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heat box plans?

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Justin Snyder:
Wow JD, under 100*, I need to put an air conditioner in the box to get down to 100*.  ;D   On a serious note.  The dimmer switches have been shown to use the same amount of energy.  The energy not used in producing light creates extra heat in the switch itself.  Use 40W or 30W bulbs if you want to save energy and reduce heat.  Justin

duffontap:
Really?  I before I switched to the dimmer switch my energy bill would spike on months I was using the box.  I may be reading into it.  I'll do a little research. 

      J. D. Duff

duffontap:
Justin, I think that only applies to old, non-transformer style switches.  I'm not sure but the consensus seems to be that it does use less energy.  If the energy is being absorbed by the switch, that would be a huge fire hazzard.  Scary thought. 

(Online sources, note what they say about bulb life too!):

8. Do Dimmer switches save energy?

Yes, most dimmers today do save energy. Older dimmers used to simply cook off the power you did not want to use. Today's dimmers interrupt incoming current thousands of times per second (invisible to the human eye) saving 10% in energy costs even when on full, the life of your bulbs is also greatly increased.

From "8 ways to save energy":

Want to affect the mood and save energy? An effective way to quickly change the mood of a room is by dimming or brightening the lights. A softer light results in a more comforting, relaxing atmosphere. Brighter lighting is more suitable for normal room use and reading. An easy way to control your lighting is to install a dimmer switch. Dimmers also reduce energy consumption by cycling light and increasing bulb life.

Most dimmers cycle the light on and off 120 times per second – faster than your eye can detect. The longer the light is ON versus OFF, the brighter the light output. Likewise, the longer the light is OFF versus ON, the lower the light output and the greater the energy savings. An added bonus is the incredible increase in bulb life from operating at a lower light output (filament temperature). Dimming the light by just 10 percent more than doubles the bulb life.

MattE:
Why would you want a dimmer switch on a heat box when you can use a thermostat instead? You still have to check your temperature if using a dimmer switch, you don't with a thermostat. You can buy a thermostat but any used one will do, they hardly ever wear out. Toaster ovens, water heaters and any appliance that has a heat control knob has one. I personally like water heater thermostat and you get two from them as well.Think thermostat not dimmer switch!

Pappy:
Good idea Matt,I now and have for several years used a dimmer set up like JD but my boxes are out side in my bow shop so I am constantly having to adjust the heat when the Temp. changes
so I may give that a try.I guess if the box was in a controlled temp. you could pretty much set it and would stay about the same but mine is not. :) ???
   Pappy

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