Why is my LED light is flickering?

Member

I recently installed a new led light fixture on ceiling. However, the light flickers and goes off every now and then and comes back again after few minutes. Is there anything wrong with my wiring?

electricaleasy

There can be various reasons behind flickering of an LED bulb/fixture. The fault could be in either the bulb, the wiring or current regulation; or the bulb might not be compatible with the dimmer for that socket, if you have one installed. Here are few common problems behind flickering of an LED bulb -

Why do LED bulbs flicker

• Faulty bulb: Led bulbs are operated with an inbuilt electronic driver circuit. Some of these driver circuits are more susceptible to electrical noise (or minor voltage fluctuations), especially in low quality bulbs/fixtures. Such low quality driver circuits can cause the bulb to flicker. So, it is always good to get a good quality LED fixture/bulb.
• Inrush current from electric appliances: Some appliances need more power during starting up, such as washing machines. Motors in such appliances draw large inrush current while starting up, and thus cause voltage drop for a short period. If the lights are in the same wiring circuit as that of such appliances, they tend to dim for the period. This is true for all kind of lights. So, it is advised to keep such high power appliances on separate circuit-breaker.
• Loose wiring or loos socket: If the connection points of the wiring have become loose, sparking may occur at the contacts. Also, if the bulb is loosely fitting in the socket, sparking may occur. This sparking can cause the bulb/fixture to flicker.
• Dimmer compatibility: If the particular connection socket is wired through a dimmer, that dimmer might not be compatible with the bulb you are connecting. Some dimmers are not compatible with every LED light. Or simply, your LED light may not be dimmable. Such, incompatibility with the dimmer may cause the light to flicker.

What should you do if your newly installed LED bulb is flickering?

1. To be sure that the bulb is not faulty, try installing the bulb in a different socket and see if it flickers.
2. Probably try in a dimmer-less socket as well, so that you can cast out the possibility of incompatible or faulty dimmer.
3. If the bulb doesn't work in the above 2 steps, get your bulb replaced.
4. Inspect for the loose contacts at the socket. Do this very carefully and only if you are aware of electric shocks and you know what you are doing.
5. Once you are sure to say there is something wrong with the wiring or socket, after trying a good working bulb in that socket, call an electrician to inspect the wiring and socket. As if there is continuous sparking at the contacts, it may lead to fire hazards.