Investing into LED lights is a great way to save money, but sometimes those lights can cause a few problems. They are expensive to replace every time they flicker and those lights can flicker a lot! The good news is that this issue can often be fixed. Don’t run out to buy a bunch of bulbs because there’s a good chance they’ll all flicker. Take a look at these issues instead to eliminate the flicker once and for all.
Check the Amount of Current In Your Home
The most common reason why LED lights will flicker, especially if it is only an occasional problem, is because there are voltage changes happening within the wiring of the home. This is because there is a current flow in the wiring and the resistance of each wire uses some of the voltage. If you turn on a washing machine while the refrigerator is running and this is when you see a flickering LED light, then there’s a good chance you have loads turning on and off that change the voltage levels and this is causing the flicker.
High Surge Wattage
Many appliances will require more power when they first start than when they are running consistently. This is called surge wattage and the power drain required can cause LED lights to flicker. This is because there is a large drop in voltage in the home. Both problems can be corrected by moving the heavier load items to their own 240 volt circuits. This isn’t always a cheap option, but is often a necessary one because otherwise a voltage load could cause future problems that an insurance policy might not always cover. Even with proper loads, however, LED lights will continue to flicker, but often imperceptibly.
Loose Connections
Another common reason why LED lights flicker is because there is a loose connection within the circuit. Try screwing the light bulb in further to correct the problem. If this does not work, then dust or debris might be interfering with the connection to make it loose. Take a bottle of compressed air and just blow out the connection point to remove dirt. There could also be wiring at the connection point that has worked its way loose over time, which would mean needing to disconnect the power to the circuit and then tighten up the wiring.
Bad Switches
A lot of homes today have dimmer switches and many of these are actually incompatible with the modern LED light bulb. If you do have a dimmer switch, try replacing one or two of your LED bulbs on the circuit with traditional incandescent bulbs or the energy saving ones. This can correct the load issues and stop the flicker. Some issues can be self-corrected, like tightening a light bulb. If you need wiring changes, however, then you may need a professional. You might also need building permits to initiate the repair. Once completed, however, you should be able to stop those LED lights from flickering once and for all.
