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There are a number of reasons why the lights are flickering now as you have changed the lightbulbs.
We will explain:
The lightbulbs you have purchased may not be dimmable. When faced with buying new LED lightbulbs, there are so many different one and the cheaper option may not be the right choice.
Did you check the packet to see if it stated if the lightbulbs what dimmable?
If you have recessed downlights in your ceiling, and the lightbulbs had some very thin prongs to fit into the lamp holder, then these lightbulbs are the 12 V variety.
Often the case the transformer/driver hidden up in the ceiling behind your light fitting is of the wrong type and cannot cope with the lower wattage of the new lightbulbs.
The transformers need to be swapped out for some LED compatible Transformers. (They are a bit of a pig to get to at times – because the light fittings are so firmly fitted in the ceiling, and there is a likelihood of an untrained person pulling away some of the ceiling around the light fitting).
At Bright Spark we are replacing these on a regular basis, so if you do not feel confident about doing this, please give us a call for one of our electricians to come and assist.
You may have purchased dimmable lightbulbs; however the dimmer switch may not be compatible with dimmable lightbulbs! Some of the older variety of dimmer switches do not work with the lower wattages of LED.
A simple solution is to replace your dimmer switch with an LED compatible dimmer switch.
Please make sure when you remove the dimmer switch from the wall – the power is off, And you make notes as to which wire goes into which hole, It is not just replacing the wires back into the same hole, you need to check what the holes are named as. Also beware if there are lots of wires – you may have trouble putting the new dimmer switch back in the wall, or even wiring the thing up.
Another solution is if you still wish to retain your existing dimmer switch faceplate to match in with the rest of your socket and lighting outlets, dimmer switch modules can be replaced.
Please give us a call if you are struggling with this.
Your new dimmer switch maybe LED compatible, however when the lights are switched on, they may be slow to start up (even by just a few microseconds). We have found that out of frustration, our customers have jabbed the dimmer switch repeatedly to get the lights working. (It can also be the children just playing with the switches).
The process in reprogramming your dimmer switches is fairly straightforward, as long as you follow the instructions – which were provided with the dimmer switch.
If you cannot find the instructions, please give us a call so we can help you out reprogramming the dimmer switch, or we can send you over some instructions to set up your dimmer switch.
The instructions are fairly straightforward, however you have to read them carefully before reprogramming your switch, as you need to do a lot of things with pressing the Button and twisting the knob backwards and forwards within a couple of seconds.
For more indepth information to help you we have put together this helpfull simple article about Dimmer Switches & how to program them up.
To book very helpfull & knowledgeable Bright Spark Electrician to carry out a Visual Survey, and provide a Free of Charge Quotation, fill out our simple form to visit your home. click [Click this Link]
For further Information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Telephone: 01892 531728
Very pleased with the Bright Spark team who installed a new Zappi EV charger and replaced our consumer unit. Many thanks for another job well done. Neat & clean. 10/10
You just saved us the biggest headache ever; after months of electrical problems ( now resolved), we had a ‘no power situation’. After checking circuit boards, switches etc we were at a complete loss. Read your piece above (after Googling ‘circuit board switches up, but no power‘) about RCD switch and resetting (didn’t know what an RCD was), and after 8 hours sleep dreaming of circuit boards and 2 minutes of contemplation, and re-reading your advice,I totally nailed it. Brilliant tutorial, many thanks. Susanne (I am neither young nor savvy with anything technical)
Karen recently came to our place on a Sunday afternoon when our kitchen suddenly lost all power. She found and fixed the problem with the breaker very quickly, and also checked the others. She did a great job and we were very pleased to get it fixed so quickly! I recommend her to friends, and will definitely call her the next time we need an electrician.
We are very pleased with Phillip’s work. You’ve truly gone above and beyond to deliver what we had in mind for our front porch.
I have always found Karen and her team at Bright Spark to be friendly, professional and reliable. Their quotes have been reasonably priced and provide a thorough breakdown of costs for replacements parts and labour. I highly recommend them.
