Modern LED lights are well known for their efficiency and effectiveness. They are the best option in your office, home or even on the dance floor.
You may be experiencing flickering of the LED lights in your home or place at work. If so, you are in the right place to get the solution to your flickering lights.
To start off. Let us clear one thing up, all lights flicker. There are just some that we do not notice. For example, the phone screen that you are looking at right now is flickering. Yes, really. The only difference between your phone screen and that annoying flickering light you are trying to fix is the speed at which it flickers.
This is measured in the unit Hertz. As humans, our naked eye can notice flickering at about 50 Hertz. But once it reaches up to about 100 Hertz, our eyes can no longer really detect the flickering of these led bulbs.
As we all know, LED lights are a big advancement when compared to their predecessor, incandescent bulbs. However, since they are relatively new technology and are not standardized everywhere yet and there are still some issues with their use and setting them up properly. Thus, led lights flickering is a common problem.
Studies has revealed that prolonged exposure to flicker emitted by LED lights can lead to various health problems including eye strain, headaches, blurred vision, fatigue, apparent slowing or stopping of motion, reduced visual task performance and in some cases, neurological problems.
Can Light Flickering Cause a Fire?
Yes! Light flickering is to be taken very seriously. A flickering led bulb can be a sign that can most definitely lead to a fire. To find out why, we need to look at the root problems again. One of those root problems is one of the main causes for led flickering.
That is the sign of loose wires which are a very common source for house fires. If you think you may have this issue, contact an electrician very soon.
Do LED Lights Flicker When They Are About To Burn Out?
Normally, no. Flickering LEDs do not suggest that they are about to burn out. Instead, if an LED is burning out, it will get dimmer and dimmer with time. If they are flickering, they need to be checked and then possibly replaced.
Are Flickering LED Lights Dangerous?
As mentioned before, yes, they can be dangerous by showing signs of a possible fire due to bad connections.
But also, they have also been linked to some health problems. When the LEDs flicker they are proven to cause conditions such as headaches and constant eye strain. Therefore, it is not recommended to stay exposed to LEDs for long periods of time.
Only LED Bulbs Burn Out?
No, all other types of bulbs burn out as well. LEDs are actually one of the hardest since they do not use a lot of power therefore not generating large amounts of heat such as older versions of the lightbulbs that use tungsten to create heat to provide light.
Therefore, the older versions were very inefficient and costly. LEDs do burn out, but if you take proper care of them, they will last much longer than most other bulbs.
Why Do LEDs Flicker When Turned Off?
Once the LED’s power supply is cut off. It shuts off immediately. As mentioned before, the job of the constant current led driver is to convert from Alternating Current to Direct Current.
So, if this is not working and the bulb is connected directly to the AC supply, then the LED bulb will flicker at 50 Hertz.
This means that the human eye will be able to detect it. This is reason for the common misconception of the LED bulbs flickering slower. This is because it is not connected to the correct supply.
Summery
Some may think that just replacing something because it looks the same will work. This is not true you need to be sure that you read the specifications on the product before buying. A pro tip is to save the boxes of the products that you buy. That way you can easily return them and go back to get the right parts.
The flicker effect is there no matter what. The goal is we want the right speed of flickering to get optimum performance. To be sure that your system is safe, make it a habit to a regular checkup on your circuit breakers and breaker connections to be sure that if something does happen, there will be minimal damage.
Also, if you are not experienced at all with electricity or it’s principles, I would suggest to hire a professional. It is always better to be safe than sorry. The professionals know exactly what to do and will do it correctly.
Now you know exactly what to do when a LED bulb tries to break down on you. Just follow the clues!
