How To Stop Your LEDS From Flickering, Buzzing, Glowing And Burning Out (2024)

Buy decent quality bulbs. Good quality LEDs are designed so that heat is dissipated away from the diodes, usually by the fins around the base of the bulb - this slows the rate of burnout.

All LEDs will burnout eventually, but there is a significant difference in speed of burnout between a low quality LED and a high quality LED. It is worth paying a bit extra to ensure your bulb lasts longer.

Quality LEDs are designed to last around 30,000 hours on average, but many bulbs fell far below this number.

66 of the 230 bulbs tested by Which?lasted less than 10,000 hours, despite claiming to provide a minimum of 15,000 hours of light. Poor quality LEDs burnout quickly due to being fitted with low quality semi-conductors and they are also subject to fewer quality controls during the manufacturing process.

In addition to burnout, bad LEDS cause:

• Fluctuations in brightness.
• Fluctuations in colours.
• Fluctuations in lifespan.
• Light fading quickly over a short period of time.

Cheap LEDs are also more prone to flickering, buzzing and glowing when switched off.

The only way to avoid these issues is to avoid buying poor quality bulbs in the first place.

WMost reputable light bulb retailers will only buy certified, tested bulbs.

You can avoid low quality LEDs by sticking to the following:

• Purchase your bulbs from a reputable store - it's tempting to buy cheap LEDs from online auction sites but paying 99p for an LED bulb is unlikely to result in a quality product. This kinds of retailers also don't offer you support and advice if you run into problems or want to return your bulbs.
• For a high quality GU10 bulb you should expect to pay at least £2-£4 although they can cost as much as £9
• Go for branded LEDs - We recommend trusted names like Bell, GE, Bright Source, Sylviana, Osram and Philips. These brands are synonymous with quality.
• If some of these brands seem a little pricey speak to your light bulb retailer who should be able to offer an alternative cheaper bulb of equal quality.