Do LED Light Bulbs Flicker?

LED Light bulbs have spiked in popularity over the past decade. Their efficiency and long lifespan makes them an easy choice for homes and business alike. That said, there have still been some concerns regarding LEDs, one of which being the possibility of flickering. Continue reading on as we see how valid this concern is.

The quick answer is yes. LED light bulbs are capable of flickering, but this is almost always due to external factors. In most cases, the flickering comes from power source it’s connected to, rather than the bulb itself.

What Does "Flicker" Mean?

Flickering is essentially when a light bulb turns on and off at an extremely rapid pace. Most of the time, this is noticeable to the human eye, but not always. Some lights flicker over 100 times per second. 

At this speed, our brain doesn’t notice the flickering, but it can be just as harmful. Many people experience dizziness, nausea and headaches due to invisible light flicker.

Have LED Light Bulbs Always Flickered?

While LED bulbs rarely flicker nowadays, it used to be much more of a problem a few decades ago. This is due to the differences between how LEDs and incandescent bulbs operate.

The electricity in most outlets utilized AC (altering current) power, which operates at around 60hz (meaning it turns on and off around 60 times per second). 

Anything below 100hz can be viewed by the human eye, but this causes no problem for incandescent light bulbs. As you might’ve heard, incandescent bulbs give off much more heat than LEDs.

Not only does this use up much more power, but it also lets the bulb stay illuminated between the AC power’s on/off cycle. 

On the other hand, LED light bulbs turn off almost instantly after the power it cut. While this saved a lot of power, it caused the AC’s cycle to be visible, hence why LED flickering used to be such a problem. 

For more information on the differences between LED and Incandescent light bulbs, click here!

Nowadays LED Bulbs usually aren’t connected directly to an AC power source. Instead, most modern LED Bulbs and Fixtures connect to DC (Direct Current) power supplies, which prevents them from flickering.

Are LED Bulbs More Likely to Flicker?

As mentioned previously, LED light bulbs lose their light right after they disconnect from a power source. This makes them more cost effective, live longer and produce less heat with more light.

While LED light bulbs don’t flicker by themselves, their instant shutoff time makes them extremely sensitive to voltage changes and improper wiring connections.

What Causes LED Bulbs to Flicker?

Dimmers

Dimmer switches seem to be the most common culprit when it comes to LED light bulbs flickering. More specifically, problems arise when LED light bulbs are combined with older, incandescent dimmer switches. 

A malfunctioning dimmer, even if meant for LEDs, can cause an LED light bulb to flicker as well.

Loose Bulbs

Believe it or not, simply screwing in a bulb improperly can cause flickering. This prevents the bulb from connecting to the power source correctly.

Even if this isn’t the main cause for your LED bulb’s flickering, checking beforehand might save you a heap of unnecessary work. Just make sure there isn’t any power directed to the bulb when screwing it in, as touching a live socket can be very dangerous.

Large Appliances

Large appliances like refrigerators, ovens, or washing machines demand a lot of power. It’s not uncommon for them to fight with LED light bulbs for power. And most of the time, the appliances win.

Using incandescent light bulbs can result in this "power tug-of-war" happening as well. Because incandescent bulbs use more power, they can also pull it from LED’s if they’re on the same current. Both these cases can cause LED light bulbs to flicker.

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