Due to the growth of the lighting generation to reduce electricity consumption, LED bulbs replaced high-consumption incandescent lamps. These lamps are used in most homes, offices, etc. One of the problems that may arise for LED lamps is their flickering. What is led? why are my LED lights flickering? We will check further.
In LED lamps, lighting is obtained by the gas-electric discharge method. By passing electric current, mercury atoms are affected and ultraviolet rays are produced. Visible light is created when ultraviolet rays hit the phosphor in the lamp.
Why are LED lights flickering
LED lights flickering is a problem that may happen to all lamps. This problem is such that there are very rapid changes in the brightness of the lamps. This problem can have various reasons.
To avoid LED light bulbs flickering, you must first find the reason why the LED bulb is blinking. Also, before finding the reason, you should consider the condition of your lamp, flashing time, and other components inside the circuit such as transformer, dimmer, switch, sensor, etc. In general, the following reasons can be mentioned as the most common root of this problem:
- Transformers
- Improper wiring
- Illuminated keys
- Problem with dimmers
- Incompatible motion sensor
led lights flickering due to transformer problem
Lamps that have used transformers in their structure may fluctuate in this part due to various reasons such as the quality of transformers and the amount of output voltage. As a result, the lamp flickers.
Approach: To solve this problem, if you are using transformers that have inappropriate swing output or old transformers, you should replace them with new models available in the market that are special for LED lamps.
Wrong wiring (shifting phase and neutral)
The correct wiring is that the neutral wire is directly connected to the lamp the phase wire is first connected to the switch and the return phase is connected to the lamp.
If the correct wiring method is not followed and the phase is directly connected to the lamp, the low-power lamp will not function properly and will start to flicker.
Approach: For lamp wiring, always use standard color wires. The red wire is always considered as the phase wire and must be connected to one of the terminals of the switch.
The return wire from the key should also be red. Some people choose the brown-colored phase return wire from the switch to the lamp. The blue wire is also the neutral wire in the wiring standard. The neutral wire must be directly connected to the lamp.
Therefore, if the reason for the flashing of the low-energy lamp is incorrect wiring, you will have no choice but to move the phase and neutral wires together.
led lights flickering on a dimmer
A dimmer is an electronic circuit that changes the brightness of a lamp. Usually, old dimmers need a minimum load to adjust the brightness of the lamp. The incompatibility of the lamp and the dimmer causes the LED lights flickering
Approach:When buying an LED or low-consumption lamp, make sure that it can be connected to a dimmer. If your LED lamp or low-energy lamp blinks despite the dimmer, it is better to open the dimmer switch and use the single-bridge switch instead.
Inconsistent and inappropriate motion sensor
Another reason for LED lights flickering is the use of an inappropriate motion sensor. Motion sensors are infrared or IR sensors that consist of two infrared LEDs, a transmitter and a receiver.
If an obstacle is placed between the transmitted and received light, the motion sensors detect the slightest movement and turn on the connected lamp. Therefore, if the infrared transmitter and receiver do not do their job properly and are constantly detecting movement, the lamp connected to the light will start flashing. These sensors should work with the lowest amount of load.
Approach:
To solve this problem, reduce the load of the sensors or install a relay or switch in the circuit path. The switch relay will control the fluctuation of the current from its input to the output, so the flickering of the light or bulb will be eliminated.
led lights flickering due to the light switch
If your power switch is one of those that has a small light bulb inside it can be the cause of this problem. This small lamp is installed to more easily identify the location of the key in the dark.
The light of these keys has a large resistance that causes a small current to pass, but this small current causes the lamp circuit to be active and causes the lamp to flicker.
Approach:
If this is the cause of your low-energy light bulb blinking, you should use bulbless switches in these cases. If you don't intend to change the key, open your key case with a phase meter and pull out the lamp inside the key or cut a string of wires of the lamp inside the key.
Defects in the performance of the capacitor
The internal circuit of a low-power lamp is a rectifier circuit that consists of several diodes, capacitors, and transistors. This circuit is responsible for rectifying AC alternating current and converting it to direct current or DC. DC direct current is a current that can only flow in one direction.
For the correct operation of the low-power lamp, the voltage value of the capacitors of the rectifier circuit must be the amount to charge the capacitor. After the lamp starts to light, the capacitor is discharged.
Approach: When the capacitor is defective, not enough voltage is applied to the capacitor, and the capacitor is charged too little. As a result, the voltage on the other elements of the circuit is discharged and the capacitor starts charging again. This rapid charging and discharging in the capacitor is the cause of the blinking of the low-energy lamp. To solve this problem, a quality and standard capacitor must be used in the lamp circuit.
Connection of switch and power socket
The occurrence of small connections in the electrical switch or the presence of water and moisture in the switches, which usually occurs in the switches of toilets and bathrooms, can be the cause of the flashing of the low-energy lamp. Also, the use of electrical glue causes this problem, because after some time it loses its adhesion and causes a connection.
Approach: The most common reason for water leakage into the switches and sockets is that during the electrical wiring of the building, protective switches and sockets for wet environments such as bathrooms, kitchens, and yards are not used. These types of switches and sockets are protected by IP44 protectors, which automatically cut off the power in case of water leakage.
If the connection of the key is caused by electrical glue, using a connector or terminal is a suitable alternative to connect the wires inside the key.
The lamp is loose in the screw
LED lights flickering may cause Lamps that are not properly secured in place or not properly installed may have poor electrical connections and may flicker when turned on.
Approach: By properly and firmly connecting the lamp to the socket or screw, this problem will be solved by itself. If this happens with a fluorescent lamp, try to rotate the lamp well in the fixed mount to make sure the metal pin makes full contact with the end of the lamp.
A defective and poor-quality lamp
If all the mentioned cases are investigated and the flickering problem of the lamp is still not solved, then the problem is definitely with the lamp itself. Usually, the quality of the lamps and their defectiveness may cause such problems that to solve this problem, the lamp must be replaced and higher quality lamps should be used.
why are my LED lights flickering?
Low quality or approaching the end of the life of the LED lamp leads to the flickering of the lamp when it is on. When the lamp reaches the end of its life, it loses its capacitor capacity and the amount of light decreases, thus causing the LED lamp to fail.
But if the lamp was recently purchased and has a flashing problem; This problem is due to the use of low-quality parts such as power supply and weak and low-quality boards by the manufacturing companies, which leads to the burning of several internal parts of the lamp such as capacitors, fuses, resistors, ICs, etc.
Are flickering led lights dangerous
If you use LED lamps for indoor lighting, you should be careful. In general, the blinking of LED lamps is divided into two types: visible, or visible with the eye, and invisible or invisible blinking with the eye.
- Visible flashing: Visible flicker is a phenomenon seen by our eyes when the light output from a certain source changes rapidly, and it is very dangerous to human health. At the time of flashing, the lamps are at frequencies between 3 and 70,000, which may cause epileptic seizures in people if they are in the vicinity of these lamps. This is because the maximum range of occurrence of epileptic seizures is in the frequency range of 15 to 20000.
- Invisible flashing: This phenomenon is like visible blinking, with the difference that it cannot be seen by the human eye and occurs in a hidden way, and it also includes complications such as dizziness, migraine, chronic headaches, and nervous disorders.
To be safe from the dangers of flickering lamps and to prevent these potential dangers from becoming real, standard and high-quality lamps should be purchased. In the case of flickering lamps, take action to fix their problem to stay safe from the mentioned dangers.