A frequent issue associated with LED floodlights is that the lights can start flickering (flashing on/off). This disruption in the steady light stream can be distracting and irritating for many floodlight users.
I’ve had some problems with flashing floodlights in the past but, the good news is that there is a way to repair it and it’s almost never the bulb that is faulty.
LED floodlights can flash or flicker (strobe) for many reasons:
- Changes in the home or building’s voltage, it usually happens when appliances or electrical systems are in use, and that can cause shifting loads.
- High watt surges when devices as washing machines or electrical systems like, home theaters are turned on.
- If you got bad connections between the fixture, wiring, and the bulb.
- If your dimmer switch is not suited for LED lights.
There are two types of flickering with lights, visible flicker, and invisible flicker. Clearly visible flicker is the one our eyes can see, which is when the light output from a given source changes fast. It is studied that anything below a frequency of 100Hz can be seen.
Let’s go over what you can do to fix this annoying problem.
Inrush current from appliances
Did you know that some appliances in your home, require more power when they are first turned on?
The inrush current of motors within devices causes the voltage to fall and if the LEDs are on the same circuit you may see dimming of these lights.
This can happen for many types of lighting including LED lights.
How to fix:
You should already have devices on separate breakers such as your stove, fridge, washer, and dryer. But if you don’t have, a certified electrician can fix it for you.
Bad connections between the fixture, wiring, and the bulb
Another condition that regularly causes flickering in LED bulbs is loose connections and circuits.
How to fix:
You can try to just screw the LED bulb in tighter to see if that fixes the problem.
Dust can also cause problems, take a look if there’s a lot of dust in the fixture, first blow out the connection points to remove the dust before placing the bulb back in.
One thing that also can cause the flickering of the floodlights is, that there may be loose wiring at the fixture connection point.
You can disconnect power to the fixture and re-tighten the wiring to make sure it’s tight and secure, but if you’re unsure how to do it, get a certified electrician to do it for you.
The dimmer switch is not suited for LED lights
Did you know that some current and even new dimmer switches may not be compatible with LED lighting or you may have a non-dimmable light bulb in a dimmable light fixture?
How to fix:
Take a look at the labeling on your bulbs and fixtures and make sure you have the right light bulb.
Dimmers also have wattage ratings that vary depending on the type of light source whether it is LED, incandescent, halogen, etc. This affects the number of light fixtures on a dimmer depending on the unique wattages of each. Ganging dimmers or switches within the same back box will also de-rate the wattage the dimmer can securely manage.
