The replacement of incandescent lamps with energy-saving ones is gaining popularity. After all, they are, first, very economical (they are also called energy-efficient), and secondly, they are brighter than traditional incandescent lamps, and thirdly, their replacement is much less.
But often consumers of this product are faced with an unusual problem: the lamp connected to the mains in the off state starts blinking! It can be seen at night, in a dark room. Is this the norm or is the blinking of the lamp-housekeeper harmful? Let's find out!
Why the power-saving lamp is off
The cause of the flashing energy-saving lamp is most often, oddly enough, the presence of a backlight on the switch.
The whole point is how the lamp works. In any model of energy-saving light bulb there is a so-called filtering capacitor. It is necessary in order to smooth the voltage ripple, which is converted from variable to constant within the energy-saving lamp. By itself, this capacitor can not cause the lamp to flash. But if there is a backlight in the circuit-breaker-network-light circuit, the principle changes slightly. Since the backlight bulb is powered from the mains, it means that an electric current passes through it. And it also serves as a feed for the filter capacitor. When the light is on, the contacts are closed and the capacitor is running at full power. If the light does not light up, the backlight turns on, which, as we have already shown, charges the capacitor. And since the current flowing through the backlight is very small, it takes a long time. And as soon as the capacitor accumulates the minimum charge, the energy saving lamp turns on - and then turns off, since the entire charge of the current is instantly consumed. Thus, an instant flash occurs, which we observe as a periodic flashing of the lamp.
It should be noted that not only the illumination of the switch causes the energy saving lamp to flash after switching off, but also the built-in dimmer dimmers and other similar devices.
And what if the switches you have without lighting, and the lamps still blink? The reason for this can be found in the energy-saving devices themselves, which, most likely, are defective. The only way out here is to get rid of such lamps as soon as possible and get other, better ones. Remember that energy-saving lamps can not be disposed of with household rubbish - they must be disposed of in accordance with special rules.
How to fix the problem
The fact that the lamp flashing is a problem is undeniable. Firstly, in a dark room, such blinking is very noticeable and hinders many - for example, distracts and even frightens young children. Secondly, and this is more important, because of the flashing the service life of such a lamp can decrease. The fact is that the resource of any energy-saving lamp is strictly limited and designed for a certain number of launches. And since each flash is calculated by the device as a full-fledged launch, after a few months your lamp will become inoperative. That is why the situation when energy-saving lamps are blinking should be corrected.
There are three main ways to eliminate the problem of a flashing lamp. Let's look at them:
- The easiest way is to remove the backlight of the switch .
To do this, you can either get rid of the light bulb (usually neon or LED) or just snack on its postings. The current will stop flowing through this device, and the lamp-housekeeper will not blink. - To prevent the lamp from flashing, the resistor can also be connected in parallel . It provides additional resistance and consumes a current that otherwise goes to the capacitor. Connect a 2 W resistor and 50 kΩ resistor in a bubble or junction box, insulate it with shrink film, and the lamps stop flashing.
Of course, backlit switches are very convenient, and if you do not want to part with them, there is another way for you.