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Electrical Wiring

CFL flashing while off

12 years ago

I have a friend who bought a house, and i noticed the other day that part of the CFL was flickering every few seconds while the lights were off. nothing bright, or probably even noticable if you werent looking at it. but it wasnt the whole lamp, it was like one inch or so of the spiral length(if that makes any sense).... anyway thanks for the help.

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Comments (3)

Ron Natalie
12 years ago
Is it on a dimmer or some other form of electronic switch (photocell, timer, etc..)?
bus_driver
12 years ago
I have not encountered that condition. First, I would substitute a different CFL and see if the condition persists. I suspect that induced voltage is the culprit. The power available from such is typically not enough to cause a visible response from an incandescent lamp.
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brickeyee
12 years ago
Is the switch illuminated?

The neon bulb in illuminated switches pulls just enough power to confuse some CFLs into trying to start.

They slowly build up enough charge in their power supply, then try to strike on. There is not enough current available (rarely more than 0.01 amps) and they immediately go out.

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