Some LED lamps have flicker, depending on the electronics that are used; usually it is the cheaper lower-quality LED products from less reputable brand names. Some people do not seem to be bothered by the flicker, or may not even notice it. Other people (like me) find it very annoying and sometimes even difficult to concentrate under.

Flicker issues can definitely be an important consideration in LED lighting. If possible, you might want to carefully observe the light put out by a particular LED device when it is on, before you buy it. There are different degrees of flicker, and some LED lighting products have much worse flicker issues than others. The worst is those cheap LED Christmas lights, for anyone who has ever seen them. They have a "pulsating" vibrating effect that is very agitating, and even a little bit nauseating.

Yes, I have seen recessed LED lighting in an elevator that had flicker. If you waved your fingers back and forth you could see a strobe effect.

Is your dimmer compatible with LED lighting? What is the model number of your dimmer? What is the model number and brand of LED lights you used? I have LED lights and they don't flicker. I have Electronic dimmers and a mix of recessed LEd, surface mount and replaced light bulbs for Non-LED fixtures.

There are many possible causes for flicker

For example,

1. the dimmer itself,
2. floating neutral
3. the lamp

Do the lights flicker when no dimming is used? Or do they only start flickering at some dimming level?

Thanks home pro & David. Homepro, I have no idea but I guess I should ask my electrian. He definitely though will not appreciate me calling. I think he thinks I'm a pain. David, to answer your question, no the lights do not flicker when no dimmer is used. They only start when you start to dim but then they do stop flickering for a while but there 2 that do it just out of nowhere every maybe 20 min or so.

Many types of "high efficiency" lighting (talking about CFL and LED here) do not handle dimming well. The lamps can give off a low buzzing noise or have flicker issues when dimmed. In some cases it might only be possible to dim it down 30 percent before it just suddenly turns off. Generally if you are using high efficiency lamps in places that are going to be on a dimming switch, you need to buy special versions of these lamps (more expensive) that are built with the electronics to be compatible with dimming. And even then, sometimes these lamps sold as "dimming compatible" are still not completely without problems when used on a dimming switch. For this reason, many electrical contractors often just recommend halogen lighting, to avoid any problematic dimming issues.

Kind of off-topic, but if anyone was looking for a energy saving lighting option that is fully dimmable and a little less expensive than LED, there is a company called Vu1 that developed a cathode ray lighting technology they call "electron stimulated luminescence". http://www.destinationlighting.com/item/r30-energy-efficient-light-bulb-watts/346884

I've gotten the opportunity to test their product. The light quality is definitely better than CFL, and things feel a little more "crisp" and "in focus" than they do under LED light. It's a good compromise between efficiency, light quality, and price, in my opinion.

My kitchen Recessed can LED lights began flickering almost like a strobe light that never really goes out or dims so quickly that its barely perceivable. Flickering was not a loose/deteriated connection --checked all associated sockets/switches/junctions to be good. Additionally removed insulation on top of recessed can fixtures which required crawling in attic (single story). Lowered lights/trim rings and turned lights for 2hrs then then one by one reinserted to test "On" for 2hrs until I found the offending can fixture. Each fixture has an in-line thermal cutout protection module clipped to top of can and in my case out of four lights had one bad thermal module which was causing all the lights on same in-line circuit to flicker. It was not bad or cheap LED lights but rather the thermal protection module within the recessed can lighting fixtures.

I put four brand new led pot lights in my kitchen that are dimmable, but I think that the electrician screwed up something. I had him back to fix nearly everything that he installed in my new house. I do NOT want him back. The lights are now flickering so badly I cannot use them. I am going to see if it's the dimmer switch.

All 4 LED Recessed lights on dimmer switch just started flickering. (4.5w dimmable GU10 LED bulbs)

The dimmer switch is is also dimmable
Lutron Diva C.L Dimmer Switch for Dimmable LED, Halogen and
Incandescent Bulbs, with Wallplate, Single-Pole or 3-Way, DVWCL-153PH-LA

- It only happens sometimes

- 4 other LED's on a DIFFERENT dimmer switch (but same circuit) also flicker sometimes, whether the other dimmer switch is on or not.

- It doesn't matter how bright I have the dimmer

- It either happens or not - it's not related to how long they have been on I don't think?

- They were fine for 2 years

What could be causing this?

Is it dangerous if the lights are on? If they are off?

Thanks in advance for any help!

@beachguysb - did you ever find the cause of your flickering LED lights? I'm having a similar situation in my home and haven't been able to determine the cause.

@mjk @beachguysb Ever get any clarity on what was happening? I’m experiencing same issue as well. 4 recessed eco smart lights on lutron dimmer which is def compatible now blinking every 30 seconds or so.

I have a similar problem. We have 12 leds on a dimmer in our kitchen and tonight they have started randomly getting super Brithat for a second and then going back to to normal, almost like a super bright camera flash. They have been installed just over a year and this is the first time we have noticed it. we are also having a big storm here, I don’t know if that is related.

Did anyone figure out what was going on with their situations? @beachguysb @MJ K @hu-414461439, @Jenn Landers

TIA!

We put in four Halo 4" recessed LEDs in the bedroom. They flickered with a Leviton Z-wave low voltage dimmer switch. I changed to a Leviton low voltage dimmer switch with a physical slider, and then it worked. The same model of Leviton dimmer works with 3 other pairs of Halo LEDs in the bathroom and closets.

In our kitchen, we put in nine Halo 6" LEDs. With a GE Z-wave smart dimmer, it flickered horribly. We changed to a Leviton Z-wave dimmer switch, the same model that flickered in our bedroom, and it worked fine. We only realized it was the same model after we installed it and found that it worked...

In our laundry room, we have two Halo 4" LEDs with a Leviton dimmer switch, the same model as in the bedoom. In the laundry room, the lights flicker. There's a separate identical Leviton dimmer switch, bought at the same time, with four identical Halo 4" LEDs that does not flicker. All wiring is new.

LED lights and dimmers are a great mystery. My advice is to try changing the dimmer switch. What I've heard is that the Lutron pro series (that you can't buy at a big box store) works perfectly with basically all LED lights.