Why are dimmable LED lightbulbs not suitable for use with dimmers?
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LEDs work different from incandescent bulbs. (that’s the shortest answer)
Incandescent bulbs are a piece of metal sealed in a glass bulb filled with non-burning gas. It then has enough electricity ran through it to basically burn the metal, but because the gas doesn’t let that happen, it just sends out light and heat. It also lasts much longer because it isn’t burning, but it still is eventually used up. If more electricity goes through it, it ‘burns’ faster and brighter. If less, then it ‘burns’ slower and dimmer. This is how a classic dimmer works.
An LED is a diode (piece of metal/semimetal/plastic that only lets electricity through in one direction) that emits light the moment enough electricity goes through it. It can’t take much more electricity, or it melts. It can’t take much less electricity, or it just stops emitting. There is a small range that more/less electricity means more/less light, but it is too small to be really useful. So the classic dimmer’s method of “just use less electricity” doesn’t work for this “threshold” type of light.
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