Troubleshooting

All touch and remote dimmers have a standby current, much like a television, so that they will respond to an infrared (IR) signal. Some LED lamps are sensitive and will remain on even though the standby current is very low. We have created a device called a 'GlowFix' (part number ' YAGF') to combat this problem and one 'GlowFix' connected in parallel with the LED load will stop sensitive LED lights from glowing or flickering. Another solution would be to use a V-Pro push on/off rotary dimmer.

Some LED lamps can interfere with the operation of dimming slave units. Please follow the steps below for the procedure known as 'Ranging'.
1. Turn the power off at the MCB and switch back on again after 5 seconds.
2. At the Master dimmer, press and hold the touch/tactile-touch button. When the lights reach full brightness the lamps will turn off.
3. Adjust the brightness up and down a few times and then switch off.
4. Try controlling the lights from the slave unit.

Please note that the touch/tactile-touch button should not be held for more than 12 seconds at anytime during this procedure. If this procedure does not cure the behaviour you are experiencing, please contact Varilight Customer Services.

We would recommend performing a factory reset on the dimmer and then programming it to the remote control again. Please refer to your instruction leaflet or view the instruction leaflet on this website for details of each of these procedures.

If you are using dimmable LED lamps it may be of benefit to change the driving mode of the dimmer to mode 2 before programming the dimmer to the remote control again. Instructions on how to change the driving mode are located in the product  instruction manual.

The most likely reason this is happening is that the dimmer has not been programmed to a remote control correctly. We would recommend programming the dimmer to the remote control again, making sure to confirm the selected button on the remote.

When programming the switch to the remote, we would recommend only a very short press on the selected remote button, not a long press.

This problem usually occurs when the dimmer is switching neutral rather than switching live. Please check your wiring against the diagram on the relevant  instruction leaflet.

If you have lost your instruction leaflet, please  click here.
1. Please check that you have followed the instructions carefully. In particular, it is essential that you "confirm" your choice in the programming procedure:-
To confirm your choice, press and hold down the same button again, releasing after holding the button down again for at least 2 seconds.
If the programming has been successful, the light(s) will turn on and turn off. The lights then step up and down once to confirm.
If the problem persists, try a different button, a different remote control unit or purchase the dedicated VARILIGHT controller.
2. If the dimmer is being used with certain brands of transformer (used with low voltage lighting) can prevent programming. For best performance of any Varilight dimmer with low voltage lighting, choose  Varilight transformers.

If you have lost your instruction leaflet, please  click here.
1. Please note that you can only use a Remote Control Dimmer (also known as a Master unit) in a 2-way or multi-way circuit in conjunction with one or more Dimming Slave units. It is not possible to use more than one Remote Control Dimmer in the same circuit.
2. You must use 3-core and earth cable when wiring 2-way or multi-way circuits. Each terminal on the master unit should be connected to the corresponding terminal on the slave unit. 3. The live wire can be connected to the Live terminal on either the master or the slave unit because the two units are linked together when they are wired together.

If you have lost your instruction leaflet, please  click here.
1. Please note that you can only use a Remote Control Dimmer (also known as a Master unit) in a 2-way or multi-way circuit in conjunction with one or more Dimming Slave units. It is not possible to use more than one Remote Control Dimmer in the same circuit.
2. You must use 3-core and earth cable when wiring 2-way or multi-way circuits. Each terminal on the master unit should be connected to the corresponding terminal on the slave unit.
3. The live wire can be connected to the Live terminal on either the master or the slave unit because the two units are linked together when they are wired together.

1. Your touch and remote dimmer is designed to run at a high temperature. It has over-temperature protection if the normal running temperature range is exceeded.
2. Even when the dimmer is off it may feel warm to the touch. This is because it remains on standby consuming about 2 watts of power (this costs less than 4 pence per week*).
3. The fire retardant material used to encase the electronics at the rear of the dimmer may show some discolouration when exposed to moderate temperatures and is expected in normal operation.
* Based on electricity charged at 11 pence per kWh

For remote control dimmers this fault can be caused by an error made when teaching the dimmer to respond to a handset.
If you have lost your instruction leaflet, please  click here.
1. Please check that you have followed the instructions carefully. In particular, it is essential that you "confirm" your choice in the programming procedure:-
To confirm your choice, press and hold down the same button again, releasing after holding the button down again for at least 2 seconds.
If the programming has been successful, the light(s) will turn on and turn off. The lights then step up and down once to confirm.
If the problem persists, try a different button, a different remote control unit or purchase the dedicated VARILIGHT controller.
2. If the dimmer is being used with certain brands of transformer (used with low voltage lighting) can prevent programming. For best performance of any Varilight dimmer with low voltage lighting, choose  Varilight transformers.

1. If this is a new installation then this problem is usually caused by incorrect wiring.
If you have lost your instruction leaflet, please  click here.
Please consult a qualified electrician and ask them to check that the dimmer is not switching neutral. There must be a true live connected to the "Live" terminal.
2. If the dimmer has been working correctly then this fault has probably been caused by a component failure and the unit will need to be replaced.

This problem can sometimes be solved by resetting the dimmer by turning off and on again at the circuit breaker.

If you have low voltage lighting and are not using VARILIGHT transformers then changing to VARLIIGHT transformers should solve the problem. Some other brands of transformer cause problems when used with Touch and Remote Control Dimmers. We recommend that you ask your electrician to replace your transformers with  VARILIGHT transformers.

Your VARILIGHT Remote Control Dimmer is compatible with most other infra-red handsets.
1. Try replacing the batteries in the handset.
2. Try re-programming the dimmer.
If you have lost your instruction leaflet, please  click here.
In particular, it is essential that you "confirm" your choice in the programming procedure:-
To confirm your choice, press and hold down the same button again, releasing after holding the button down again for at least 2 seconds.
If the programming has been successful, the light(s) will turn on and turn off. The lights then step up and down once to confirm.
If the problem persists, try a different button, a different remote control unit or purchase the dedicated VARILIGHT controller.
3. If the dimmer is being used with certain brands of transformer (used with low voltage lighting) can prevent programming. For best performance of any Varilight dimmer with low voltage lighting, choose  Varilight transformers.

We would advise to perform the factory reset on the dimmer switch. Instructions on how to do this are located in the product  instruction manual and on Varilight TV.

If you have performed and the factory reset and the lights are still not dimming, please contact Varilight Customer Services.

This behaviour occurs when the dimmer is detecting too much current draw from the lamps on startup, therefore it charges the lamps in steps in order to protect itself. Changing the driving mode on the dimmer switch may improve this behaviour. Instructions on how to change the driving mode are located in the product  instruction manual and on Varilight TV.

This behaviour can be attributed to a component within the LED lamps themselves vibrating during operation. Changing the driving mode on the dimmer may improve this behaviour. Instructions on how to change the driving mode are located in the product  instruction manual and on Varilight TV.

If the LED lamps continue to buzz after trying the different driving modes we would recommend contacting the LED manufacturer for further advice.

All V-Pro Series Dimmers

The behaviour of LED lamps can be improved by changing the driving mode on the dimmer switch.

If the lamps are flickering at the bottom end of the dimming cycle you can also adjust the minimum brightness on the dimmer switch.

Instructions on how to change the driving mode and the minimum brightness setting can be found in the product  instruction manual.

If you have recently changed the load we would advise to perform the factory reset on the dimmer switch. Instructions on how to do this can be found in the product  instruction manual.

When the dimmer enters programming mode there is a small amount of current that passes through the module to allow the dimmer to be reconfigured. Some LED lamps are extremely sensitive and will glow even though the dimmer is effectively off. You should still be able to complete the programming procedure however if you are not certain, we would recommend to change one of the LED lamps for an ordinary halogen/filament lamp, just for the duration of the programming, as this should prevent the LED lamps from glowing when they should be in their off state.

Please check the information provided in the relevant  instruction leaflet on how to wire up your dimmer. If you are in any doubt please contact a qualified electrician.

It is quite normal for a dimmer switch to buzz a little. A dimmer is more prone to buzz with certain types of lighting load.

If your lighting load is causing your dimmer to buzz excessively, we recommend changing the dimmer for a trailing-edge dimmer. Our  V-Pro Series trailing-edge dimmers are the quietest running dimmers available.

The usual reason for a dimmer switching the lights to a reduced brightness is because it is over-loaded. Please check on the back of the dimmer where the minimum and maximum load is printed. Add up the ratings of all the light bulbs that the dimmer is controlling and make sure they are less than the maximum load printed on the dimmer (see example below*).

If your lighting load exceeds the dimmer's maximum rating then you need to purchase a higher-rated dimmer or replace the light bulbs with others that have a lower rating (e.g. replace 50W bulbs with 35W bulbs).

* Here's an example. In your lounge there are two light fittings both with 3 x 60W light bulbs currently controlled by a single switch. You want to buy a dimmer to replace the switch. In your local DIY shop there are two dimmers available, one with a maximum rating of 250W and the other 400W. In this case the total lighting load is 2 x 3 x 60W = 360W. Therefore the 250W dimmer would not be suitable; you would need to choose the 400W instead.

The usual reason for a dimmer switching the lights off and on is because it is over-loaded. Please check on the back of the dimmer where the minimum and maximum load is printed. Add up the ratings of all the light bulbs that the dimmer is controlling and make sure they are less than the maximum load printed on the dimmer (see example below*).

If your lighting load exceeds the dimmer's maximum rating then you need to purchase a higher-rated dimmer or replace the light bulbs with others that have a lower rating (e.g. replace 50W bulbs with 35W bulbs).

* Here's an example. In your lounge there are two light fittings both with 3 x 60W light bulbs currently controlled by a single switch. You want to buy a dimmer to replace the switch. In your local DIY shop there are two dimmers available, one with a maximum rating of 250W and the other 400W. In this case the total lighting load is 2 x 3 x 60W = 360W. Therefore the 250W dimmer would not be suitable, you would need to choose the 400W instead.

This problem is usually caused when one of the components in the dimmer has failed, usually due to a plasma. Plasmas can be caused when a mains halogen light bulb (e.g. GU10) fails. For this reason we recommend only using good quality mains halogen bulbs from well-known brand.

If a dimmer exhibits this fault it will need to be replaced.

The best type of dimmer to use with mains halogen bulbs is a VARILIGHT  V-Plus series dimmer. The rapid on-board overload protection can usually turn the dimmer off so quickly that it survives a spike in the mains supply.

This problem is usually caused when the dimmer is under-loaded.

Please check on the back of the dimmer where the minimum and maximum load is printed. Add up the ratings of all the light bulbs that the dimmer is controlling and make sure they are more than the maximum load printed on the dimmer (see example below*).

If your lighting load is below the dimmer's minimum rating then you need to purchase a different dimmer or replace the light bulbs with others that have a higher rating (e.g. replace a 40W bulbs with a 100W bulbs). Don't forget, because you are using a dimmer you will still be able to dim the lights right down to a low level even though you are changing to a bulb with a higher rating.

We have a dimmer suitable for dimmable compact fluorescent (CFL) lighting loads, for example if you want to dim just one  20W dimmable CFL. For dimmable LEDs choose our V-Pro series dimmer for the best possible performance.

* Here's an example. In your lounge there is a light fitting with 2 x 20W light bulbs currently controlled by a single switch. You want to buy a dimmer to replace the switch. In your local DIY shop there are two dimmers available, one with a minimum rating of 40W and the other 60W. In this case the total lighting load is 2 x 20W = 40W. Therefore you would need to choose the dimmer with the 40W minimum load.

Although VARILIGHT transformers have a single output, additional sets of terminals are provided on higher-rated transformers to allow you to make several terminations to make full use of the rating.

If you have more than two output terminals on your transformer you can use as many pairs as you need. The terminals are paired from the centre outwards. So the middle two terminals are a pair and the outer terminals are a pair, etc.

If you are using VARILIGHT transformers you can calculate the load by simply adding the ratings of the lamps the transformer is powering.

If you have a dimmable electronic transformer from another manufacturer then the load equates to the rating of the transformer(s), not the lamps. If you have more than one transformer in the circuit then add the ratings of all the transformers to calculate the load on the dimmer. Please note, unless you are using VARILIGHT transformers where there is no restriction (up to the maximum load of the dimmer), we recommend using a maximum of 5 transformers per dimmer circuit.

If your transformer does not say that it is dimmable it is unlikely to work with any dimmer.

Some colour variation is unavoidable on decorative products. Materials are purchased in batches and there may be some minor differences in the finish from batch to batch. At VARILIGHT we aim to keep these differences to an absolute minimum.

Please note that some finishes are more prone to colour variation than others due to the nature of the production process, for example the Iridium Black finish is intrinsically more variable than our Pewter Effect finish.

In most cases any differences will not be noticeable even if the products are mounted side by side.

This problem can occur if the fixing screws are over-tightened when installing the base unit to the wall. Loosen your fixing screws and try again.

Please ensure that screws are tightened just enough to hold the unit in place and no more. Over-tightening can distort the base unit and prevent the clips from engaging correctly with the faceplate. We suggest locating the unit by pushing flush with gentle hand pressure and then tightening the screws gently.

You may require replacement components if you think you have permanently distorted your base unit by over-tightening. In this case please request more help below.

Decorative products should be treated with great care when cleaning. Excessive scrubbing or the application of abrasive cleaning products may permanently damage the quality of the finish.

We recommend cleaning with a damp soft cloth. The application of detergents is not recommended. Dilute any detergents you do intend to use and always wipe away with a damp cloth to remove any traces of detergent before allowing the product to air dry.

Do not use masking tape on any decorative products. The adhesive may chemically bond with the surface finish.

For screwless products we recommend removing the faceplate and taking care not to paint over the plastic clips as this may prevent the faceplate from clipping back on.

For products with visible fixing screws we recommend turning off the mains power, removing the fixing screws and pulling the product gently away from the wall taking care that the wires remain fully fixed into their terminals.

When the product is clear of the wall, cover it with a plastic bag and use an elastic band to secure behind the product. You can then paint or wallpaper the wall.

Please note that it can take several weeks for the chemicals in paint or wallpaper paste to become inert. Before this time there is a danger that they will react with the product if it has a metal faceplate. For this reason we recommend using a plastic bag as a temporary gasket between the product and the wall once it is dry to the touch. In other words, use the plastic to form a barrier between the product and the surface of the wall.

Tarnishing is usually caused by damp. The source of the damp may be a damp wall. In this case you can prevent further tarnishing by placing a plastic barrier between the product and the wall (for example a piece cut from a clear plastic bag).

If the surface of the product has been damaged, for example during cleaning, then damp may have permeated and caused tarnishing of the faceplate. Unfortunately in this case the product is permanently damaged.

If you have recently decorated, please note that it can take several weeks for the chemicals in paint or wallpaper paste to become inert. Before this time there is a danger that the will react with the product if it has a metal faceplate. For this reason we recommend using a plastic bag as a temporary gasket between the product and the wall once it is dry to the touch. I other words, use the plastic to form a barrier between the product and the surface of the wall.

If your products are permanently damaged it may be that you can claim on your house insurance for replacement products.