A common issue with LED lighting, mostly when dimmers are used, is that they will flicker during the evening.
The light flickering will usually begin between 9 pm – 10 pm.
This is when the Off-Peak power supply is triggered by a Ripple Control signal being sent down the power line.
The change in frequency to trigger the Off-Peak devices is what causes the lights to flicker.
Incandescent lights operate at a higher wattage and are usually not affected by the Ripple Control signal.
SO HOW DO YOU FIX IT?
You will find all sorts of opinions on how to fix it online.
- You can try a better-quality dimmer; Diginet are the most effective.
- There is also an endless supply of companies selling small inline filters.
- You can call Ausgrid. They will test your power supply and tell you it is cheap light fittings made outside of Australia. Quality downlights are not cheap, and they are not made in Australia either.
- After trying these options, you can then look at a whole circuit filter. A company called Gayrad in Queensland have a notch filter that has proven to be effective. However, they are not cheap, and they are about the size of a shoebox, so you need space to install them. On their website, they claim the filter will reduce the flickering to 1/30th of the original amount.
A job I have recently completed has LED light flickering. It has taken the installation of three of these filters almost to wipe out the flickering completely.
In my opinion, this has been the most effective way to resolve the issue unless you have success with the other options I mentioned.
