Dimmers

[Jim]

Can anyone break down when and how dimmers should be used?

Thanks.

[Claude J]

Dimmers are useful when you have a lamp that overheats easily

It controls the flow so you have proper movement of Lava

Also if the lamps have placement near heat source

Next to other lamps, etc

[Jim]

Thanks. I guess I was wondering because I have one lamp that flows nicely, but it looks like the lava at the top has some bubbles in it. I thought this might be indicative of over heating.

Also, it starts with small lava balls and stays like that for a long time, but sometime around the 7-8 hour the lava get thicker and bigger and it looks great. Does heat affect size and shape of lava?

[Claude J]

[Claude J]

[Jim]

interesting. Thanks for the info.

[Claude J]

your welcome

[andy ross]

Hi from across the pond! Claude has answered you in technical terms better than I can, maybe it's worth adding some lava fills (eg - I believe - Goo-Kit) need less heat than originally-installed lavas, so a dimmer comes in handy there

Also big lamps - Lunars etc over here, (maybe Grandes and Giants I guess over your way, and certainly Colossus), need ages to warm up and, because of their size/volume etc, exhibit individual characteristics in lava flow that make tight control of power/incandescent heat useful to prolong the flow... so dimmers are factory fitted.

I'm now retro-fitting them to some of my smaller lamps over here - Astros - and really like the results, as many of the older Brit lamps have needed Goo-kitting.

[Claude J]

 I believe - Goo-Kit) need less heat than originally-installed lavas, so a dimmer comes in handy there

Yes, Correct!

the paraffin blend uses less heat to make the goo rise

[Jim]

Andy, I've been thinking about attempting the refurb but my Century lamps aren't quite at that point. I have a lamps from the 80's, Midnight and Silver Streak I think, that are short a few inches of water each so I may attempt to add some water. Do you have reference for instructions on the retro-fit?I have seen a lot of "how-to's" online but don't know if there's a favorite or definitive source for it. 

[Claude J]

For small quantities missing, just add distilled water to the desired level

If flotation is an issue afterward, use Propelyene glycol.

It is best to invest in a bottle capper

[andy ross]

Jim, it's entirely dependent on what dimmers you buy... they are fitted like an inline switch, a comfortable/convenient distance from the base, obviously... though the Colossus ones were built into the base (and not very good by some accounts)

The ones I use are Relco, made by the Italian firm that made the dimmers fitted to Mathmos Lunars - they do a small one for less powerful bulbs (40-100w I think) as the model for Lunars is OK up to 300w but doesn't operate below ??30w.

If they make them for US voltage I can certainly recommend them, but I know Claude has experience in this area and can guide you for US dimmers if not. They can be quite tricky to fit, a fiddly wiring job.

Btw, one thought - I'm increasingly playing with lower wattage bulbs to overcome the problem of overheating, especially on wall lamps where you can't fit a dimmer... eg a Mathmos Jet (original spec was 40w golfball, with older formulation wax, then down to 30w reflector) I'm successfully running without dimmer on 25w reflectors - it's a fine line, as 25w golfballs weren't sufficiently powerful. The key issue is get the mix dead right first, obviously - but it's worth remembering that the correct bulb on the original spec may no longer be right with your new mix...

[Claude J]

Agreed.

its a simple formula

less wattage = More propylene glycol for flotation

There is a midline where the wax will not melt properly so it's usually best to stick with basics.

And, there is a 12VDC dimmer available. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-Inline-PWM-12-Volt-2-Amp-Dimmer-...

Some dimmers even have remote controls