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We purchased our house about a year ago. Since then, there is one continuous electrical line where lights are flickering. No other parts of the house have this issues.

Since we moved in, the integrated LED ceiling light in our bathroom has become very very dim and flickers. The second to last light on the line has now started flickering more. The first two lines (4 total) very rarely flicker.

Wondering if anyone has run into this. Could this be an issue with the circuit breaker or a bigger issue?

Thanks!

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  • In my experience with LED lights, flickering is an early sign of impending failure of the bulb/light; later it becomes very very dim and flickers. Consider replacing the lights with qood-quality ones rated for use in enclosed spaces (in spaces without good ventilation they heat up more, which can cause early failure).
    – Armand
    Sep 1, 2022 at 1:49

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While it's possible that the circuit breaker is failing, it's highly unlikely. Generally speaking, if you're having an issue with a circuit, "failing/failed breaker" is the last thing you'd investigate.

It's probably just a bulb failing. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) themselves basically don't fail, but the electronics that drive them do. The cheaper the bulb/fixture, the sooner it will give up.

In your case, replace the flickering bulbs. It's possible that your fixtures have integrated bulbs that are not replaceable and you're looking at replacing the entire fixture. While that's significantly more work than unscrewing a dead bulb and screwing in a new one, it's not too bad.

It's generally recommended that you buy quality equipment to help prevent this from happening again. Cheap fixtures will tend to lead to cheap components and early failures, requiring another replacement. Also, do not purchase from online retailers (unless you're buying a known quality brand also available locally from your brick and mortar store), as there is a strong tendency for them to use various laws to enable them to pass along non-UL certified equipment.

Loose screw/wire nut connections are also a likely candidate, and it's never a bad thing to check connections. All newer fixtures and devices will have torque specs (in inch/pounds) that should be followed. Loose connections could manifest as flickering lights but could also manifest as a fire.

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    Good answer. I don’t think it applies here, but if the switch is a dimmer (especially an old one that isn’t designed for leds), it might be the cause. Sep 1, 2022 at 12:55
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    Good point, @AloysiusDefenestrate. Older dimmers aren't generally compatible with LEDs, but bathroom lights generally aren't dimmed.
    – FreeMan
    Sep 1, 2022 at 13:22

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