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BR40 LEDs flickering

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I have four BR40 recessed lights in my living room connected to two Lutron Diva dimmers in the same 2 gang box, one dimmer per pair of lights. All four lights are on the same circuit.

When I switched to LED bulbs a few months ago I started out with the Philips BR40 bulbs from HD. After a few months I started to hear a clicking sound coming from the bulbs every once in a while. It drove me nuts so I sent them back to Philips and received a refund.

I have since tried about 5 different brands of LED bulbs and with every set so far I have experienced random flickering every once in a while.

Following advice on a DIY forum I replaced the 5-year old Diva dimmers with brand new Diva LED dimmers. No change in behavior.

Again, based on another recommendation I connected all four lights to one dimmer (and then eventually all four to the other dimmer to rule out a faulty dimmer). I still experienced random flickering.

I called Lutron tech support and after explaining my issue they mailed me a 3rd generation Diva dimmer which is not even on the market yet. I wired it up last night and although it seemed to work for an hour or so flicker-free before I went to bed I noticed some flickering today.

I am trying to figure out where to go from here:

1) Try a different brand dimmer (i.e. Leviton)

2) Get an electrician to check it out. Not sure what he would be able to do to diagnose or fix the problem since this is a very specific issue.

3) Give up and go back to using incandescent lights

4) [insert your suggestion here]

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (6)

David
8 years ago
Have an electrician check things out.
njitgrad
Original Author
8 years ago
OK, but what are possible things that an electrician would look for? I need to make sure I hire one that is technically qualified for such a task.
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David
8 years ago
Noisy voltage spikes/ dips, floating neutral.
njitgrad
Original Author
8 years ago
And what are possible corrective actions that can be taken? I'm not looking to spend a lot of money on this. I'll just go back to using incandescents.
mtvhike
7 years ago
LEDs are fundamentally low voltage devices. If you get the LED bulbs that screw into a conventional 110V socket, then the LV power supply is built into the bulb. I have had similar problems, but have had no problems if I use low voltage lamps (such as under cabinet lights or pendants) with an external power supply with a magnetic transformer.
freeoscar
7 years ago
Lutron is very good about checking the compatibility of their dimmers with various bulbs. I assume the tech support person confirmed with you the compatibility of the bulb you were using with the dimmer, but in case not, you should check here:

lutron.com/led

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