Why Do My LED Light Bulbs Flicker?

Lighting - by Joe Weber - updated on 7/12/2024

If you're like me and work from home or enjoy the peaceful serenity of a good book and a comfy couch, you understand how infuriating a flickering light can be. When you have flickering LED lights in your home it can drive you crazy to the point where you need to stop doing whatever you are doing to find the bulb or change it. But why do they flicker in the first place?

What Causes LED Light Bulbs to Flicker?

There are quite a few reasons why LED bulbs can start to flicker. Some are easily remedied while others will need the expertise of an electrician.

• Dimmer Compatibility - Using LED bulbs with dimmers designed for Halogen can cause flickering.
• Loose Bulbs - Sometimes the bulb is loose and only needs to be tightened slightly. Be careful though, you don't want to tighten it so much that the bulb breaks.
• Dirty Sockets - Dust and dirt can accumulate in the socket and interfere with the connection.
• Loose Wiring - If you have an older home this could definitely be a cause. If cleaning sockets and tightening bulbs didn't help, you may want to call an electrician to take a look at your wiring.
• Using Non-Dimmable Bulbs with Dimmers - It's no surprise that dimmable and non-dimmable bulbs are different. Using non-dimmable bulbs with a dimmer switch can cause flickering and other issues.
• Overloading Circuits - It's the 21st century. We have appliances aplenty in our homes. If your circuits aren't large enough to handle the power demanded from all of these appliances, you will see flickering in your lights.
• Inrush Currents - It sounds exotic and scary but it's not. It's something that we've all experienced at one point or another. When your A/C turns on do your lights dim or flicker? That's what an inrush current is. It means your lights are on the same circuit as the high-powered appliance and the sudden energy draw is too much so there isn't enough energy to provide the full power to other electronics on the circuit for a brief moment.
• Bad Bulb - LED bulbs are pretty sophisticated. The bulb itself could have faulty circuitry in it, causing the bulb to flicker.

My Lights Flicker Even When They are Switched Off

This is a common issue in homes with smart light switches. Smart light switches come packed with extra features like WiFi, nightlights, USB ports and more. These switches require power at all times for these features to work so when there is an issue with the circuitry inside the switch, the lights connected to that switch could get random signals and flickers.

How Do I Stop My Lights From Flickering?

First things first, if you are experiencing flickering light bulbs, check to make sure that they are screwed in all the way into the socket.

Other things you can do to stop the flickering are

• Take the bulb out of the socket and blow out any dust or debris that may be causing connection issues.
• Stop using electronics and appliances on the same circuit at the same time.
• Replace any old LED bulbs. LED bulbs last a very long time, upwards of 25,000 hours of use, but, things happen and sometimes they need to be replaced a little earlier than that.
• Check the compatibility of the light switch in the room you are having the issue in.
• Have a certified electrician come check out the wiring in the house to ensure safe usage.

Can Flickering Turn Into A Bigger Issue?

I'm sure you've seen the warnings at the beginning of some movies, TV shows and video games about flashing lights and seizures. Flickering and flashing lights, especially in the 3Hz - 70Hz range can result in seizures in some people. This is why you should address the flickering issue right away.

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