Five Reasons Your LED Bulbs Might be Flickering

Adapted from TheSpruce.com, written by Elizabeth McGrath

In general, flickering lights are caused by a simple drop or fluctuation in household voltage that causes the lights to dim momentarily. A variety of common issues can cause your lights to flicker, and understanding the specific causes will tell exactly what to do to solve it.

BULB TYPE

Fluorescent light bulbs are more prone to flickering than LED and other bulb types. Low or high temperatures, aging bulbs or tubes, and normal warm-up cycles can all cause fluorescent bulbs to flicker. Small amounts of flickering aren’t a cause for concern, but if constant flickering or dimming are occurring, replace your fluorescent bulb to correct it. If the new bulb or tube still flickers, it is likely that the fixture has a bad ballast. You can replace the ballast on old fixtures (upgrading to an electronic ballast in the process), but it's usually simpler to replace the entire fixture.

OUTDATED DIMMER SWITCHES

Dimmer switches are a common source of flickering with LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs. Older dimmer switches and current conventional dimmers are designed for use with standard incandescent light bulbs, and they often don't work well with LED bulbs. If your LED is controlled by a dimmer,

the easiest fix is to buy a good-quality "dimmable" LED bulb. If that doesn't solve the problem, replace the old dimmer with a new dimmer designed for LED bulbs. You will still need to use dimmable LEDs with these dimmers, but the new switch will be optimized for LEDs and likely will give you better performance.

LOOSE LIGHT BULBS

Bulbs that aren't screwed in all the way or are otherwise attached incompletely can make for a weak electrical connection with the light fixture's contacts, resulting in flickering. Simply tightening the bulb usually solves this problem. If this occurs with a fluorescent tube, try rotating the tube in the fixture mounts to make sure the metal pins on the ends of the tube are making good contact. In older lamps or light fixtures, the sockets themselves may wear out so that the bulb can no longer make good contact with the metal tab in the bottom of the bulb socket. In this instance, you will need to replace the socket or the entire light fixture.

FAULTY LAMP SWITCH OR CORD

A bad connection in your lamp or fixture’s on-off switch can result in flickering. Troubleshoot the connections by wiggling the on-off switch. If your lights dim as you do this, you

probably have a bad switch. In-line cord switches are easy to replace. If the switch is part of a lamp socket, simply replace the entire socket (also an easy job, but it requires a bit of simple wiring).

Cord plugs can also be the source of bad electrical connections. Make sure the cord plug is in good shape and is not loose in the electrical outlet. If necessary, replace the plug end or the entire cord.

INSUFFICIENT CURRENT

Large current draw on a circuit can cause lights to dim but not really flicker. If you notice your lights dimming briefly when certain appliances (such as a refrigerator) kick on, or if the lights stay dim while a toaster or heater is running, the electrical circuit is overloaded and there's not enough current available for the lights. The real problem is that those highdemand appliances should not be on the same circuits as the lighting.

Recent electrical codes require that high demand appliances each be served by their own dedicated circuit, but in older homes, it's common for the refrigerator, dishwasher, and other appliances to be served by the same general circuits that serve the lighting fixtures and standard outlets. This may well cause the lights to dim each time the appliances kick in.

If your light fixtures are using high wattage incandescent light bulbs, you may be able to rectify the situation by replacing them with low-wattage LED bulbs that provide the same illumination while drawing less power. Or, you can simply plug the lamp into a different circuit. But the fact remains that your electrical service is probably insufficient for the load. Consult with an electrician; you may need to add one or more circuits to correct this problem.

WHEN FLICKERING INDICATES A SERIOUS PROBLEM

Flickering lights are normally not a cause for alarm. But sometimes they can indicate a more serious underlying issue. Constant or severe drops in lighting can result from circuit overloads or faulty connections somewhere along the circuit. Both problems can be serious safety concerns and should be discussed with an electrician.