Pain in the Butt

I should just stop trying.

I make an effort to reduce our energy consumption/carbon footprint/etc. by finding, buying and attempting to install dimmable fluorescent recessed lights.

Cool huh? Being fluorescent they use less energy. Being dimmable they're more controllable in creating the right kind of light.

I ordered two fixtures from HomeDepot.com. Jen was ready to replace all our recessed lights with them, but I decided to just add two for now and see how they perform. A week later they come in and I head to the store (i.e. Home Depot) to get the bulbs and a dimmer switch.

We found some bulbs and a switch Jen liked, then I made a fatal mistake. I asked one of the sales people if the stuff I had was the right stuff. He looked at me like I was from outer space.

"You can't dim fluorescent." was basically the gist of what he had to say.

"I bought the light from Home Depot.com. It says I can dim it." was my reply. The guy actually went to the trouble of cutting open one of the sealed switch packages and showing me that it said it could not be used with fluorescent. "Yes I know, but the fixture I have has a dimmable ballast. The light itself takes care of it. I just need a switch to control it."

"I don't know about that. You should probably try an electrical contractor supply place like Yale in West Chester. They'll be better at helping you out." was the best he could offer.

Of course Yale doesn't open till 7am Monday morning. This was Saturday afternoon.

I decided to proceed with installing the fixtures anyway and deal with the switch later.

Holy crap! It took three hours to get just one light in the ceiling. I've installed this type/style before with very little problem, and still have no idea why this one took so long. It was late Sunday, so I quit for the weekend.

Bright and early Monday morning I'm at Yale getting the same outer space stares from the sales guys that I got at Home Depot. They literally have no idea what I'm talking about. With just a little research on my part, I've completely surpassed the dimmable fluorescents knowledge of the sales guys at an electrical contractor supply. For them the catalogs from which they order is their only realm of knowledge. In the catalog before me they point to the note that references a catalog they don't have regarding dimmable fluorescents.

Really? I mean really? Is this really happening?

I left, went to work, called the dimmer switch manufacturer, got a SKU, googled the SKU, and ordered the damn thing myself.

Now we'll wait and see. I still have to install the second fixture, and I'm not looking forward to it.

- b