Last Updated on December 7, 2022 by
The flickering of LED lights can be highly irritating. Headlights and LED bulbs can flicker in a variety of circumstances. Sometimes, flickering led lights on dimmer, but sometimes the flickering is because of other technical issues. In this article, you’ll find out the leading causes of LED flickering and how you can correct this problem.
Table of Contents
Flashing LED lights
Following making the switch to LED or replacing a damaged LED lamp, the light from the LED starts to flash in some instances. The magnitude of the flickering can vary according to the circumstance. However, generally, it can be not very pleasant. For the light to cease flickering, its root issue must be identified first. The most frequent error causes are transformers, dimmers, and damaged lamps.
The LED bulb flickers on the transformer.
In addition to the standard LED lamps for the 120V power grid, there are lower-voltage LED bulbs. These are usually used to replace low-voltage lamp halogens. The majority of low-voltage lamps operate at 12 volts. The voltage is generated from the power grid through the transformer.
Our eyes can easily see the apparent flicker. Here, the lighting source’s output of light fluctuates quickly. Therefore, different light frequencies, ranging from short-term ones of 3Hz to 70Hz, are experienced. This is highly hazardous because such quick shifts have been linked to photosensitive epilepsy seizures. It might be anything from irritation when you dim the lights in your restroom to a significant public safety concern.
Quality of the output voltage
The low-voltage LED lamp needs an uninterrupted and reliable input voltage. The older Halogen lamps did not have the demanding requirements on the quality of the output of transformers. The transformer’s unclean or fluctuating output voltage could cause light bulbs to flash.
What do I do?
Old halogen transformers that fluctuate in output voltages aren’t suitable for LED lamps. They must be replaced with an LED power source.
Minimum load
A lot of electronic transformers require an unspecified load on the output side. If you are looking to replace five 20W halogen lights using LEDs, based on the Lumens to Watts calculator, five LEDs that each consumes 3W is enough. When halogen lights were used, all of the lights were powered by 100W.
With the brand new LED lighting, the whole installation will require a power consumption of 15W. However, an energy transformer between 50 and 150W may have been used in the old installation. It is required to have at least 50W for it to function effectively. If not, the lamps connected to it won’t be lit and flash.
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What do I do?
If the LEDs in the transformer flash, the load is much smaller. You can now swap one or two lamps with old ones.
Then, the minimum load will be met, but this isn’t an ideal solution.
Flickering led lights on dimmer
LED light sources are more complex than the old light sources in terms of technology. This is especially true when you need to reduce the intensity. To do this, your LED lamp and the dimmer need to work in harmony.
A lot of LED lamps can’t be dimmed. It is essential to ensure that the lamp is labeled dimmable before purchase. The specifications for the dimmer must meet. Older dimmers usually require a very high load to function correctly. This is usually not met by the cheapest LED lamps.
What do I do?
If the light on the dimming switch flickers, verify that the lamp can be dimmed. It should be noted on the package or in the product’s description.
If an LED light source that dims continues to flicker, the previous dimming dimmer is inappropriate and should be replaced by the LED dimming device.
LED lights can flicker
When the lamp’s LED light flickers are occurring, the troubleshooting process is the most challenging. The following causes could be behind the periodic flickering of the lamp:
The two first points were already covered in earlier sections. A tiny power source is included in the 110V LED lamps. This is a common cause of the error, particularly with not brand-named lamps. Variations in the voltage in the mains power supply may occasionally cause LED lamps to flash.
What should I do?
The most efficient way to troubleshoot is to have identical LED lamps within your home. It is easy to swap them between them and observe whether the occasional flickering occurs on the lamp that is not in use. If this is the case, the lamp will likely go out of service soon.
The voltage fluctuations within the power grid could fluctuate. But only an electrician can determine and fix the root of the issue.
LED lights flicker when turned on
If the LED lamp is flickering for a brief period after turning on, it is likely that the lamp is in poor condition or is likely to become damaged when it reaches the end of its time. For many lamps with no name, the power supply integrated is constructed with low-quality components. Certain lamps require an operating temperature that is set before the flickering ceases. If the flickering persists between days after the switch is turned on, it could be a fault caused by the LED lamp that can be slow to be identified.
What should I do?
With some of the cheaper LED lamps, there is a tendency to flicker following the switch on. This is because of cheap electronics, which can cause the thermal issue mentioned.
If the lamp has been working flawlessly for a long time, the capacitor in the electronics is likely to lose its capacity. To test for a loose connection, it is recommended to test the bulb with a flickering light in a different luminaire.
To stop the flickering when switching on, only replacing it with a brand new LED lamp can help.
LED lights flicker when turned off
An LED lamp can blink even if the light switch is off in some instances. The reason could generally be found in the wiring. An unconnected light switch or a switch equipped with an evening light could cause flickering.
LED lights flicker when the motion detector
Specific movement detectors may be the reason for an LED lamp connected to turn off. This is usually caused by motion sensors with electronic switches (Triac or thermo-switch). They require a minimum load to ensure that the electrical switch is not leaking currents. Single-wire motion sensors that are just inserted into the phase-line of the lamp can be challenging to use.
What should I do?
To stop the LED lamp in motion detectors from not flickering, a model that has a low minimum load or a switch relay is required.
Conclusion
As you can see, the LED flickering phenomenon can be caused by numerous causes. It can be caused by various circumstances, including flickering led lights on dimmer and other reasons. Most often, it’s due to a dimmer, a transformer, or because of electrical wiring. However, in some cases, an LED light that is defective might be responsible for the problem of flickering. By following the guidelines in this article, you’ll be able to determine the root of the issue and repair the flickering light.
