# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  Dimmer switch not working. Fuse blown?

## villageidiot

My kitchen light contains two bulbs, connected with a dimmer switch. When I turned the switch on yesterday there was a small bang and then the light wouldnt work anymore. I assumed I had blown the bulbs. I took them out and put in new ones, and still it doesnt work. I put the original bulbs in another light fitting and one bulb worked but the other didnt. So I have determined I blew one bulb. But why wont the switch work now that two new bulbs have been installed? Do these dimmer switches have fuses, and can I replace the fuse myself if that is indeed the cause?  
The dimmer switch brand is an HPM Excel. With a turn on/turn off switch and a rotary dial underneath. I have no idea if it is leading edge or trailing edge. 
Thanks in advance!

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## chrisp

Check your circuit breaker (in the switchboard).  A bulb has drawn an arc as it failed and caused an overload.  It may have taken the dimmer out too.

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## villageidiot

Thanks, I will do that, but I dont think the circuit breaker in the switchboard is the problem because every other light etc in my home is still working OK. It is just that particular light that is not. I was wondering if the dimmer switch itself can have been damaged just because a lightbulb has blown? Does the HPM dimmer switch itself have a built in fuse that can be replaced, or built in circuit breaker that can be reset?

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## chrisp

> Thanks, I will do that, but I dont think the circuit breaker in the switchboard is the problem because every other light etc in my home is still working OK. It is just that particular light that is not.

  Fair enough comment.  I just suggest it as basic item to "tick off" first.   

> I was wondering if the dimmer switch itself can have  been damaged just because a lightbulb has blown?

  Certainly can.  If the bulb draws an arc, it can overload the dimmer.   

> Does the HPM dimmer  switch itself have a built in fuse that can be replaced, or built in  circuit breaker that can be reset?

  I'm not sure about that model.  I doubt it though.

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## applied

The dimmer will be stuffed sometimes happens when the globes blow seems the filament falls in a way that creates a short circuit well atleast low enough to overload the dimmers. They can only handle at best 500VA or 2amps.

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## villageidiot

Well today I used a working dimmer switch from another room to see if it worked on the affected light and it did, so obviously, the light bulb blowing caused that dimmer switch to fail. So I went to buy a new one and was quoted $44.00 to replace it. And that was with a 20% tradies discount, even though Im not a tradie. The RRP was over $50! And that wasn't even for a whole new switch, rather just the dimmer bit! 
So I decided to reconnect the original switch but bypassing the dimmer function. 
Thanks to all who provided advice.

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