Do your LED light bulbs flicker?

The are many different reasons which can cause LED bulbs to flicker.  Here is a list of some of the most common causes;

Drivers

Drivers (transformers) come in an assortment of wattages and settings.  It is important to know the actual load your lights are pulling. Factors as the types of wattage and numbers of light bulbs along with how many linear feet of tape lighting (if applicable) is on each circuit will help determine the actual and incadescent equivalent wattage the driver needs to manage.‍

Counting Wattage

There are different ways to account for wattage on LED bulbs. There is the stated LED wattage and the incandescent equivalent (IE). IE is the wattage an incandescent bulb would need to be to give off the same amount of light.  This is typically about 6-8 times more than a LED bulb with the same Lumens.

This is important to know as some drivers / dimmers will rate wattage on the actual or the equivalent. Knowing which lights are using on each circuit ahead of time will help your lighting team provide the correct drivers / dimmers.

Tape Light

Tape light has varying wattage loads which varies by the manufacturer and product. The more LEDs per foot the higher the wattage. If you have a tape light pulling 8 watts per foot but your drivers/dimmers are sized for a 4 watt per foot product, you will have problems.

Dimmers

Most dimmers are rated for about 600 watts and high capacity dimmers can handle about 1,000 watts. Knowing your light loads ahead of time can provide necessary information to your electrician or integrator on what capacity dimmers you need. IF your lighting load is more than 1,000 watts you may have to redesign your system to utilized relays or divide the lighting on to multiple switch legs. Lutron has a compatibility tool

Length Of Run

Longer runs of electricity from the driver/dimmer to the lights can diminish the load capacity of the circuit.  Although this is often minimal on most runs, longer runs or if you are right at the wattage cutoff for the device it may created enough of a drop in capacity to create issues. This is most noteably relevant when you remotly locate the drivers from the light fixtures.

Light Bulbs

Many manufacturers have pretested light bulbs which are compatible with their devices. Checking with the manufactures ahead of installation can save time and money. Lutron has some online resources to help LED Compatibility Tool.

Other Factors

There are an assortment of other factors which can also create flickering such as bulb quality, failing equipment, power fluctuations, system programming (lighting control systems), loose wires, incompatible equipment and the like. 

The first step is to determine your load calculations and work from there.  A licensed electrician or integrator can help trouble shoot these issues if they do arise.

If you are building or renovating a home, you will want to have these conversations early in the process to help get out ahead of any such challenges which often are not realized until completion of the construction. Communicating with your electrician, lighting supplier and integrator early in the process is necessary to get out ahead of the most common challenges with flickering lights. This upfront planning can save you time, money and frustration.

At Garabedian Properties we are experienced with LED lighting, lighting control systems and smart home controls.  We proactively have these conversations with our Owners and lighting suppliers on a regular basis and welcome the opportunity to assist with your project.

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