You just set up your backyard for a summer bash and realized that your LED strip lights flickering.
Or you just got your new bed canopy set up with your LED strip lights and now they won’t stop blinking.
No matter your woes with installing LED strip lights that are flickering or blinking, we understand your frustrations!
We will discuss the common reasons that LED lights are flickering, how you can fix these issues, and solutions for if your LED strip lights stop working entirely.
Common Reasons LED Strip Lights Are Flashing
There are five common reasons concerning why LED strip lights are flashing or blinking:
- Incorrect or defective power supply
- Power connection
- Fluctuation in electrical current
- Continual use and wear
- Damaged LED strip
For each reason, we will also explain the process for troubleshooting and fixing the problem so that your LED strip lights can get back in working order.
Incorrect or Defective Power Supply
The power supply for the strip lights may be too weak to light your specific strip lights. Check the stats of your transformer and see if they are compatible to properly power your lights. In some scenarios, strip lights may have the incorrect LED driver, which is another name for the power supply.
If you continue to use the incorrect LED driver, the lighting components inside of your LED strip lights could become damaged.
How To Fix
Check the product information to find your LED strip light’s required power consumption and compare it to the current LED driver’s power distribution number. If these numbers do not match, acquire an LED driver that is compatible with your specific LED strip light.
Poor Connection
If your LED strip lights have a poor connection because of the cables responsible for lighting them up, this could cause them to flicker. The circuit inside of the strip light could be malfunctioning to cause the flickering.
How To Fix
Be sure that the power supply is properly connected to the LED strip light and not lost at all. If the connections keep moving around as you attempt to turn on your light, see if soldering the connection in place to the power supply will improve the poor LED strip connection.
Fluctuation in Electrical Current
A continuous voltage supply is required to power lights in your home. If the voltage decreases in your LED strip lights, then you will see that annoying flickering throughout the entire strip along with reduced brightness.
How To Fix
Place the power supply in the middle of the strip to moderate the fluctuation in the electrical current of your light strip. However, the best way to fix this issue is to reduce the wire length that is utilized to power the lights.
Continual Use and Wear
Whether you keep your LED strip light on for some consecutive hours in a row or if you accidentally leave them on overnight for an even longer period, the light could flicker because it has been constantly used for long periods without much of a break. This can lead to a number of issues including overheating.
How To Fix
Minimize how long you keep your LED strip light running. Practice good energy-saving habits such as:
- Turn off the LED strip light if you are not going to be in the room in which it is located.
- Switching it off when it’s bedtime.
- Only keep the light on for a set range each night to moderate use and reduce wear.
- If you need the light after a few hours, give the LED light strip at least a 1–2-hour break before switching it on again.
Damaged LED Strip
Many possible elements can contribute to a damaged LED strip light whether water, dust, or even twisting your LED strip lights the incorrect way. If damaged, the circuit will be compromised and cause the lights to flicker.
How To Fix
Look for signs of damage such as:
- Moisture build-up in the lights if there was exposure to water.
- Dust inside of the bulbs if there was exposure to dust.
- Any loose connections if a specific bulb (or several bulbs) is flickering.
- If the copper vortex is bent and needs to be moved (refer to the next section for guidance on completing this task).
If the damage is beyond repair, then it will be time to invest in a new LED strip light.
Overall, be sure that you keep your lights away from water, dust, and other possible things that could damage them. Be sure not to twist them in the incorrect way to preserve a longer life span.
Fix LED Lights That Have Stopped Working
If it turns out that your LED lights are no longer flickering, but have stopped working entirely, it’s time to troubleshoot the problem and fix it.
Here are 3 ways that you can fix LED strip lights that have stopped working entirely.
1. Replace the LED Driver and/or Bulbs
One reason that your LED lights have stopped working entirely is a blown-out LED driver. You can install a new LED driver yourself or have your local electrician help you with this task if you are not comfortable doing it independently.
If possible, you may be able to replace one or more of the LED bulbs without having to get a new LED driver. Check to see if one new compatible bulb works first for your LED strip light before investing in a new LED driver.
2. Get New Light Accessories to Increase Light Efficiency
If the accessories for your LED strip light are not compatible or the electrical current is not stable enough, it’s best to replace all the light accessories at once. Doing so will improve the uniformity in the brightness and performance of your LED strip. Hence, you will enjoy more light efficiency and not as much radiant heat by completing this task.
3. Fix Bulbs Screwed on Too Tight
If certain bulbs are screwed on too tight, there is a delicate process you must follow to fix them:
- Check if the copper vortex in your LED strip light is bent or not.
- If it’s bent, disconnect the light from the power source.
- Grab some needle nose pliers and move the copper vortex 20 degrees away from the bottom of its socket.
For this issue to not happen again as you install new bulbs, twist them only until the light comes on and not any tighter. While it may be your second nature to want to be sure that the bulb is “tight enough” even after the light comes on, rest assured that the bulb is already secure and the best sign of that is the light coming on once you have screwed it on far enough.
Verdict: Why Are My LED Strip Lights Flickering?
We have gone over the five reasons why your LED strip lights are flickering including poor connection, damaged LED strip, incorrect or defective power supply, continual use and wear, and fluctuation in electrical current.
If your LED strip lights are not flickering but have stopped completely, you should replace the LED driver, get new light accessories, and/or fix bulbs screwed on too tight to troubleshoot and rectify the issue.
No matter your reason for utilizing LED strip lights, we hope you are ready to decorate with them for your next occasion or “just because” throughout your home.
Final Thoughts LED Lights Blinking
If you have any other questions about LED lights, check out our other articles to learn more about installation, maintenance, and how to troubleshoot other issues with the equipment as well as other basics about LED strip lights.