New lights flickering slightly

woodsford

Hi,

Electrician came around to fit a new light and I can see that the light is flickering slightly.

What to do?

Obviously will call the electrician back but I wonder what is the common cause behind this?

Robin9

Switch it off - take the bulb out, out it back in -  switch on. Does it still flicker ?

Carrot007

I doubt it is anything to do with the electrician.

Bad bulb? Bulb works elsewhere?

Dimmer switch/multiple levels of dimming (say 4 settings), often not compativle with leds.

Did you tell him which bulbs you were going to be working to expect compatibility.

Did you get the cheapest electrician palming off of old stock becuase you did not talk about the real requirements?

FaceHead

What sort of light is it? Does it flicker constantly or intermittently? 

Those push in connections, if not pushed fully in can lead to flickering. Very amateurish for a professional to not have pushed it in all the way, so surely this isn't the cause.

Agree that it's likely to be some combination of switch and bulb.

Sandtree

Is it an LED bulb?
Is it on a dimmer switch?
Have you tried the same bulb elsewhere and tried a known "good bulb" in this fitting?

woodsford

Hi All,

It is not a LED bulb. It is a dimmable bulb and we have a dimmer.

The dimmer switch is quite new as well. A simple white PvC dimmer switch.

Tried taking the bulb out then putting it back in but it still flicker slightly. Any ideas?

victor2

What sort of bulb is it then? CFL or an ancient incandescent one?

Does the bulb work elsewhere without a dimmer switch?

Why not get a dimmable LED bulb? But be aware they are not compatible with all dimmer switches, so you may need a new switch as well.

woodsford

victor2 said:

What sort of bulb is it then? CFL or an ancient incandescent one?

Does the bulb work elsewhere without a dimmer switch?

Why not get a dimmable LED bulb? But be aware they are not compatible with all dimmer switches, so you may need a new switch as well.

Hi Victor,

The bulb works fine and it is just the slight flickering from time to time. Not all the time but I do notice it.

I'm not an expert but it is this bulb: https://lightsandlamps.com/products/e27-bulb-opal?pr_prod_strat=copurchase&pr_rec_pid=4645283430483&pr_ref_pid=6603856674899&pr_seq=uniform

I'd love to try the bulb elsewhere but unfortunately I don't have any other lights which can take E27 bulb.

Any ideas?

koalakoala

Probably the dimmer switch

victor2

woodsford said:

victor2 said:

What sort of bulb is it then? CFL or an ancient incandescent one?

Does the bulb work elsewhere without a dimmer switch?

Why not get a dimmable LED bulb? But be aware they are not compatible with all dimmer switches, so you may need a new switch as well.

Hi Victor,

The bulb works fine and it is just the slight flickering from time to time. Not all the time but I do notice it.

I'm not an expert but it is this bulb: https://lightsandlamps.com/products/e27-bulb-opal?pr_prod_strat=copurchase&pr_rec_pid=4645283430483&pr_ref_pid=6603856674899&pr_seq=uniform

I'd love to try the bulb elsewhere but unfortunately I don't have any other lights which can take E27 bulb.

Any ideas?

That does appear to be an LED bulb. I have seen them flicker when they're on their way out. Don't believe the 20,000 hour life claimed!

But it is quite possibly the dimmer switch. Does it flicker if at maximum brightness? If not, then see about getting a new LED compatible dimmer switch.

woodsford

victor2 said:

woodsford said:

victor2 said:

What sort of bulb is it then? CFL or an ancient incandescent one?

Does the bulb work elsewhere without a dimmer switch?

Why not get a dimmable LED bulb? But be aware they are not compatible with all dimmer switches, so you may need a new switch as well.

Hi Victor,

The bulb works fine and it is just the slight flickering from time to time. Not all the time but I do notice it.

I'm not an expert but it is this bulb: https://lightsandlamps.com/products/e27-bulb-opal?pr_prod_strat=copurchase&pr_rec_pid=4645283430483&pr_ref_pid=6603856674899&pr_seq=uniform

I'd love to try the bulb elsewhere but unfortunately I don't have any other lights which can take E27 bulb.

Any ideas?

That does appear to be an LED bulb. I have seen them flicker when they're on their way out. Don't believe the 20,000 hour life claimed!

But it is quite possibly the dimmer switch. Does it flicker if at maximum brightness? If not, then see about getting a new LED compatible dimmer switch.

Thank you Victor.

The bulb is new and it does flicker at maximum brightness. How can I tell if the dimmer is a LED compatible dimmer switch or not?

I wonder if there is some sort of labels within the back of the switch which state this.