How does a light dimmer switch work?

Modern dimmer switches work an entirely different way. They use a transistor like device called a TRIAC to switch the electricity on and off very rapidly--120 times each second. Because they sort of 'chop up' the electrical power this way they are sometimes called 'chopper switches.' read more

The rotating or sliding control on the switch moves the red line left and right. As the line moves to the left the light is on more of the time and thus, brighter. As the red line moves to the right, the light is on less and less of the time and thus gets dimmer and dimmer. read more

Another is versatility, as these two types of bulbs can be used with any kind of light dimmer. Incandescent dimmers can be adjusted from 0 – 100% brightness. Fluorescent and LED bulbs aren’t recommended for use with traditional dimmer switches because their light level can only be lowered up to about 20 percent of the maximum brightness. read more