Top Reasons Why Your LED Lights Keep Flickering
LED bulbs are typically very reliable and less likely to flicker than your traditional incandescent bulbs. However, there are a few factors that could contribute to occasional flickering. Most are simple to fix, we’ll cover the most common issues that can cause your LED lights to flicker.
Internal Electrical Factors
If you’ve already eliminated the chances of anything external from impacting your lighting, the next step is to look inside your home for electrical issues:
Surge in Electrical Wattage
A surge in wattage within the home can result in lighting issues. If you have multiple appliances plugged into the same outlet or power board, this can wear down the drivers within your LED lighting which are needed actually to keep your lights on. Try switching lighting into a different area to check if it becomes more stable before the LED globes become too damaged to function properly.
LED Light Emitting Heat
If you’ve moved your lamps already, or they’re plugged in without any other devices on the same circuit and are still experiencing flickering, the drivers may still be an issue. Unless you’ve specifically chosen heat globes, LED lights typically don’t get hot like conventional lights do, so if you notice they’re emitting heat, which also results in flickering. In this case, it’s time to change your light bulbs entirely.
Loose Connections
The electrical wiring that connects your light bulbs to the circuit can also be another issue. In the same way that a damaged wire won’t pass current as well as a new one will, poor connection to the bulb itself can cause irregular power to the light, resulting in flickering. An electrician can check this issue for you, as well as tightening up and fixing damaged or loose connections.
Incompatible Dimmers
If your fixtures and wiring are fine, it may be an incompatibility issue. A common root cause of this is using a dimmer. Older dimmers aren’t always compatible with LED lights due to the way in which they use power to generate light. If this is the case, the dimmer switches will need to be switched to newer models that are compatible with your LEDs.
Internal Physical Factors
Sometimes, looking at the most obvious factor is the best place to start. Flickering lights aren’t always due to wiring or electrical fluctuations, so they’re worth checking out early on when you’re trying to fix the problem.
Dusty or Dirty Sockets
Dust and debris in your light sockets can block the connection to the bulb. If you have lights in dusty attics or outdoors, this is a good thing to check and maintain. If the sockets are dusty, you can clean them yourself with an old dry toothbrush. Make sure to switch power off in your home first and wear rubber gloves while you’re cleaning.
Age & Quality of Your Light Bulb
The age and quality of your light bulbs can also contribute to flickering. While LED light bulbs do tend to last for years before they need changing, eventually they will give out. LED globes and bulbs don’t blow like halogen bulbs do; rather, they’ll start to degrade and give off dim or inconsistent light. When you are buying LED bulbs, making sure you’re buying the best quality you can is a worthwhile investment.
External Factors
Sometimes, your LED light bulbs can flicker due to factors completely out of your hands. Eliminating those possibilities first is often the best place to start. Start by checking if these are impacting your electrical use first:
Energy Provider
Your energy provider. Things like bad weather or technical issues at your energy supplier can put pressure on the grid. If you’re noticing your LED light globes are flickering, make sure it isn’t a grid issue by checking for planned or unplanned outages with your energy provider first.
The Ripple Effect
Similarly, if there’s a high demand for power in your area, you’re also more likely to see flickering in your LED lights. Whether your neighbours are using high-energy devices or there’s an off-peak surge in power use, both factors can cause ripples in energy that affect your lighting.
Why Choose Ozlighting?
When you order LED lights from us, not only will you be getting the best quality on a huge range of lighting options spanning everyday LEDs to smart globes and vintage lights but you’re covered by our returns policy too. Depending on the LED light you order, we’ll cover it for at least the first year, too, meaning even if you do run into any issues, we’ll replace it for free.