Comments on: flickering lights are driving me crazy!

Question: flickering lights are driving me crazy!

sabh — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:40:27 -0800

why do the lights on my hampton bay ceiling fans flicker?

i have two hampton bay windward IV 52in ceiling fan/light fixtures (458-301) in my apartment. both of them have a problem with flickering lights. they don't start right away, but about 5 minutes after being turned out. they were installed this summer and are connected to regular light switches (not dimmers) and remote controls.

By: These Birds of a Feather

These Birds of a Feather — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:47:42 -0800

When my neighbor's fan lights started flickering after being installed it was because the room they were in wasn't grounded. Do your lights flicker after being turned on, or off? I'm not sure what being turned out means.

By: heatherly

heatherly — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:02:52 -0800

I had this problem with similar fans when I used the energy saving compact florescent bulbs. When I switched to normal incandescent bulbs it went away.

By: sabh

sabh — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:28:18 -0800

oops... turned ON, not out!

By: ob1quixote

ob1quixote — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:44:01 -0800

I had the same problem with my ceiling fan. According to the electrician I had fix it, heatherly has it: The fixture is not properly grounded.

By: PorcineWithMe

PorcineWithMe — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:42:11 -0800

I suspect the bulbs too - are you using bulb specifically made for a ceiling fan?

By: johnofjack

johnofjack — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:08:27 -0800

If you're using CFLs, you should know that using most CFLs in a ceiling fan will drastically reduce their life, and if the fan isn't grounded, that will reduce their life even further. Getting CFLs specifically designed for use in fans will help with the first problem but not the second.

By: AstroGuy

AstroGuy — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:48:09 -0800

"Grounding" is a safety feature, not a functioning part of a normally operating circuit. Flickering is caused by loose mechanical connections, which may get worse minutes into operation when the wiring warms up due to current flow. My guess is loose wire nuts or screws, or worse in my opinion, a lazy electrician that "back-wired" the switches.