If the lights at home keep flickering, the ensuing scene could majorly affect an inhabitant’s mood, causing irritability and frustration, especially for tasks that require close concentration, such as studying and cooking.

The other worrying possibility is that the filament, light holder, or wiring may be damaged, which could cause fire and/or further damage to your premises.

In most cases, the flickering has an innocuous cause which can be easily fixed by the homeowner, but there are times professional help might be required to fix the issue to avoid any kind of hazards. In this post, we outline several possible causes and solutions to this common household problem.

6 Possible Causes of Flickering Light Bulbs

Loose Bulb: The first thing one should do when a bulb flicker is to tighten the bulb, as it is quite possible that over a period of time the bulb can slowly unscrew or just give way if placed in an environment with high vibrations—for example, near machinery.

Loose Outlet: At times the bulb might be working, and the root cause of the problem can be the loose outlet. This happens when the internal metals have worn out or the wires have lost connections to the outlet.

Loose Wiring: Loose wiring has been a major cause of disaster in households and has caused expensive damages to the detriment of many homeowners. One of the major reasons for flickering is loose wiring. The cause behind loose wiring is generally the deterioration of the electrical circuitry, especially if the building is old and doesn’t undergo regular electrical maintenance. If one notices that the wires attached to the cable have branched out or are attached to other junction boxes, it is advised to get it professionally checked.

Defective Light Fixture: Light fixtures tend to have respectable durability but eventually with time and other secondary factors like foundation shifts, ceiling leaks, and changes in temperature, they disfigure to the extent that they stop functioning as they are supposed to. Again, it is advisable that homeowners call in a professional to fix this or buy new light fixtures altogether. Precision Electricals, an established supplier of electrical accessories, has a wide range of regular and modular light holders and ceiling roses to choose from.

Faulty Dimmer Switch: Dimmers are one of the other major causes of flickering light bulbs. A dimmer is responsible for the change in voltage waveform before it enters the concerned light.  If a dimmer switch receives more voltage than it was intended for, it will fail. Another major reason in the list of dimmer switch failures is when a user tries to dim an LED or CFL bulb which is not compatible with dimming, or when an incandescent-light dimmer is used on a bulb that is non-incandescent.

Power Flow: There are often dedicated circuits for lights and other electric appliances but when they all share a circuit, the large devices like air conditioners, washing machines, and microwaves often require higher current that interferes with the supply coming to the lights, causing the flickering.

6 Ways to Resolve Flickering Light Bulbs

Loose Bulb: A loose bulb is easily fixed. All an individual must do is slightly turn the bulb clockwise and anti-clockwise until it is tight and check if the flickering has stopped.

Loose Outlet: Often, it is best advised that the homeowner calls in a professional to replace the loose outlet instead of repairing it.

Lose Wiring: In a loose wiring case, each connection point is checked and tested by an electrician; if there seems to be no problem, the wiring can stay. But if the connection is not solid, it immediately needs to be reconnected.

Defective Light Fixture: The solution in case of a defective light fixture varies from device to device. For malfunctioning table and floor lamps, the light fixture can be fixed by rewiring, whereas, for ceiling lights, it is best not to repair but to install a new light fixture for safety purposes.

Faulty Dimmer Switch: In this case, a faulty dimmer switch should be gotten rid of and should be replaced by a new dimmer switch. Whereas for a mismatched dimmer, one can purchase and install a new dimmer that is perfectly suitable for LED and CFL lights.

Power Flow: The only solution here is that a light fixture is removed from the overloaded circuit and is installed in a new fixture which has its own dedicated miniature circuit. 

In short, these are a few troubleshooting procedures that an individual can consider carrying out in the event of flickering lights, and, at any given time, if one cannot figure out the problem, it is best to approach a professional electrician to get the fault fixed. If your premises are known to have a common light-flickering problem, and your tenants and homeowners often complain of the same, you can contact Precision Electricals to order well-functioning light fixtures in bulk!