Led lights flickering

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Cub57

Member
Location
Brownwoodtexasus
led lights start flickering anytime night and day have replaced dimmers and led lights tightened everything in panel checked joints thru out only thing I have not done the electrician that wired Home did not pull in equipment ground in sub feed service but he did install a ground rod at sub panel could this cause the flickering


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Cub57 said:
led lights start flickering anytime night and day have replaced dimmers and led lights tightened everything in panel checked joints thru out only thing I have not done the electrician that wired Home did not pull in equipment ground in sub feed service but he did install a ground rod at sub panel could this cause the flickering


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Can you tell us exactly what kind of LEDs these are?

Could be some load/rf screwing with LEDs

If they are retros, did you try swapping out one of the leds w/ an incandescent? Are you sure these LEDs are dimmable?

And please slow down in the future and do this:
VVVVVVVVVVVVV

MAC702 said:
Put some punctuation in there, and I'll read it and try to help.
Click to expand...

Doing run ons instead of plain english makes it hard to understand an issue- it makes your posts all the more likely to be ignored.
 
I Installed Lutron led dimmers The fixtures are cooper led retro 3000k dimmable.One room has 4 led retros and they strobed for several minutes then quit and are back to normal .Can you give me an example of load/RF interference


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
180117-2402 EST

Put a scope across the dimmer output.

Depending upon the scope you may also need to run a wire from the scope probe "ground" to the electrical outlet EGC that the scope AC power comes from. On my present scope it is solid (low impedance) from the scope chassis to the power cord EGC. Therefore I don't need that extra wire. On some other scopes it is not such a low impedance.

This means you will only be looking at the dimmer hot output with the scope probe tip, but you are referenced back the dimmer neutral via the scope chassis to EGC. You need a 10x probe.

You want to look for stability of the waveform shape, amplitude, and trigger timing when the LED flickers. Report back. In all probability you don't have a scope. So figure out how to solve that problem.

.
 
gar said:
180117-2402 EST

Put a scope across the dimmer output.

Depending upon the scope you may also need to run a wire from the scope probe "ground" to the electrical outlet EGC that the scope AC power comes from. On my present scope it is solid (low impedance) from the scope chassis to the power cord EGC. Therefore I don't need that extra wire. On some other scopes it is not such a low impedance.

This means you will only be looking at the dimmer hot output with the scope probe tip, but you are referenced back the dimmer neutral via the scope chassis to EGC. You need a 10x probe.

You want to look for stability of the waveform shape, amplitude, and trigger timing when the LED flickers. Report back. In all probability you don't have a scope. So figure out how to solve that problem.

.
Click to expand...

Gar, you can't be serious. You really expect an electrician/installer to worry about what wave form is coming out of a dimmer? This is not our job, its the job of the fixture and dimmer manufactures to test and provide compatible product info. If what they state will work it their problem to figure out why it doesn't work.

OP, have you tried just using a standard switch? Also don't just state Copper LED retro. Please provide fixture and dimmer part numbers. You can go to Lutron's web site and look up product compatibility.
 
180118-0824 EST

curt swartz:

Both dimmers and LED drivers are very complex devices. What seem compatible under some conditions may not be in the real world.

.
 
Cub57 said:
the electrician that wired Home did not pull in equipment ground in sub feed service but he did install a ground rod at sub panel could this cause the flickering


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Really? No inspections at all?

I wouldn't even worry about the lights until that is fixed.
 
steve66 said:
Really? No inspections at all?

I wouldn't even worry about the lights until that is fixed.
Click to expand...

I was wondering when this issue would be brought up.
Spoke with a rep who simply stated ALWAYS a compatibility issue.
I was thinking the N-G connection in the sub-panel, but they tell me this should not matter for operation of dimmer.
 
Cub57 said:
the electrician that wired Home did not pull in equipment ground in sub feed service but he did install a ground rod at sub panel could this cause the flickering


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

steve66 said:
Really? No inspections at all?

I wouldn't even worry about the lights until that is fixed.
Click to expand...

MyCleveland said:
I was thinking the N-G connection in the sub-panel, but they tell me this should not matter for operation of dimmer.
Click to expand...

It doesn't. If a 3w feed- unbroken N-G bond- at a SP was in some weird oddball way a problem, then whatabout the oodles of dimmers/leds fed primarily by a main panel?;)

What the OP has may be entirely legal, if the 3w feed was done prior to 2008, if the SP is in a sep structure and there are no metallic paths between it and the MP in house/whereever.

And to answer the OPs question: no, 3w feed doesn't matter and no, a ground rod would not cause the issue- in fact the electrode(s) at a SP in a separate structure, (irregardless of 3 or 4w feed) is required and has been for a long time- see 250.32(A)
 
user 100 said:
It doesn't. If a 3w feed- unbroken N-G bond- at a SP was in some weird oddball way a problem, then whatabout the oodles of dimmers/leds fed primarily by a main panel?;)

What the OP has may be entirely legal, if the 3w feed was done prior to 2008, if the SP is in a sep structure and there are no metallic paths between it and the MP in house/whereever.

And to answer the OPs question: no, 3w feed doesn't matter and no, a ground rod would not cause the issue- in fact the electrode(s) at a SP in a separate structure, (irregardless of 3 or 4w feed) is required and has been for a long time- see 250.32(A)
Click to expand...

I did not pick-up from first post this was an out-building....She-Shed.
If it is a sub-panel at the main house then there is a problem...N-G tied together at sub-panel.
If it is an out building then Ok on the ground rod, but NOT connected to N, only EGC which he does not have.
 
MyCleveland said:
I did not pick-up from first post this was an out-building.....
Click to expand...

This we don't know- hence the "ifs" and "mays" in my post.
Just clarifying for the op the conditions in which a 3w feed to a SP would be permitted and that if he is using such a feed it has zip to do with his problem.:)
 
user 100 said:
This we don't know- hence the "ifs" and "mays" in my post.
Just clarifying for the op the conditions in which a 3w feed to a SP would be permitted and that if he is using such a feed it has zip to do with his problem.:)
Click to expand...

User 100
Spoke with a tech guy from Lutron that clarified some of info I stated earlier from a different source.

Proper grounding will not effect operation of a typical wall box control.
He stated compatibility is the biggest reason for problems.
He sent me to another contact for the driver products, and he continued on and stated if a proper EGC is not present then a multitude of problems could occur, including flicker issues.
This months ECM mag has an article on this exact issue.
 
Cub57 said:
led lights start flickering anytime night and day have replaced dimmers and led lights tightened everything in panel checked joints thru out only thing I have not done the electrician that wired Home did not pull in equipment ground in sub feed service but he did install a ground rod at sub panel could this cause the flickering


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

The dimmer switch you have might not be able to handle those LEDS at the low dimmed position. I've had a similar situation and after research found that I needed a trailing edge dimmer to stop the flickering. Just a thought for you.
 
Hey everyone love your wealth of knowledge on this forum. How can I determine which manufacturer makes a single pole trailing edge dimmer compatible with my track heads. My track heads are Wac led208_sp. Will get dimmer info later today thanks and Merry Christmas to all of you


Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top