course where I can lean about these topics. At the moment it's all gobbledygook to me!