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I have a stairwell that has only one wall sconce with two switches that are lighted when off. one upstairs, and one downstairs. I recently replaced Sconce, and added an LED 60 watt bulb; I triple checked all connections, and all is fine; however when I have light turned off is flashes. I have read many things about dimmers causing this, and some suggesting the use of incandescent bulb in another light, however I only have one Sconce on this circuit.

any tricks for fixing this flashing without adding another sconce?

Thank You in advance!

Suede

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2 Answers 2

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Most 3-way lighted switches work by adding a light between their line and load terminals:

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This actually causes a small current to flow through the load (light) -- with incandescent or fluorescent bulbs, it's not enough to actually cause the light to go on. But with your LED blub, it's enough to at least start the bulb.

Your potential solutions:

  • Replace the 3-way switches with non-illuminated versions
  • Stick with an incandescent light
  • Get an illuminated 3-way switch that doesn't draw current over the load lines. A good sign is if it requires a neutral wire. Of course that also means you'd need a neutral in your switch box to be able to use it.
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For a newer solution, many dimmable LED should work. The little current that is flowing will not light the dimmable LED bulb.

Many thanks for the previous Q & A, I would not have thought to try the dimmable LED bulb without your explanation about incandescents.

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