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Electrical Wiring Lighting DIY

Electrical question about flickering lights

6 months ago

Hello,

We built a home 2 years ago. After moving in we decided we wanted to add dimmer switches to a handful of the light fixtures. We've noticed that when the dimmer is on very low, after some time (maybe 30 minutes) the lights start to flicker. This is happening in different fixtures with different types of bulbs (some incandescent, some dimmable LEDs). The common denominator seems to be the dimmer switch. Is it possible we bought cheap dimmer switches that start to flicker after they warm up? The thought of the wiring being bad scares me, but since the problem seems to only occur where we installed dimmers, am I crazy to conclude it's the dimmers not the wiring (or the bulbs, or the fixtures)?

By the way, I installed the run-of-the-mill dimmers from Lowes.

Thanks for any input.

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Comments (4)

Missy Bee
6 months ago
We have had numerous situations involving LED flickering with dimmers. It can be that your dimmable bulbs (the box will say dimmable) are not high quality or have a problem, or you did not use dimmable LEDs or your dimmer switch is bad. You will have to replace either bulbs, switch, or both until you stop the flickering.
Michael Butak thanked Missy Bee
Missy Bee
6 months ago
Oh, and yes the flickering usually happened after a period of time of being dimmed….say 30 minutes, I seriously doubt it is the wiring.
Michael Butak thanked Missy Bee
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Thank you, ILoveMod. Actually, the cabinets are being professionally primed and painted Chantilly Lace (by Benjamin Moore). I do plan to get new hardware and at some point a lovely new faucet (and further down the road, a new sink. Links to the hardware I have chosen are below; I like the soft champagne gold color: Faucet: https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/9992-dst-cz-dst-ar-dst-delta-addison-pull-down-touch-clean-single-handle-kitchen-faucet-with-magnatite-docking-dlt5461.html?piid=14762820#9e2j4pe2fjs-6 Pulls (in various lengths to best match the cabinet sizes): https://www.shopamerock.com/Amerock/Bar-Pulls/amebp40516bbz-ms.html;jsessionid=BE97EC95DC287FEA91178B29B70A5B49.worker3 My entire home was done in 1970s awful faux wood paneling and has now been seam coated in preparation for priming and painting. New faux silk and linen curtains in white will complement while the color will come from furnishings, artwork and decor.
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Dave
6 months ago
You need dimable leds and you also need to use led comptible dimmers with leds and incandescent compatible dimmers with incandescent. They are not compatible with each other.
Michael Butak thanked Dave
wdccruise
6 months ago
The best dimmers by far are Lutron LED+ dimmers which have proven to be compatible with every type of LED bulb and fixture I have. In some cases, lights may remain on (barely) if the dimmer is set to its lowest setting. In this case get a dimmer with a switch such as the Diva or Skylark. For more settings flexibility, the Maestro has it.

As noted above, the LED bulbs and fixtures must be dimmable.
Michael Butak thanked wdccruise

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