Can a G9 LED bulb develop a flicker?

[Adsibob]

Got back from a period away from the house today, and apart from discovering Santa stuck in my chimney breast, I noticed that a light fixture we have in our bathroom was flickering. The kids have knocked this fixture a bit, but it’s pretty sturdy, made by Astro, and I didn’t expect a couple of gentle knocks to have damaged it, but I guess it’s possible.

Other possibility is that the G9 LED bulb has developed a fault. But it’s been working fine since May, and although it gets used at least twice a day I expected more longevity than this.

 

I suppose no other solution other than to test it with a new bulb?

[dpmiller]

yes.

[MikeSharp01]

LED lamps can develop several.of ours have in the past.

[Radian]

This is pretty common. Often when the bulb is switched on from cold. Give it a few minutes to warm up and it may stop flashing.

 

It's quite disappointing really because while LEDs themselves will tend to last for the the tens of thousands of hours the manufacturers brag about, the capacitors in the drivers rarely last more than a couple of thousand. My advice is make notes of which model of bulb you put in along with when and where, and when one fails replace with a different type that has outlived it.

[Nick Thomas]

I've had to replace a couple this month. One thing I've noticed in the past is that knocking an LED bulb seems to make it much more likely to fail, although with a delayed response. YMMV.

 

At least the prices have come down. I hate CFLs so switched to LEDs early; I have memories of paying £20/bulb or so.

[CalvinHobbes]

I bought a load in poundland ages ago for a pound, they still work grand.

[SteamyTea]

7 hours ago, CalvinHobbes said:

I bought a load in poundland ages ago for a pound, they still work grand.

So did I, all still good.

The Kia of lightbulbs.

[Radian]

9 hours ago, CalvinHobbes said:

I bought a load in poundland ages ago for a pound, they still work grand.

 

1 hour ago, SteamyTea said:

So did I, all still good.

The Kia of lightbulbs.

 

I think I've mentioned here before how the cheaper lamps have no fancy drivers, using instead, capacitive reactance to limit the current. The kind of capacitors used in these is different to the polarised ones used in fancy LED drivers. And they last far, far longer. The downside is they aren't dimmable and will suddenly die if on the receiving end of a big mains spike.

 

If dimming isn't required then the cheapest LED is probably the best one to go for.

[SteamyTea]

8 minutes ago, Radian said:

aren't dimmable

At 3 and 5W, who needs dimming.

 

I do have one of those lamps you tap once to turn on and then tap a second time to brighten, and a third time to brighten more.

Came with an incandescent bulb that was way to bright.

So went to the 'local lighting shop Volt, in Market Jew Street, and payed a fiver for a dimmable LED. That is still working. 

[Adsibob]

2 hours ago, Radian said:

If dimming isn't required then the cheapest LED is probably the best one to go for.

Dimming is not required for this lamp. I went cheap. 7 months later we have near constant flickering. Have now ordered a cheap G9 bulb from IKEA, reduced from £3 to £2.

[BobAJob]

Yes, the modern bulbs have the electronic driver in them. It's the driver that's causing the flickering. Just replace the bulb with a new one. 

[Adsibob]

Unfortunately I can’t even replace a lightbulb, that’s how cr@p my skills are.

i replaced the light bulb and managed to break a diffuser that covers the lightbulb when I screed it back onto the fitting. This was because I didn’t realise these lightbulbs came in different lengths and the one I had used to replace the crap one, was 2mm longer than the original.