lamp buzz
10 years ago No Comments

This is the term for that annoying sound so commonly heard when one dims the lamps in a light fixture. It’s not necessarily that the lamps or the light fixture is cheap. Blame it on the quality of the dimmer or the capacity of the dimmer for that particular application. Frequently the buzz is worst at about 50% dimming, and the larger the wattage on the lamp, the bigger the lamp’s filament, and — you guessed it — the louder the buzz. When you get right down to it, dimming is truly turning a lamp on and off hundreds of times a second, which tends to create some vibration in the lamp. And don’t forget… just like anything else, the more hard surfaces in a space, the more likely the lamp buzz will be amplified.