Energy-saving light bulbs tend to blink when the switch is off. This phenomenon occurs in almost every apartment. Moreover, if you install an ordinary lamp instead of an energy-saving lamp, the phenomenon will immediately disappear. Most people are not familiar with the design of light bulbs, so they believe that they bought a marriage in a store. It is worth knowing that an energy-saving lamp has a working life. In other words, it is designed for a certain number of inclusions. Constant flickering significantly shortens lamp life. In addition, the lamp blinks at night when the lights are off and this gets on the nerves of a lot of people. Remember that the lion's share of economical lamps are made in China. This country has already become a benchmark for low-quality products. Therefore, it is possible that the flickering is actually caused by a product defect. Let's see why the energy-saving lamps flash when the switch is off.
Energy saving lamp
Let's start with the basics. Surely, many do not even realize the difference between energy-saving and conventional lamps. A conventional incandescent lamp runs on alternating current, which is located in the home electrical network. Energy-saving lamps require constant voltage to operate. People familiar with electrics will say that to convert alternating current to direct current, a rectifier is needed, which is simply not in the average apartment. Nevertheless, the lamps that allow us to save electricity work successfully in any home. What is the secret here?
The fact is that the rectifier is located inside each product. If you disassemble the lamp (although manufacturers strictly forbid this), you can see a small electronic board, which is located between the tube and the base. This is the "heart" of the lamp, thanks to which it gives light. Here is a diode bridge (rectifier) and a capacitor to smooth the voltage. The first is supplied with alternating current from the home network, and through the second, the rectified voltage necessary for the operation of the lamp comes out. The smoothing capacitor is what causes the light bulb to flicker when the lights are off. Now let's see why this happens and how you can fix the situation.
First reason
The most common reason is a switch equipped with an LED. These devices are very easy to use and allow you to easily find the switch in absolute darkness.
Why is the light blinking, you ask. The point is as follows: an electric lamp is connected to such a switch by means of a parallel connection. When the lighting is off, electricity goes directly to the LED. It turns out a closed circuit: network - LED - lamp - network. The voltage in this circuit is small, but it is quite enough to recharge the voltage smoothing capacitor, which we mentioned above. Having recharged, this device tries to fulfill its main function - to turn on the lamp. The device turns on, but due to insufficient charge it immediately goes out. Such attempts continue until the lighting device is supplied with voltage from the home electrical network. The result - the lamp is constantly blinking.
Solution
There are several ways to deal with this phenomenon. Let's consider each in more detail.
- Replace switch. Perhaps this is the simplest method. If you install a switch without LED backlighting, the light bulb is guaranteed to stop flickering.
- Disable LED. If you exclude the LED backlight from the circuit, the capacitor will have nowhere to take energy from for recharging, respectively, the problem will be solved. The main thing is to cut the necessary wires.Therefore, be careful not to confuse the LED wires with phase or zero.
- Connect the backlight of the switch separately. To do this, you need to stretch a separate wiring from the diode to the home network. The switch indicator will be on constantly, and the saving lamp will be removed from the circuit.
- Install an incandescent lamp. If you have a multi-track lamp, you need to replace one saving light bulb with an ordinary one. An incandescent lamp added to the circuit will take away excess voltage, respectively, the flickering will stop.
Among the disadvantages of this method, uneven lighting in the apartment can be noted. But many people who have encountered flickering energy-saving lamps when the switch is off have used this method.
- Install resistor. To do this, you need a device with a power of 2 W and a resistance of 50 kOhm. The resistor can be installed in a junction box or near the cartridge, since the compact dimensions of the product allow this to be done. The connection is made using a terminal block, it is recommended to isolate the fixture with a heat shrink tube. The resistor will take the voltage, respectively, the light will stop blinking.
The second reason
When wondering why a fluorescent lamp blinks, one cannot exclude such a reason as interrupting zero. In this case, during the operation of the lighting device, a phase constantly goes to it. Zero appears only after the light bulb is turned on.
Solution
To correct the situation, you just need to reconnect the phase and zero. To do this, you need to establish exactly where the interrupt goes. There can be two such places: an electrical panel in the entrance or a junction box in the apartment. Before reconnecting the wires, you need to make sure that it is zero that opens when turned off, and not the phase.
To perform this action, it is necessary to touch each wire in turn with an indicator screwdriver. If, when the lighting is off, the neutral wire does not show voltage (the screwdriver indicator does not light), then the reason lies precisely in it.
To solve the problem, you need to reconnect the wiring to the switch from the shield or junction box. This can be done in two ways: swap zero and phase or stretch new wires.
Third reason
It is possible that the electrical wiring in your apartment is already outdated. Old wiring is characterized by damage to the insulating layer, which leads to leaks and power surges in the home network. As a result, the energy-saving lamp blinks.
Solution
You need to roll up your sleeves and start a major overhaul in the apartment. This must be done, not only to remove the flicker of lighting fixtures. Old wiring can not only disable electrical appliances, but also cause a fire in the apartment. So, wondering why the light bulb is blinking, you can push yourself to repair, which has been postponed for many years. Of course, having noticed the blinking of lighting fixtures, you don’t need to immediately tear off the wallpaper and ditch the walls. First, try other ways to get rid of the problem.
Other options
The reasons described above are not the only ones. It happens that the wiring is new, the switch without LED backlight and zero is not interrupted, but the light still blinks. Why does it happen in this case? Consider the possible options:
- The working life of the product has ended. Energy-saving lamps are designed for at least 10 years of operation. So the manufacturers say, but at the same time they make amendments that there must be appropriate conditions for using the product. If the device works for you longer than the period declared by the manufacturer, then most likely it has expired. In this case, the light bulb just needs to be replaced with a new one.
Please note that lamp life may be shortened.This can be caused by voltage fluctuations, high humidity in the room, too low or high air temperature. In any case, if the lamp has worked for more than 5-7 years and suddenly starts to flicker, most likely it has exhausted its resource.
- You have purchased a defective product. Economical light bulbs are produced under strict control, so defective products are quite rare. But there are always exceptions to any rule, it is quite possible that you are faced with it. As we have already mentioned, most of the marriage falls on the share of Chinese manufacturers. To reduce the risk of purchasing low-quality goods, give preference to domestic or European manufacturers. They cost more, but they last much longer. If the assembly of the light bulb leaves much to be desired, it can cause a short circuit. Such a product must be replaced immediately by the seller. If the replacement fails, it is recommended to simply discard the defective lamp and purchase a new one. It is not worth risking the property and lives of loved ones because of a banal desire to save money.
- The starter does not work. This part is located inside the product and it is thanks to him that the lamp is turned on. When the starter fails, a flickering effect occurs. If the light bulb is new and you feel sorry for changing it, try replacing the starter itself. The part can be purchased at any electrical supply store. It costs a little, and the way to replace it is intuitive even for a beginner.
Conclusion
There are persistent rumors on the Internet that the flashing of energy-saving lamps has a negative impact on human health. Suspicious people who believe in this myth can be reassured: there can be no relationship between the blinking of a lamp and the human body. Accordingly, a blinking lamp cannot have any effect on health. The only thing that a blinking product can do is irritate with its constant flickering. During the day, this effect is almost imperceptible, but at night you can observe a weak illumination in the apartment. Not everyone will like this.
But that's not the point. As already mentioned, each energy-saving lamp is designed for a certain number of inclusions. Constant flickering can reduce the life of the product by an order of magnitude. Given that economical light bulbs are much more expensive than ordinary ones, you should try to fully use their working life. Otherwise, there can be no talk of any savings.
We hope that this information helped you find the answer to the question: why does the energy-saving light blink when the switch is off.
