How to Fix Flickering Lights in Your House | Ask This Old House
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- In this video, Ask This Old House master electrician Heath Eastman demonstrates a variety of ways to troubleshoot and repair flickering lights.
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Master electrician Heath Eastman goes over some reasons as to why your lights might be flickering. Flickering lights are a problem most households deal with at some point, so Heath goes over a few common reasons why a light might be flickering and walks you through some basic troubleshooting.
Skill Level: Beginner
Loose Bulb
• To Fix: Thread the bulb tighter.
Bad Socket
• Light bulb sockets can corrode overtime, especially in outdoor fixtures.
• To Fix: With the switch powered off, check and see if the socket is in good condition. If not, it will probably need to be replaced.
Failing Switch
• The metal connections on the light switch may wear overtime, or the one installed might be a defect and never had a properly made connection at all.
• To Fix: Replace the light switch and see if it works. You can swap the switch with one from another room that you know is working to see if it works in the room that’s flickering.
LED Lights
• Some of the newer LED bulbs simply aren’t compatible with older switches, particularly dimmers.
• To Fix: Try to figure out if the current dimmer switch is “LED compatible”. If not, replace it with one that is. Also see if the LED light is a dimmable bulb.
Where to find it?
Heath demonstrated a variety of light switches and fixtures, which can be found at any home center. In general, he recommends checking the switches to ensure they’re up•to•date and operating properly to troubleshoot any issues with flickering lights.
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How to Fix Flickering Lights in Your House | Ask This Old House
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I've been an electrician for close to 20 years and this video is really simple and effective for a homeowner to fix their own problem. A 4th very common cause would be a loose splice, especially if the house was built in the 70s when aluminum wire was prevalent
So what if it’s every light in the house?
I am having that same problem as well.@@thenarrowpath2731
@@thenarrowpath2731 right
@@thenarrowpath2731 what is the answer
Does anyone scrolling by happen to know the answer?
(Q: What if it's every light in the house?)
The two guys up there^^ and myself would definitely appreciate it 👍
You guys saved my house, the flickering was causing my bulbs to burn up crazy fast, I removed the socket and peered in and saw they were a little corroded, so I filed away at the corrosion, tried again and no more flickering at all!
0:55
“I don’t think so Tim” - Al Borland
Al: what's the first thing we do?
Tim: jam the potato into the broken light bulb! *proceeds to do it*
Al: and now a word from our sponsors.
Why he’s the host lol..
Not only did I just replay this section, but I noticed the set does look like the Tool Time set, a bit. LMAO.
I got home improvement vibes too!
Unscrews glowing bulb, immediately sticks finger in socket 😆. That’s why Kevin’s only allowed to carry tools and talk to the audience... dude almost lit himself up.
Kevin must be trying to reach the status of Kenny from South Park. Stay tuned for the circular saw episode.
It would have been just a mild shock.
😂😂
Yep, the non LED compatible dimmers depend on more current to function correctly. If you have a few LED light fixtures on one non compatible dimmer and they flicker etc., there is a slight work around until you can find the right dimmer switch. Simply have one of the fixtures fitted with a regular bulb and that current draw will usually be enough to get the dimmer to function. We did this in one room as the switch box that housed the older style dimmer doesn't have enough room in it to put the newer dimmer inside it. The newer dimmer is much larger and there's just no room for it so, until we arrange to cut into the plaster wall and put in a correctly sized switch box, this idea works for now.
For those who don't know, LED bulbs interfere with garage door openers and video cameras...be sure to find LED bulbs that are made for those applications.
Excellent video, well done. I particularly appreciate how you guys just went on with the video without editing out the near-blunder where the presenter nearly got electricuted because he neglected to first switch off the power before touching into the socket, a common mistake many of us make
Thanks Heath for saving Kevin's life ha ha ha
110 voltage won't kill you or hurt you
@@Greenredfield volts don't kill you the amps do
@@jonahblacksmith1 for sure. But you know what I mean.
I wouldn’t have stopped him.
It's not Europe where they got 220 running on everything
Like an episode of Tool Time...sticking your finger into a live electrical socket failing to check to see if it is turned off. And these guys are advising me...!!!
So your saying it’s not ghosts?
Grab the salt just in case.
And the garlic 🧄
😅😅😅
Well he never said it wasn’t …
A bit of both
Thank you so much for this video, which helped us solve one mysterious flickering light in our home.
Great video and information helped me , pretty sure I have #3 maybe with a mix of #1 with the bolts not tight
Thank you, gents, you saved me a lot of extra steps
Thank you for that information I did not know about the 3rd. Of your light switch demo.
When Heath turned the switch off for Kevin, I had a huge sigh of relief. I know they wouldn't but the video up if Kevin had actually hurt himself, but as soon as he took the bulb out, I kept thinking "Don't reach in there! Don't reach in there!"
It’s amazing how we have ingress protection on power outlets, but light sockets have a great big opening for fingers to reach into.
I know it’s a standard that has been used forever, but surely now is time to change to something a bit safer...?
I mean I know that Kevin sometimes acts a little silly, but I've never seen him actually BE silly.
@@MrKyleDD if he can do it a kid can do it. The difference being a kid doesn’t have Heath to switch it off 🤦🏼♂️
@@matthewlewis5631 That's why the shell part is the neutral, in order to keep your fingers away from the tab deep within that is hot. Hypothetically, you can touch the threaded shell without getting shocked if everything is wired properly. Not saying I recommend to do it. This is also the same reason why they invented polarized receptacles and outlets. Plugging in a lamp with a non polarized plug made it dangerous to change bulbs.
@@matthewlewis5631 Leave it alone. It cleans up the gene pool.
Thanx , for the solutions !
Up to date with LED and helpful in many ways.
Thanks for very informative video.
Wow, thanks. been running into this for about six months now. Maybe I can now track it down.
There’s got to be some other reasons. I have a new energy saving light bulb in one socket and a four foot shop light in another, both off the same switch. The energy saving bulb, which is new, occasionally will flicker a couple times, inconsistently, but most times stays on without doing that. The bulb is in tight and there’s no signs of corrosion in the socket. They are located in the garage and there’s no way any rodents could be in the ceiling, plus this happens without any other things running. Only the energy saving build that was given by the electric company does this. Also the same symptoms have been happening in my daughters home after I installed a couple of these light bulb’s there. Again, most times they stay on without any flicker, just occasionally they will flicker a few seconds, sometimes just once and sometimes they will do it a couple times in a row. One outlet in my daughters home looks like some is sending Morse code, but then it will stop and not usually act up for a long time. One more thing, this does not occur when I use the old fashioned type of light bulbs. Personally I think that there is something wrong with these bulbs! I’m 65 and maybe things have changed, but I was always taught that turning a light on and off not only wears the bulb down, but also consumes more energy, uses more power, which would make me believe that these new energy saving light bulbs are not as good as they say.
We use LED bulbs in light fixtures that are simply on or off, like in the bathroom or stairwell. For other lights controlled by a dimmer switch, like our dining room, we've gone back to good old incandescent bulbs. No need to mess around with expensive new dimmer switches or flicker issues.
Biden outlawed your incandescent bulbs...hope you stocked up
Always good information
I have the senecio where the electrical panel hasn't been gone over in ages. I've found loose or corroded wires there. Tightening with a screwdriver usually fixes most. I've taken an infrared thermometer and found a couple of hot spots. Fuse or breaker itself getting warm. Replacing those usually fixes it. Main did not use de-oxide compound. Aluminum & copper don't get along without it. Found loose wire nuts, but rarely.
A bad ground from the service panel to the water supply or ground rod can cause this also.
I have seen failing neutral feed to the meter cause dimming in the entire home
Neutral losing wire is one of the most comuns problems, too.
Thanks this helped a lot for my house❤
👌 my house built some time in the 1940-50s is full of these issues. Doing any electrical work is never a good day. Thanks for all the great videos!
My house is 2 years old only, and have the same problem ( being built by Progressive builder, Minnesota), be aware of this builder, I got many issues in my house from that builder
"but, but, they don't build them like they used to"🤦🏻♂️
Better than a ex wife.
Good video guys!
Glad to hear my house isn't haunted & that there is a normal explanation.
I solved the flickering dimmable LED issue by first turning the bulbs all the way up for a few seconds before dimming it down to the desired level.
Good info. Thx
Thank you! For me, it was the last Scenario.
Thank you 💖
Thank you 🥳
Over many years, I have fixed many flickering bulbs by re-tensioning the tongue in the center of the socket with a little hook. They originally are sprung against the bulb, but eventually flatten against the bottom. Sometimes they corrode and a few strokes with a scraping blade, like a chisel, makes them like new. Sometimes the screw shell is fastened with a screw instead of a rivet, so a turn of that loose screw fixes it. Also, before i buy and replace a switch, I just short the wire screws together to see if the flicker stops. If not, it is not the switch.
Thanks this helped
Thank you
The lights in my entire house used to flicker anytime you turned the dryer, refrigerator or anything that draws a decent amount of electric on. The box on the outside of my house was completely corroded and filled with water. Electrician came and fixed it and did a total re wire. Problem solved. The annoying part is that the box on the outside of the house is not accessible by anyone except the electric company (at least legally), so it was a process to have them come out with the electrician and get this all fixed. However, none of the lights flicker anymore and the power lines are now safe
This is my current situation as we have been In our new “old” house for 5 months and no flickering, we just set up the fridge and washer/dryer. Now all my lights flicker, even my fan will fluctuate in power
This sounds like it could be similar to my problem. It's just the microwave and LED bulbs I've been using that do it.
Just remember you MUST check and get the proper outlets ,switches and bulb recievers that is compatible to your wiring (aluminum to aluminum and copper to copper ) and use proper grommets and electric grease on connections.
thank you, thank you, thank you
What's worse is when its not any of those issues and it's instead caused by a high load like a washing machine causing the voltage to fluctuate.
Yup esp in older houses with lighting and recepts on the same circuit and 1,000 other things
@@mikez4132 switch to led bulbs they’ll put way less stress on ur electricity and probably avoid that hah
@@dylan-nguyen i have all led recessed. It's not an issue in my house but I have seen other houses where the lighting and receptacles are on the same circuit and the washer drum agitation causes the lights to dim with every turn of the tub. Back in the day they were not concerned with as many separate circuits as we are now lol
Even worse, loose wiring connections behind your walls
It gets even worse in houses with that old knob & tube wiring.
I had an issue years ago when the whole house was flickering, it turned out to be a corroded neutral line outside the house before the meter.
Mine was corroded inside the meter box; electrician replaced that, and it helped but didn't solve it. Then they found there were a lot of ground & neutral wires doubled up under the same screw on the ground bar, and theorized that some weren't making good contact. They added another bar so every wire could go under its own screw, problem solved.
@@DaddyBeanDaddyBean I am surprised the installation even passed inspection with two conductors under "one screw head" Point of added resistance and corrosion poor contact. Ought to installed a longer bus bar for the grounds and neutrals to begin with if the factory supplied were too short.
@@TheTheo58 It's a very old house (1860's); the previous owner did extensive work, much of it himself, and I'm pretty sure that included replacing the service panel. It's entirely possible he added a bunch of circuits after getting it inspected, and didn't have the sense to add another ground bar. I had the upper entrance cable replaced (from the weather head down to the meter box) along with the corroded meter box itself, so needed an inspection for that, but I honestly don't recall whether the inspector took the cover off the panel inside. I suppose he must have, but can't swear that he did.
@@DaddyBeanDaddyBean my goodness 1860's era would likely involved K/T wiring. The home I grew up in was built in 1946 (the building permit was still nailed to the stud in the garage) had a 100 Amp main entrance fused disconnect, six branch circuit fuse panel (hall closet) Main panel had fuses for range and dryer. Older fiber wrapped non-metallic cables for interior and BX cable. I used EMT and BX cable when I added additional outlets in the garage and the newly built darkroom. Adding a ground at two locations.
@@TheTheo58 Correct - there are still a few unused bits of knob & tube here & there, but the entire house was rewired with Romex at some point, presumably by the previous owner.
No! You don't have to replace the socket. Just bend the contact out. Problem solved. It's brass and if it has a little corrosion, just take a pencil eraser to it. Good for 5 more years. Not everything has to be replaced.
Mr Eastman, the driver circuit does not cause flicker ?
I was about to try to prise open the bulb and maybe put the LED board on aother bulb's driver, when I saw your video.
Look tommy, unscrew the bulb and wet your finger and stick it in the socket and see if the current is constant, hahaha
Additionally, some dimmable LED lamps aren't compatible with certain manufacturers LED dimmers.
The manual or manufacturer website will list the compatible LED lamp manufacturers.
I replaced 2 switches in the bathroom next to a sink, one was a light switch and the other for a vent. I noticed that the GFCI outlet was connected to both switches. Do I need to do the same? Is it a safety issue? I didn’t but now I’m starting to wonder if I should have done so. Hopefully you understand what I’m trying to say.
Your Switches do Look funny 👍
Thanks dimmable was my problem
In my case, the Led flickering came with stronger wattage 8 W instead of 5w in a three set (serie or parallel?)
I like how they laughed he didn’t turn the switch off and sticking his finger in there 😂😂😂
I had bulbs flickering in just one room. I put a multimeter to a power outlet and saw low voltage. The cause? Bad grounding. My circuit breaker was in there tight, and the ground wires were tight (sometimes just tightening the ground wires will fix this). I removed the breaker and saw the ground bar that it was latched on to had corrosion at the contact point. I turned off the power to the entire house and used a wire brush to clean the ground bar in the breaker box. I put the breaker back in and turned on the power, and problem solved!
Erik ... that's not a ground bar. It's a buss bar, meaning it's part of the hot side circuit.
@@rupe53 Thanks for the terminology clarification. That bar was corroded. A quick cleaning with a wire brush fixed it.
@@ErikStone1 that's something to keep an eye on because once the coating is damaged it may develop a hot spot and cause a fire down the road. If you have any room in that panel you may want to move that breaker or install a new breaker in a new location. If not I would at minimum examine the entire buss bar for any similar signs, because you may need to replace the panel.
@@rupe53 Thanks for the heads up. Yes, I did replace the breaker with a new one. I'll still keep an eye on it though. Thanks!
That's not the ground, it's the neutral. Ground has nothing to do with electrical transmission, it is an emergency exit when a wire gets damaged. Power comes into your home on the hot and leaves through the neutral. If ground wires are affecting your power, your whole system is screwed. A bus bar can be hot, neutral or ground. It is simply a place where wires come together at a common point. The hot bus bar is behind all the breakers, the neutral and ground are off to the side and have white or green or bare wires. Black or any other color, usually red is for hot. If you have any corrosion in your panel you should have it replaced, that could cause a fire if left untreated.
Electrician.
Ever since i added a fancy Bidet from Costco in my mothers bathroom her lights randomly flicker... I suspect its due to the bidet drawing power to heat the seat. I read something about hertz mismatch... Any ideas of a good fix? I'm hoping i can install a unique power outlet for the bidet
This is why Tommy doesn't let Kevin hold the nail gun.
Usually the cause is a failing LED bulb. They are extremley unreliable. Sometimes the flickering sorts out as the lamp warms up. The center contact in the socket might be flattened and need to be twisted back. New bulbs have a flat pin on the bottom without a blob of solder. If it was so corroded that screwing the bulb didn't polish it, then it would fall off, not work at all or short out.
there are two other causes for flicker , if the led driver inside is bad . and i have another situation where i have a bulb over the kitchen sink that flickers when the oven is on due to some sort of interference .
There is also a change that signals on the line from the grid (such as those sent to trigger on-peak and off-peak switches) can induce flicker.
Not sure if it’s a common thing in the US but down here in Australia there are numerous times per day where a load control ripple is sent on the line that makes my lights flicker for 1-2 mins.
You can get filters for the circuit but it’s a bit involved and not so cheap.
What about loose wiring (twist connectors not properly connected)? I’ve had several like that in my house.
I had the 3rd one even with a dimmable switch and dimmable led can lights. Happened to be on a 3 light chain. Had same setup on a 2 light switch without problems so I'm thinking had to do with the 3 chained together 🤔
Any update. Same here. I just changed the dimmers (LED compatible) and my dimmable LEDs still flicker. I’m going to buy a different brand of LEDs tomorrow and see if my flickering goes away
@@Paul37Ontario I figured out theres a setting on the led dimmer switch to set the dimmer limits. Check out if yours has something like that. My switch was a leviton I think. I found it in manual guide after I finally read it 🤦♂️
The dimmers that I bought are simple straight dimmers, Home Depot (5 pack). I wish it was that simple. I'll let you know tomorrow if changing the LEDs worked. Thanks for your reply. @@JonnyDIY
Bought Philips Ultra Definition 100W equivalent after doing lots of research, and no more flicker. There expensive, had to get 8 of them. But no more flicker. Thanks @@JonnyDIY
@@Paul37Ontario Awesome glad you got it sorted. Those are good bulbs, they should last a lot longet than your basic cheap leds 👍
one other cause is many houses are also getting digital smart meters so the power co can.
1. bill down to the watt hour.
2. detect power outages.
3. detect fires impending and immediately cut power before house burns down*
*= i heard somewhere that the power co can using the smart meters detect fires starting to happen and shut off the power before it becomes fully established.
the modulation used to transmit the usage back for billing can cause the leds to flicker as they use a fairly low frequency that can sometimes be heard as a buzz in appliances and some electronics.
Can corroded water pipe ground clamps cause lights to flicker under a load I have s security light wired to the garage & every time I use the garage door opener It goes out and cycles back on I'm thinking a loose Neutral?
Any other reasons? I have new light fixtures and LED lights. Not dimmable lights or switches. The flickering only acures once and a while when the lights are on for a period of time. It does not happen when turning on, or turning off. So, if I leave them on for 15 minutes it “may” flicker quickly once or twice in those 15 minutes and go back to normal. The flicker is less than a second long. Any help would be great.
I had the 3rd one. Dimmable led switches run $25, normal switches are 39¢. Just keep in mind how valuable is that dimmable feature...
Amortize the cost over a few years. Pennies per day.
Worth it to me
Those are some of the most common reasons for flickering lights. Believe it or not I actually seen a brand new led bulb cause the entire circuit to fail. All the lights would randomly flicker on that circuit. The homeowner stated that they install all new led bulbs throughout the house in all the lights and now all the lights in his house would randomly flicker. I checked all the common issues like stated in your video including checking for proper connections at lights and switches., but none of those were the issue. I traced the entire circuit and checked every location, check the main panel and breakers. All was great with no issues. So I grab a case of led bulbs from my van which were different brand then the cheap house brand he was using. Well in the one of the kitchen pendants I removed one the bulbs and all of a sudden, all the light stopped flickering. I put the bulb back in and the flickering started up once again. So I swapped it out for one of the led bulbs I had and no flickering anywhere in any light. I put his bulb back in and flickering. I then take that one bulb a put it in a different location on that circuit and all the lights started to flicker once again. So all their issues were from a defective led bulb that was brand new. Not say cheap house brand bulbs are all bad, but sometimes it is just better to spend a little bit more for name brand. All in all I spent a little over an hour trying to figure out the issue. So that one bulb cost him a whole lot. Something to think about when going the cheap way.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your post
I'm a 15 year journeyman , my most recent find was that the coffee machine being plugged into the same circuit as the one with the recess made them flicker . Wasn't even running, just being on made the lights flicker until it turned off
Just installed a new light fixture in the master bath. Its a 6 light fixture and I installed 60W LED bulbs. Turned the lights on and there is a slight flicker. Anyone have any ideas of why?
Was waiting for the shock or the switch to be flipped off.
I have fluorescent lights my issue was the ballast needed changing and that stop the flickering.
I installed a new 3 way dimmer I get 1 flicker on initial turn on then no issue led bulbs compatible dimmer. Any ideas. Thx
Thanks.
Here's one for you: I turn on the light in one room and the light goes dim in another room, I plug a small appliance in one socket and another small Appliance goes faster or slower at another socket
I’m confused. My issue is the 3rd and you say switch to “dimmable” on switch and bulb. I already have BOTH and it it doing that, but not dimming ones. It can’t be a steady 60w?
I put brand new dimmer switch and brand new dimmable led bulbs and I am still getting a flickering when it is on high, could this be the wiring to the actual lighting fixture?
My heroes.
I’m bummed, I didn’t see my house’s symptoms in this video. My LEDs pulse at about 1 Hz every now and then, typically lasting for several minutes. It seems like the incoming power to my house is either out of phase or dropping voltage. The house was built in the 60s and has the original supply and panel. Any ideas?
I've got one bulb in my basement doing exactly that! A slight flash every second, I watch it for 5 minutes, then turn my back and the bastard is burning steady!!!!
buy an oscilloscope?
Check the bulbs, maybe cheap bulbs but check the bulbs. There seems to be issues that no ones really touching on . One commentor said it could be just one bulb. I would try that.
Another problem with some led bulbs is low frequency flickering when they are switched off. In this case usually the null wire is passed through the switch ( instead of live wire) and when you put the switch in off position, small amount of current passes through the led and leakes (due to many factors including the capacitance between disconnected null and the led) This is both dangerous (since the holder is always live) and annoying as you get flickers during night.
The driver in an LED bulb can also fail. It can be total failure which results in no light at all, or a gradual failure, flickering or going dim then brightening. Change the bulb.
I have an outdoor fixture that flickers. Simple two position switch, single bulb. Switch and fixture were both replaced but flicker still happening
I had an issue with flickering LED fixtures; the issue was a lighted switch or night light switch incompatibility with the LED bulbs. When I ran a voltage meter test, the neutral was carrying 85 volts of charge in the off position of a 110 volt connection.
Why was ur neutral carrying a voltage of 85? And in reference to what? Seems like u have bigger problems unless ur terminology is off
@@Nick-bh1fy
The issue was a continuous current that was being fed by an LED fixture and a nightlight switch/lighted when the fixture is turned “off.” The switch states not compatible with LED lights but it does not define the effect. In my case, it was flickering LED fixtures. When I tested the leads, I was surprised at load the neutral was carrying-basically it created an open ground that fed back to the breaker box; hence, it was returning a charge to the service line.
What about the LED light that flickers and the switch is not a dimming style switch?
I had a different issue with my new house
The old dimmers that when off, left 1 or two bulbs in the fixture stay dimly lit.
..”new” house, but “old” dimmers…. Hmmm…
Flickering lights at my 1892 home means the resident ghost is at it again.
At a house, flickering LED lightbulbs bypass the switch power company. Check the neutral on the main powerline coming in ran power across the street to the neighbors house tempting the lights and they still flicker reveal lightbulbs. Replaced them and they stopped flickering.
Several years ago my lights were flickering and It took me a while but I found loose neutral wires in the breaker panel.
One could also have a loose connection a at the circuit breaker if the flicker happens after a trim.
I have a flickering LED bulb. Swapped it with the bulb in another fixture. All is good. Can someone explain this one? The switches are good and the sockets are nice and clean; all indoors.
Are any of these issues a fire hazard?
I have a light that flickers when I run the vacuum. Any fix for this situation?
I have both dimmable led bulbs and dimmer switches rated for leds, but I still get a flicker when I initially turn them on. And a humming noise. Should I chalk it up to cheap Chinese led bulbs?
Yes
How about distance from a transformer and or weak transformer up the alley or line?
What if they al fllicker during different intervals everytime the central air unit kicks on. It didn't do it until after we had a bad electrical storm that caused a transformer to blow?
I have flickering LEDs on a 3 light fixture but not all of them with no dimmer. I did notice with a multimeter when I replaced my bathroom fan switch it showed only 20 volts for some reason but when I went to the breaker box it shows full voltage. So I’m wondering if their is a bad splice there that feeds both switches and could be causing the issue. Or maybe the LED’s just suck.
Did you ever get this sorted out? I've got the same issue and am just starting to dig into it.
@@vrts it’s been so long I honestly don’t remember. I think I may have replaced the switch. I know I never fixed any wiring.
I did run into another led light bulb flickering again in another room the other day. I noticed the flickering one would stay illuminated slightly longer and fade out when I shut the switch off while the good one went off instantly. Anyway that one ended up being a bad bulb.
I installed a smart switch dimmer at a clients house today. I don’t believe that had led bulbs but the light would flicker on and him then be okay and turning off it would do the same. My wiring was correct on the switch side I didn’t have time to check out the fan but assumed it’s wired correct due to it happening after I installed the smart switch and I honestly have no idea why it would be doing that? It’s acting as if it’s trying to dim on or something
that not all the reasons a bulb will flicker, there is the loose joint In a junction box,or an appliance breaker could be above the lighting circuit that powers the bulb your trying to light up,just so you know.
Kevin is the same guy that would look down the barrel of a gun to see why it didn’t fire. Smh
When I was kid watch this for the demo
0:55 ❤
When we were sold the LED Bulbs hype that they would last longer, some claims up to 18 years! Ours did not, more like 2 to 3 years. They failed early or something else going on?
Yeah, when they first came out, they were made like a tank. I have many first generation bulbs and not a single one has burned out. They last basically forever. After a few years, the manufacturers started using cheaper components either to save money or to keep customers having to return and buy replacements.
Right, the actual LED doesn’t fail, the circuitry in the base of the bulb fails, especially if the bulb is in an enclosed area.
A bad ground from the service panel to the water pipe or ground rod can cause this also.
Could also be corroded wires. Or loose breaker.
even the LED dimmer switches can make some bulbs flicker. If you have a smart bulb that can be dimmed by voice through Alexa just install a standard switch. I had both the Kasa and Philips color wifi bulbs flicker a bit with the LED dimmer.
Agreed. Smart bulbs like Philips Hue require constant hot, and should never be dimmed using a wall dimmer.
If you have Philips Hue and you want a wall dimmer as well, Philips makes a battery-powered remote that you can mount to the wall. Or you could mount the Lutron Aurora dimmer over an existing switch, which allows you to dim your Philips Hue lights easily with no wiring changes.
I have a different situation than the 3 in this video. I have a basement light, pull chain, works fine with an incandescent bulb, but when I put in an LED bulb - the bulb sometimes flickers, and sometimes does not light at all. If I put the incandescent bulb back in - it works fine; there is no dimmer switch. Why would an incandescent bulb work, but an LED does not work?
Easier to switch to incandescent on a few dimmers I have . Rather experiment on many manufactures of dimming bulbs and dimmers and returning ones that don’t work . Especially items as perfectly working new ceiling fans .
The most common cause is a bad ground at the meter panel or a breaker burning on the buss, you can also check for loose wires in the panel.
No it's not, a loose ground won't affect your lights flickering. A loose neutral would though.
@@empire0 ok not flickering but more like dimming and getting bright again it is the system not grounded well, trust me after 43 years being an electrician at the cost where the salt air corrodes grounding connections I’ve seen it many times.
I upgraded all my bulbs to LED a few years ago.. and all was fine. Then I upgraded my tank water heater to a big 3 line electric water heater. Everything was working fine. Then 6 months later we noticed some new LED bulbs flickering when water is heating. The old bulbs that don't flicker are Ecosmart daylight 120v 60hz 9.5w 193ma 840 Lumens non-dimmable . The new bulbs that flicker are Ecosmart 120v 60hz 9.5w 171ma 840lm non-dimmable and 120v 60hz 9.5w 150ma 800lm non-dimmable. I also tried 9w and 8w bulbs and dimmable from other brands. Everything new flickers. I'm sure my system is too big for my house and this 200 amp service. About to call an electrician and possibly downgrading my water heater. We have 3 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, 4 adult occupants.
if you aren't drawing down the water a lot at one time, only 1 element will be active, probably 20 amps
Yeah didn’t know you need a compatible bulb for the dimmer thanks boys