Flickering Light Bulb??

[TassyJim]

The cable going to your switch has two wires close to each other.
There is enough capacitance between the two wires to allow a very low AC current to pass between them.
(OK - technically, it might also be the inductance that is doing it)

This allows the new low energy bulbs to 'start' briefly but not turn on fully.

The problem is more evident when you have long runs to the switches such as when you have two way switching and multiple lights on the one switch.

It doesn't indicate a fault, just 'one of those things'.

It does show why you can get a 'tingle' from a circuit that is supposed to be turned off.
Fluro's are known to emit radio interference when they are turned of and not when they are on!

Jim

[generdawg]

Like the sailor who spit in the wind, It's all coming back to me now!

Last place we had, the green curly globe in the bedroom did this burst on like it didn't quite have enough juice.

I say this because if the globe was sitting one the dresser not connected there is no way it's going to have a heart beat; THEREFORE, some leakage MUST be occurring. Scary init?

scared dawg (of common things without a sensible explanation)

[oldtrack123]

The cable going to your switch has two wires close to each other.
There is enough capacitance between the two wires to allow a very low AC current to pass between them.
(OK - technically, it might also be the inductance that is doing it)

This allows the new low energy bulbs to 'start' briefly but not turn on fully.

The problem is more evident when you have long runs to the switches such as when you have two way switching and multiple lights on the one switch.

It doesn't indicate a fault, just 'one of those things'.

It does show why you can get a 'tingle' from a circuit that is supposed to be turned off.
Fluro's are known to emit radio interference when they are turned of and not when they are on!

Jim

Hi Jim
Yes, spot on,
It does not take much for the gas to ionize slightly;) but insufficient current ,backed by voltage to actually strike
Changing the switch MAY help IF there is a high impedance leakage across the terminals
But a very likely cause is capacitance effect between cables ,or possibly if current is flowing through adjacent conductors , an inductive effect ,
Not uncommon with such lights

IF that is the problem , Little can be done by to overcome the problem
Normally it is not a problem or a risk & the energy used is extremely small
But if changing the bulb it may be wise to turn "off the "mains" switch ,as the circuit is unlikely to have RCD protection unless a VERY recent installation

PeterQ

[T1 Terry]

See if it happens with any particular item turned on or not. Inductance will only occur if current is flowing through the parallel wiring run, the bit running down inside the wall cavity to the switch, if it runs on it's own, won't create this effect, as there is no current flow if the switch isn't on, so no induction can take place. The most common one is the light switching cable run parallel with the off peak electric water heater cable. Try the switch first, easiest and cheapest item.
The other fix is to replace the light globes with led units with drivers to suit 240v as part of the bulb, they don't suffer the problem.

[TassyJim]

I should have added that a bit of mouse piddle mixed with years of dust in the light fitting can also cause a bit of stray leakage, so maybe, a new base for the light fitting might also fix it.

Jim