Flickering wall lights

KTJ_2

I have 2 separate wall lights in my living room controlled by 1 dimmer switch. Normally the lights are fine but sometimes when the lights are dimmed, they flicker very badly and only stop flickering when I put the lights on full.

After a while the flickering will stop.

any ideas why? Is it dodgy electrics, the dimmer switch or the bulbs?

Melissa177

I had the opposite problem with my dimmer switch - they started flickering when I turn them too high!

I changed the light bulb from a 40W to a 100W light bulb - no problem now.

I recommend you check your light bulb wattage - maybe you have a bulb which is too high in wattage for the fitting?

Melly31

Its not that the bulb wattage is too high-its that its too low, like the above post just said-they changed their bulb from a 40w to a 100w, although they contradict themselves by asking if you've got a bulb thats too high?

You need a minimum of 100w, this can be for a light fitting with 1 bulb, 2 or 10, it doesn't matter how many there are as long as the total wattage amounts to 100w, (ie you can have a 5 bulb light fitting as long as each bulb is 20w), any less than that & you get your problem, & if you don't change the bulbs they'll probably end up blowing completely!

If there is only 1 bulb per light i suggest you get the energy saving ones.

Hope that's helped?

Mel.

Melissa177

Hi,

I quite possibly made a mistake. My logic was, if my bulb was flickering when turned up high, and that switching the 40W bulb for a 100W bulb corrected the problem, then KTJ's issue with the bulb flickering when on low meant that her current bulb was too high...?

Good point about not exceeding the wattage of your light fixture, however, or the fuse will blow.