Do LED Lights Flicker When Burning Out? – All You Need to Know!

Do LED Lights Flicker When Burning Out? When you notice your LED lights flickering, you might worry that they will soon burn out.

LED lights flickering does not always mean that they are burning out. Loose electrical wiring, dirty sockets, and overloaded circuits are some of the reasons that cause LED lights to flicker.

This article will help you identify why your LED lights are flickering.

We warn you that if you want to check your LED lights yourself, you must be very careful with electric components.

Do LED Lights Flicker When Burning Out?

Do LED light bulbs flicker when burning out? Many people who adorn their houses with LED lights notice that the bulbs start flickering sometimes. 

Some customers wonder whether that has anything to do with burning out. Unfortunately, the answer is not very simple.

Many reasons might be causing the flickering. 

Only sometimes the flickering indicates burning out. Other times, it means another type of failure. Fortunately, those other failures are not fatal to your LED lights.

It is important to understand the many causes behind flickering LEDs. That way, you won’t spend money on more LED lights unnecessarily.

Reasons That Cause Your LED Lights To Flicker

We will help you better understand how your LED lights function. Below are the top reasons that cause LED lights to flicker.

Some of them are very easy to solve, so pay attention if you want to keep your LED bulbs working for a long time!

Reason #1: Downlight & Dimmer Compatibility

Incompatibilities between dimmers and downlights often cause flickering. That is because the downlight dimmer and downlights must be in sync. 

Flickering may occur when using outdated halogen-only dimmers on newer LED downlights. 

Thus, you must use LED dimmers with LED downlights of the same kind so that any problems may be reported and resolved directly with the manufacturer. 

Reason #2: Ripple Control and Ripple Effect

Ripple control, a method of regulating electrical demand, causes the ripple effect as an unintended consequence. The system helps power companies deal with peak use.

If there was no ripple control, power networks would be unable to meet everyone’s requirements.

In addition, load management is important to prevent damage to the power plant infrastructure. It may take some time before they can reconnect if this occurs.

Countries that use ripple control include:

• USA
• Australia
• Czech Republic
• New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• Netherlands
• South Africa

Ripple Effect and LED Lights

Reducing energy delivered to particular regions is an essential component of ripple control.

This decline is regular and happens daily at the same time as peak demand. It might be anywhere from seven in the morning to ten at night.

It’s very typical for LED lights to flicker during ripple control since it decreases the energy supply. Furthermore, this is also because of the lamps’ low power consumption.

However, the impact may be more noticeable if many appliances are in the house.

That is because those devices will keep using the same amount of power even if the power goes off.

As a result, there would be very little juice remaining to run your LED bulbs.

Reason #3: Loose Connections

LEDs that flicker may result from bulbs that aren’t securely in place. As a result, the bulb isn’t making adequate contact with the socket.

That is why even a small breeze may cause a bulb to flicker intermittently.

It is important to remember that even LED downlights (commonly known as “recessed lights”) may become loose with time.

Accordingly, if your LEDs are flickering, try tightening the bulbs first. The bulbs may break if you handle them roughly, so be cautious. 

Furthermore, LED lights don’t produce a lot of infrared radiation, but it’s still a good idea to wear gloves, just in case.

Reason #4: Dusty Sockets

LED light bulbs are susceptible to dust settling on their exteriors and entering the socket.

Flashing light bulbs might be due to dust if you haven’t cleaned your fixtures in a while. Perhaps now is the time to check for dirt and get rid of it.

If you want to thoroughly clean the sockets, it’s preferable to remove the bulbs first.

However, before you clean the light sockets, ensure the power is off!

Reason #5: Loose Wiring

As a result of their age, many older houses now suffer from an assortment of electrical issues.

As a result, the LED bulbs may malfunction if you reside in one of such homes.

If the flicker persists after you’ve cleaned the sockets and tightened the bulbs, it’s time to contact an electrician.

The area may have faulty wiring, which increases the fire risk.

Reason #6: Inrush Current

Does turning on high-wattage or high-voltage equipment cause your LED lights to flicker?

Some examples of such appliances include the electric stove, air conditioner, heater, and washer.

Inrush current is likely to blame for your “haunted” LED light experiences. When you turn on an appliance, it will first use a lot of power.

Since those appliances consume so much energy, they threaten to lower the system’s voltage if left unchecked.

Your LED lights may dim or flicker if connected to the same circuit as your home's appliances. 

That is why high-power appliances need their dedicated circuits.

That way, they will not interfere with the power supply to your other electronics, such as your LED light bulbs.

Reason #7: Overloaded Circuits

Similar to reason #6, your LED lights might be flickering because too many devices are consuming power in your house.

However, different from reason #6, the issue is deeper and more dangerous this time.

Having too many appliances drawing power is not a problem when your meter box can support them.

However, they will start to malfunction if the meter box doesn’t. Flickering LED lights are one sign that the meter box isn’t handling the current.

An electrician can assist you in figuring out whether your meter box still serves your requirements. 

If the conclusion is negative, you should probably get a higher-rated model.

That will not only fix your flickering LED lights but also keep you safe from further electrical problems.

Reason #8: The Bulb Is About To Burn Out

Since LED lights are made to endure up to 25,000 hours, you won’t see them flicker as a sign of burning out before long. 

However, you can pay attention to that by unscrewing the LED bulb from the socket and checking it. 

Every LED bulb has a filament inside it. Therefore, you must look closely and determine whether it is broken or blackening.

If any of those is the case, your LED bulb is reaching the end of its life.

What We Learned

Do LED Lights Flicker When Burning Out? LED lights sometimes flicker when burning out, but the two things are usually unrelated.

Since LED lights last very long, you shouldn’t think of early flickering as a sign of failure.

Instead, many other factors are involved in the flickering of your LED lights. For example, electrical issues in your house might be causing it.

Also, you must check if the LED bulb is installed correctly and verify if there is dirt on it or the socket.