Do LED Lights Flicker

Do LED Lights Flicker

Quite often consumers ask the question, “Do LED lights flicker?” There is more than one answer to this particular question. Technically, LED lights do flicker but it is usually at such a fast pace that it cannot be detected. Unlike certain forms of fluorescent lighting that must “heat up” before reaching their full lighting capacity, LED lights turn on through an electrical current that flows to semi-conductors. The effect is instantaneous light without the need to warm up, or flicker, when turned on. There are, however, LED lights that are made specifically to add flickering effects for aesthetic reasons, such as in holiday lights.

Recent LED Technology

There have been many advances in the technology of LED lighting. The very early LED lights were not as stable, and therefore did tend to have an issue with flickering. With the advent of new LED technology as a result of the desire to have a safer and more user friendly form of lighting to replace the incandescent and mercury containing CFL bulbs, many changes have been made.

For example LED lights are now built with filters that help even out the amount of electrical current that are being generated to them. The effect is a flicker that is so steady and so fast that it cannot be detected with the naked eye. Prior to these filters being installed, LED lights were known to flicker a little bit with each fluctuation of electric current they received. Today LED light bulbs are just as reliable as any other form of light bulb, and are far better for the environment than CFL and Incandescent bulbs

Environmental Dangers of CFL Light Bulbs

Although the real reason that most consumers are unhappy with fluorescent bulbs is because of their tendency to flicker when being powered on and at the end of their life span, there are environmental issues that also enter into the equation. The reason they are so bad for the environment is that they contain mercury. Scientists have been aware of this for years, but it is doubtful that anyone anticipated quite the impact having millions of mercury containing bulbs in the world, could pose to the environment.

The earth’s water supplies already have quite high levels of mercury in them. In fact studies show that eating too much fish from the ocean can result in mercury poisoning. If a person considers the fact that do date, there is no formal method of disposing all of these fluorescent lights that have been around for many decades, it’s no wonder the water supply has become tainted!

Do LED lights flicker? Yes, they do flicker, but at a rate that is so fast, the human eye is unable to detect it. However, there are LED lights that are manufactured to flicker or aesthetic reasons, and not through any manufacturing defect. Fluorescent lights are known to flicker annoyingly, yet that is the least of the dangers they pose. Toxic metals pose a far greater threat in fluorescent bulbs. LED bulbs neither flicker nor contain hazardous substances. In both respects, they are the better of the two.