Switch Module for Complact Fluorescent Bulbs

There are INSTEON has wall-switches with relays. I use two (one master, one slave = remote) in my basement to control a mixture of about a dozen CFls and T12 and T8 fluorescents. Works perfectly.

In my experience, CFLs also work flawlessly with the four types of INSTEON dimmers I've used when operated in an ON-OFF fashion. However if the CFLs are not designed and sold to be dimmed, there will/may be obnoxious flashing and buzzing as the lamp is _dimmed_ below ~15-20%. This could harm the CFL, dimmer or both (I dunno yet).

X-10 dimmer switches are a different matter in part because many (eg WS467) X-10 dimmers don't have a direction connection to neutral and derive the power they need to operate through the lamp filament. These characteristically do not work with only typical fluorescent lamps in the circuit. Adding a small incandescent in parallel can solve the problem. There are, of course, also fluorescent-friendly X-10 switches. They should/will be identified as such by the manufacturer and retailer.

... Marc Marc_F_Hult

I just re-read what you wrote and my response.

All X-10 and INSTEON ON-OFF (= "appliance") modules of the sort mounted on duplex outlets (Is that what you meant?) should work jist fine with all CFLs.

No "special" CFLs required (or available) to work with appliance modules. But see my comments above for using fluorescents (compact or otherwise) with _dimmers and X-10 wall switches/dimmers that don't use a neutral connection.

... Marc Marc_F_Hult

Leviton makes a X10 compatible relay switch that works flawlessly with CFLs. We use the older "red line" 16293. That has been replaced by the electronically programmable "green line" HCS10-1SW, which should work just as well. That switch has a neutral connection so the signal return does pass through the switched load.

I recommend installing the small Leviton 6287 noise block in series with the power feeding any CFLs. That will prevent noise generated by certain kinds of CFLs from reaching the X10 switch.

Jeff

I would add Z-wave appliance modules to that as well, available from multiple vendors

In terms of in the outlet box solutions (controlable outlet) they are available for X-10 in several flavors and rumored to be coming for Insteon and Z-wave (someone will surely correct me if the Insteon one is out already)

With CFLs do not forget to add noise filters if you are using X10

I found that when using X-10 appliance modules with recently purchased GE CFL's it was necessary to disable the "local sense" feature to prevent the bulb from flashing after being turned off. In many cases, the lamp would even turn itself back on. We have quite a few antique table and floor lamps running CFL's and this behavior was particularly noticeable on the latest batch of GE 26W

26HT3/2/SW CFL bulbs purchased at Target.

In addition to having their "local sense" diode circuit snipped, these lamps often require plug-in X-10 filters so that the lamps can be turned off

*after* they have been turned on. In the ON state some CFL lamps begin emitting enough noise in the X-10 signal range to prevent the module controlling those CFL(s) from properly receiving a remotely transmitted "off" signal. I believe CFL's have been implicated in a number of the "I can turn the lamp on, but not off, remotely" scenarios we have read about here.

There has also been some speculation that the trickle current that does no great harm to incandescent bulbs may indeed lead to premature failure in CFL bulbs. The flashing that occurs when the small current used by the appliance module to sense the toggling of the local control switch (typically found on table and floor lamps) tells me that CFL's were probably not designed to tolerate even a small leakage current passing through them.

-- Bobby G.

Thanks to all who have replied. To clarify, I am not looking for "appliance modules" to plug into a duplex receptacle. I am looking for a relay-or-switch module that mounts inside the wall box and is hard-wired to an outlet it will control.

This should do what you want.

I believe this outlet has local current sensing, just like the appliance modules. The GE bulbs I've been using will cause X-10 modules to flip back on because of the circuit to detect the user operating the switch of plugged-in device. The OP may need an in-line filter as well to be able to turn off the lamp once it's on if it's electrically noisy. Some are, some aren't.

I know that the Radio Shack X-10 wall socket module (15A, one outlet controlled) has local sense because that's how we control our table lamps. Not sure about the XPR, which is clearly a different module. It may be possible to defeat the local current sensing on both outlets (if indeed, the XPR has such a feature - the X-10 site did not appear to have much technical data) but I haven't tried. I plugged a modified appliance module into my X-10 wall socket's uncontrolled top outlet and then a plug in-filter into the module and then the lamp into the filter. This way I can get two addesses out of one wall socket. IIRTFMC, the XPR's both outlets are switched, but they are both controlled by the same address.

Had an intriguing comment: "20A duplex receptacle, both outlets are switched from the same X10 command. Plus a wire switch leg is available on the rear for down-circuit switching. Available in white or ivory; ivory specified by ?-1? suffix. Does not respond to all lights on."

I'm not exactly sure what they mean by "down-circuit switching" and in looking for details I came across this site:

which appears to confirm that the XPR has local current sensing as well:

"X10 Pro 125 VAC Duplex Receptacle with "Sense" Feature."

That could be a serious problem depending on the brand of CFL and I am not sure of the electronics are similar enough to appliance modules for the "no local sense" modifications to work correctly.

-- Bobby G.