Flickering LED Bulb
This is a led bulb flicker possibility. Not all LED bulbs play well with dimmer switches. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
LED Bulb Flicker
Each week someone asks me, "Why do LED lights flicker?" or "Why do my LED lights flicker?"
The answer is very straightforward if you remember one or two classes from your high school physics class.
What Causes LED Lights to Flicker?
LED lights flicker because the actual LED is instant on and off. The light-emitting diode (LED) is not like a traditional light-bulb filament that gets white-hot from the electricity flowing through it. A traditional bulb filament will not cool down fast enough for your eye to see slight variations in power fluctuations.
The LED doesn't get nearly as hot as a traditional tungsten filament. This is why it reacts - flickers - instantaneously to fluctuations in current.
LED Lights Flicker on Dimmer
LEDs will flicker on a dimmer because of the way the electricity flowing through the dimmer is regulated. In many new dimmers, the regulation of the power is a tiny microchip that turns the power on and off many times in a second. Once again, the LED can flicker because the on/off cycle is too long and your eyes can sense the LED is actually turning completely off.
Remember, traditional dimmer switches didn't cause this issue with old bulbs because the white-hot filament couldn't cool fast enough for your eye to see any flicker.
- do you have dimmer switches
- does led bulb flicker happen with the dimmer set at halfway?
- did led bulb packaging say it was okay to use with a dimmer switch?
Related Links
Light Bulbs Burn Out FAST - Too Quickly
Mary Christy is trying to understand why she has flickering led lights.
She was trying to save energy in her Seminole, FL home and installed LED lights.
But in doing so, she's created a problem with flickering LED bulbs.
Here's the timeline of events at Mary's house:
"Hi, I have had recessed lights in my kitchen for about ten years since house was built.
I have replaced the bulbs with LED's.
Several of the lights are immediately flickering as soon as installed.
Do I need to upgrade to the newer recessed (6") fixtures for the LED bulbs? Thank you!"
This is the side of an led bulb. The slots are to dissipate heat. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Do LED Bulbs Work With Dimmer Switches?
Many LED bulbs don't work with modern dimmer switches.
My guess is you have dimmer switches. If so, turn the switch to the highest light output and the flickering should disappear.
If you want to be able to dim the LED bulbs, you need to find ones that play well with dimmer switches.
What LED Dimmers Work With My LED Bulbs?
Because LED bulbs are not all the same, you need to use an online tool to match the bulb manufacturer and model with the correct dimmer that will be compatible.
Can You Get a LED Down Light With a Speaker?
Yes, you can get an LED downlight with a Bluetooth speaker. I have one in my own home.
Here's the one I installed at my home. It was made by Lithonia.
This bulb replaces a standard recessed light bulb. All you have to do is remove the existing bulb and the simple trim. The new bulb and speaker can be installed by you in just minutes.
This is a LED bulb with a Bluetooth speaker. It replaces almost all common recessed bulbs in minutes. Easy to install.
Get FREE & FAST BIDS from local electricians who can do LED work for you.
Tim, you only gave a partial answer, yes you need LED bulbs that are dimmable but you also need a dimmer switch that is LED compatible. I have been converting my entire house over to LED's and have completed much research on dimmable LED's and LED dimmer switches. Also electronic timers need to be LED compatible or the lights will flicker as well.
Motion detectors can also cause interference.
Hi Tim,
This is true, but it can get even a bit more complicated...
Sometimes CFLs and LEDs can flicker without being on dimmers. There are other devices that can cause similar issues. Most notable among these is electronic timers. Most of the newest electronic lighting controls are engineered to handle CFL and LED bulbs on their controlled circuits and to not interfere with such bulbs on nearby circuits. But Mary has a house that is 10 years old. It is possible that her problems - or those experienced by others - may be due to electrical harmonics induced in the house system by older lighting controls somewhere nearby in electrical terms.
I ran into a similar issue a couple of years ago when I replaced the bulbs in my front porch light - which is on a programmable timer - with new CFLs. One dark evening, I looked toward the front door and noticed that my front porch was putting on a strobe light show for the neighbors. Turning the lights off and back on didn't help the matter, but I did discover that switching off a nearby 3-way electronic dimmer that controls the lights in a front room stopped the strobing of the porch lights. When I switched the dimmer back on, the strobing started up again.
My solution ended up being to swap locations with the switches on the 3-way dimmed circuit so that the dimmer is now on the far side of the room. And, voila, the strobing stopped and hasn't been back. So much for the neighborhood cat disco!
Just thought this might help others of your readers.
-- Matt
I recently ran into a similar situation with the floods in my kitchen. Funny part is that I replaced the bulbs with LEDs one-by-one as the originals went out. I only ran into a problem when I replaced the fifth and final bulb. A few days later that new bulb began flickering and flashing while the rest of the bulbs were fine.
My first thought, was a bad bulb, or a bad can... so simple test, I swapped positions for the new bulb and the flickering followed the bulb. Therefore, I deduced a bad bulb and replaced it. Imagine my frustration when that resulted in a different bulb starting the flicker! Again, I changed position on the bulb and this time, the flicker started in one of the other bulbs. I do NOT have a dimmer on this circuit, but I DO have two switches that control these lights on opposite doorways. My current suspicion based on discussions with some electricians is that these three-way switches may introduce the same issues as dimmers.
LED/CFLs - just another government mandate of a one-size-fits some "solution".
hi john king did you solve this problem as we have a similar problem with our living room light. we replaced the G4 builbs with led bulbs, all seemed well for a start but after half hour the light turned in to party mode flashing like a strobe. we have allso got 2 switches on opposite door ways
I guess that their bulbs are run on 12V installation with installed MR16 12V bulbs for example. There may be a problem with power supply. Check that first.
This is an old thread but I can't help myself. Issues with LED replacement bulbs are actually very complex and the lighting industry (not the government) has been trying to address and standardize things so they work more seamlessly--as consumers have come to expect from incandescent bulbs.
Flicker caused by dimmers can be a case of insufficient load on the dimmer (because LEDs draw much less power). That's one reason you need dimmers designed for LEDs. If it's a group of bulbs, try putting in just one incandescent or halogen to bring up the load. This same loading issue can happen with low-voltage bulbs that use electronic transformers, without dimming.
Or dimmers cause flicker because the power supply (driver) in the LED does not respond well to the pulse-width modulation of the voltage (that is how the dimmer dims). Use bulbs designed for dimming. But in any case, you'll never get perfect dimming from 0-100%, it's technically not possible with typical off-the-shelf LED bulbs.
Lastly, plain switches cannot cause flicker no matter how they're connected. The switch is just a mechanical device that breaks the flow of electricity. If the flickering LEDs are on a switched circuit, the cause is coming from elsewhere (noise or waveform distortion in the power line).
I just moved into a newly built house and had dimmers put on all of the lights (LED) in the house. The only light that flickers is the pendant light over the table. The electrician told me to talk to our local trade supplier to get a bulb that would be compatible. As I was reading this and many other websites, I very slowly dimmed this light little by little and after about 15 minutes it is now on its lowest dim and there is no flicker. I turned it off then back on and there is a slight flicker again. I will continue to use this but will be patient by dimming slowly until someone comes up with a solution.
My LED's are flickering. They are not on dimmers, but they are on electronic timers. These are high end, electronic timers. I would not have thought it would make a difference. Can you recommend in switch timers that will not flicker?
I have a Sonneman floor lamp that was flickering every so often with the existing wall switch. So I bought and had installed a Lutron LED switch that I have on other LED lights in my house. The floor lamp has been flickering on and off even more since the new switch was installed. It is fine, then after a few minutes flickers. Any idea of why?
I do not have dimmer switch...do you have another
reason the light is flickering?
Hi Tim,
I’m having this flickering LED problem. The lights have been installed along with the same dimmer switch for 4 or 5 years. The flickering just started a couple months ago and seems to be getting worse. What do you recommend? Thanks!