LED Flicker earth leakage problems

Paz1982 · Mar 29, 2019

Alright lads, new here as looking for some advice on a fault I've never come across and can't pinpoint..
Basically Got LED LIGHTS on compatible dimmers etc...problem I have is now and again they flicker....and I can hear a sound in fuse board as if there's an arc? But there are no loose connections whatsoever etc.. any body had any similar issues...might go down earth leakage route? It's doing my nut.

Charlie_ · Mar 29, 2019

The leds flickering might be the result of another issue such as loose incoming connections or possibly the effect of other equipment being switched on: shower, cooker, etc..?

Paz1982 · Mar 29, 2019

Charlie_ said:
The leds flickering might be the result of another issue such as loose incoming connections or possibly the effect of other equipment being switched on: shower, cooker, etc..?

Every connection are tight and nothings loose....

buzzlightyear · Mar 29, 2019

check the incoming tails just in case .

Paz1982 · Mar 29, 2019

All terminals are sound...its a strange one.

westward10 · Mar 29, 2019

If you can hear arcing this needs addressing and could also be the probable cause.

Charlie_ · Mar 29, 2019

Have you got lots of leds?
The problem could be that if you have a b type mcb it is struggling with them all through a dimmer

Baddegg · Mar 29, 2019

Have you checked the incoming tails?

GBDamo · Mar 29, 2019

might be worth checking them tails.

Lucien Nunes · Mar 30, 2019

I don't see what earth leakage has to do with this.

If something in the DB is arcing, then it's not surprising that the lamps flicker. But, it could be that there is a fault in the dimmer, or one or more lamp drivers that is causing instability resulting in current spikes that produce sounds from the MCB. Just as you can hear an MCB buzz with a leading-edge dimmed load near its rating, so any odd little inrush surges at each flicker can make the magnetic tripping coil rustle and click.

I did once demonstrate using an MCB as a speaker, you could hear faint recognisable music from it when connected in a very high power audio output circuit. So just because you can hear something doesn't mean there is any actual arcing or fault in the DB, but the possibility of an intermittent there, e.g. between MCB and busbar where it might have been overlooked, needs to be eliminated.

dmxtothemax · Mar 30, 2019

Some dimers can also be very suseptable to noise.

Paz1982 · Mar 30, 2019

The noise isn't coming from the dimmers

Paz1982 · Mar 30, 2019

Lucien Nunes said:
I don't see what earth leakage has to do with this.

If something in the DB is arcing, then it's not surprising that the lamps flicker. But, it could be that there is a fault in the dimmer, or one or more lamp drivers that is causing instability resulting in current spikes that produce sounds from the MCB. Just as you can hear an MCB buzz with a leading-edge dimmed load near its rating, so any odd little inrush surges at each flicker can make the magnetic tripping coil rustle and click.

I did once demonstrate using an MCB as a speaker, you could hear faint recognisable music from it when connected in a very high power audio output circuit. So just because you can hear something doesn't mean there is any actual arcing or fault in the DB, but the possibility of an intermittent there, e.g. between MCB and busbar where it might have been overlooked, needs to be eliminated.

Hi there's definitely no loose connections...it just happens randomly..
There is a separate feed into a grid configuration switch,4 summers on it controlling 8 lights at 6.7w each...now what's happening is now n again they'll flicker...and also I can hear like I said an arcing in the board but not necessarily when the lights actually flicker!!!

marconi · Mar 30, 2019

How may LED lamps and dimmers? Are they all supplied by the one MCB - what rating and type? What else does this MCB supply and is/are it/they on when the LED flickering and buzzing happens? Could you measure mains voltage when flickering and when not flickering please. Any high kW resistive or motor loads being turned on/off correlated with lamp flickering? If you have say only half the number of LED lights on does the flickering stop? Does flickering occur at all dimmer knob settings? Please confirm the buzzing is from an MCB and not an RCBO or RCD. What do LED and dimmer manufacturer instructions say about number of LEDs which can be controlled at same time by a dimmer?

Wilko · Mar 30, 2019

Hi - picking up from @Lucien Nunes post #10 - I've seen a number of MCB with conductors on the wrong side of the clamp

... I've got an inspection 'mirror on a stick' to check for this now.

For fun - here's a pic of two mcb lower clamps, both fully closed up. One will slip over the busbar and never clamp it. The other has a guard so this installation error can't be made.

[ElectriciansForums.net] LED Flicker earth leakage problems

LED Flicker earth leakage problems

Paz1982

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Charlie_

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Paz1982

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buzzlightyear

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Paz1982

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westward10

Charlie_

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Baddegg

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GBDamo

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Lucien Nunes

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dmxtothemax

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Paz1982

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Paz1982

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marconi

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Wilko

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