LOW WATTAGE LAMP FLICKERS WHEN OFF

[SWOLLENGLAND]

I have a compact florescent 11w lamp in a porch lantern and the lamp flickers when its off during the day.

Not happened before only since a recent lamp change , is this usual.

Its controlled by a selc 850 electronic solar time

 

[Steve]

Your fancy time switch allows a little current to flow all the time. This causes a build up of charge in the fluorescent lamp. After a while there is enough charge to jump across the gas in the lamp and create the flicker. This is normal, and normally a phemonenon observed in 2-way switching situations.

If the light is flickering more than every 10 seconds, or rather brightly, change either the lamp (back to a filament lamp) or the switch (to a normal one).

If its very dim, and every 10 secs or so, its normal and will have no detrimental effect on the lamp.

Many electronic switches say they cannot be used with fluorescent lighting for this reason. Few give details why.