Why is the LED lamp flashing?

Lighting devices are gradually being replaced by LED lamps. But if you install them in a chandelier, flickering sometimes appears. It is difficult to immediately diagnose why the light in the apartment is flashing. The device flickers not only when turned on, but also when the light is turned off. Because of this, an overload occurs and the life of the appliance is reduced. A blinking light creates great discomfort for a person. This phenomenon can occur for several reasons. Expert advice will help you understand why the LED lamp is flashing.

Reasons for blinking when the light is off

It often happens that after turning off the light, the flickering of the lamp continues. During the day, this is not visible, but at night, weak flickering flashes become clearly distinguishable.Why does the energy-saving lamp flash when the light is off? This behavior of the device can occur for 3 reasons: a low-quality product, a bad neon illuminated switch, or its incorrect installation.

Fault and wiring problems

If the LED lamp flickers after turning off, the problem may be with the wiring. It is necessary to check how the cable with the phase is connected. The correct connection is considered when the phase passes through the switch, and is not connected directly to the luminaire. A diode indicator screwdriver will help to recognize the phase wire. Having correctly distributed the wires, the light bulb is once again checked for operability. Blinking often occurs due to induced voltage. This is when the power wire is too close to the disconnected cable.

When working with wiring, you need:

• take into account its condition;
• observe safety precautions.

If the switch used does not have night illumination, and flickering continues, then it is better to completely replace the wiring with a new one.

Illuminated switch

Illuminated switches are the most popular among consumers. The design is equipped with a neon lamp or a simple LED, which makes it easy to find the switch at night. But with the addition of a new part, the LED light started flashing. This is due to a small charge that accumulates on the filter capacitor:

• when the switch is turned on, electricity flows directly to the lamp, and when turned off, to the LED;
• due to the current flow, the filter begins to constantly charge, and the lamp flickers.

Since there are 2 ways to remove the blinking of the LED lamp, choose one of them. Instead of an energy-saving model, they put an incandescent lamp or disconnect the power circuit by turning off the backlight. If the lamp has 2 light bulbs, then by replacing one of them with an incandescent lamp, you can get rid of the flicker. The fastest and easiest way is to install simple switches without lighting.

Poor quality lamps

The lamp in the off state may flash when it is faulty. There are many products on the market that do not meet the standard, and in order to save money, many people buy appliances from unknown manufacturers. If the product was purchased of poor quality, then it is enough to purchase a new lamp. What to consider when buying:

• manufacturer;
• high-quality lamps are sold in whole packages;
• The product is tested for functionality.

Compact models are very popular. In utility rooms and corridors, it is customary to install LED lamps with a cold temperature regime, in children's rooms, living rooms and other residential premises - with a warm tint.

Turn off the backlight in the switch

To get rid of flashing in a 220 V lamp, you need to remove the LED or neon backlight from the switch. To do this, prepare all the necessary tools:

• flat head screwdriver;
• indicator screwdriver;
• wire cutters;
• knife.

Before starting work, turn off the electricity. If fuses are installed in the house, then they are unscrewed. If there is an automatic shutdown knob on the panel, then it is put in the “off” position. The work of disassembling the backlight is identical to replacing a simple switch:

1. Decorative on-off keys located on the case have latches. They are hooked on both sides and carefully removed.
2. To remove the device from the box, unscrew the mounting bolts.
3. Contact wires must be de-energized. They are checked with an indicator screwdriver.
4. Before disconnecting the wires, carefully remember their location.
5. The body of the structure consists of 2 parts that are fastened with latches. Therefore, it is examined for their presence.
6. Having found the latches, they are moved apart. In this case, the switch will be divided into 2 parts.
7. A resistor with a light bulb is soldered to one of the parts. The LED or neon light bulb is disconnected and removed.

The switch without illumination is assembled in the reverse order. The whole job will take no more than 30 minutes.

Flickering when the switch is on

Finding out why the LED spotlight is flashing is easy. It is enough to turn it on and look at the LED. To protect your eyes from bright flashes, you need to use dark glass:

1. All crystals are connected in series with gold wires and glow blue.
2. In working condition, they heat up and transfer heat to a metal plate.
3. If one of the crystals goes out, the contact between the wires breaks and the circuit stops working.

There are two reasons why the LED lamp may flash when on. This is insufficient voltage in the network and a poor-quality power supply. Sometimes the junction of the crystal and the wire temporarily closes. Spotlight blinks intermittently or continuously, then recovers. It is difficult to determine such a malfunction.

Too low mains voltage

The LED element has two types of flicker: low frequency and high frequency. The mains current range changes up to 50 times per second. It's called a sinusoid. If there is a weak voltage in the mains, then the LED lamps flash in the on state. This problem is most often observed in villages and some regional quarters. The electricity is weak, and the voltage in the outlet does not exceed 200 V. What to do:

1. In order for the LED light bulb to work stably and without interruption, it must be equipped with a high-quality driver. For residents of such areas, lamp models with a voltage of 180-250 V are suitable.
2. Sometimes low voltage appears if the device is turned on with a dimmer. If it is not fully turned on, models that do not support dimmer operation will flicker. To fix the problem, you need to increase the power. To do this, the adjusting knob is raised to the rated voltage.
3. Any electrical appliance will work poorly and quickly fail with unstable mains voltage. The installed resistor with a power of several kW will provide a stable voltage in the network.
4. If the 12V lights that are connected to the power supply are flashing, this may be due to a lack of power. Most often, this problem occurs in spotlights, when LED bulbs are installed instead of halogen models. There is a parallel connection, due to which an additional load is obtained and a voltage drop occurs.

Poor product problem

If the LED is equipped with a poor power supply, then it will not be able to sufficiently smooth the rectified voltage in the network.When the pulsation of light occurs with a small amplitude, then for a person it may be imperceptible. But too much flicker, which occurs every day, affects the retina of the eyes, causing them great harm. A device with a pulsation of more than 20% affects mental activity and working capacity. With such lighting it is impossible to read and work on a computer:

1. In Russia, there are permissible KP standards, which are regulated by SanPin 2.2.1 / 2.1.1.1278-03. Therefore, product manufacturers indicate the ripple factor on each package. But the products of Chinese manufacturers have inaccurate data. Most often, the KP indicated on the package exceeds the figure several times.
2. If a product of an unknown manufacturer was purchased, then you can try to change the technical characteristics of the device yourself. To make the light bulb work without flickering, replace the smoothing capacitor. The base of the device is opened, the capacitor inside is changed to a similar model of a larger capacity.

All problems with LED lamps can be fixed independently. The main thing is to establish the cause of the blinking and determine which method is best to get rid of the problem.

Similar articles: