These are not dimmer switches. They are regular ON / OFF light switches.
I have 3 light switches in the upstairs hallway which activate or deactivate all 2 light fixtures on the ceiling of the upstairs hallway at the same time. (Could be a 4-way switch; I do not know)
PROBLEM 1:
Note: THIS IS NOT THE PROBLEM I AM TALKING ABOUT FOR THIS QUESTION. I AM ONLY PUTTING THIS HERE IF THIS PROBLEM MIGHT BE RELATED TO PROBLEM 2.
In the first light fixture, any CFL bulb flickers when the light switch is activated.
PROBLEM 1 Question:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?鈥?/a>
PROBLEM 2:
The second light fixture, which is in the same circuit as the first light fixture, does not have the flicker problem with CFLs. However, when I change the CFL WHILE ALL OF THE LIGHT SWITCHES ARE OFF, the CFL bulb may flicker at least once before flipping the switch on.
All of the light switches are off. When I screwed on the CFL into the light socket of the second light fixture, it flickered once. Is there a problem with the existing wiring?
Note: I did not do the wiring for this circuit. Bensalem, PA house was built in 1980.
When changing CFL, light flickered when light switches are off?
If any work was done on the house, I might worry about the wiring. If not, I'm pretty sure that's not it.
A CFL will light momentarily by static discharge. The electricity in your body is what's powering it for that split second.
When changing CFL, light flickered when light switches are off?
Yeah, they do that sometimes. It's the static electricity in your hand momentarily lighting the bulb.
Is tht how...cus I'm doing the same thing....thanks
Yup, static will do it. The gases in the tube fluoresce in the presence of a field charge, even one as weak as frictional static.
I used to be a tour guide in a science museum and one of my daily jobs was to demonstrate the Van De Graaf particle accelerator which creates a huge static field. Once I was charged up by placing my hands on the discharge ball, my long hair would stand straight out from my head and when I held up a bare fluorescent light tube in my hand it would glow brightly.
We also used to have a really fluffy cat who would get a lot of static in his furry tail during the winter -- we named him Kidini the Magic Cat because he would sit on my desk and flick his tail back and forth and the fluorescent desk light bulb would flash on and off in the static field from his fur.
As to your first question: some models of CFL (especially older types or some cheap off-brands) will flicker when they start up. It's a ballast issue. This also happens even with better bulbs at low temps (like out on a porch). Most CFL's take a few seconds to a minute to fully illuminate anyway.
Sounds like the resistance from the bulb wire is tricking the light into thinking there is a completed neutral and the light flickers one time .If you think about it , you will read voltage across an open circuit . A switch is an open circuit , until you throw the switch to the closed position.That's the basis for a lighted switch , they put a resistor and a led bulb in the switch so when the switch is open the light in the switch comes on but when you close the switch making power to the light , the led in the switch goes off .The resistor makes it flicker .Its built into the switch .
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