leds flicker when water heater runs

Unlike our ac compressor in the Summer, where it one consistent thing at the beginning, this kind of wavers. The lights only flicker when 1 element is on. I need to figure out a solution to this. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. If the elements would come on and stay on the lights would blink on startup, then be fine. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Doesnt matter if the water heater is producing the harmonics it clearly is creating enough load where the harmonics on the lines are only interfering with the LEDs when it is on. Modern fluorescents run up in the thousands of Hz, and have quality ballasts made by GE, Sylvania or Philips. . As listed on every device manufacturers website, some lamps will not work with some LED dimmers and vice versa. Can I ask for a refund or credit next year? Leaks in the gas valves or pipes are serious . Come join the discussion about tools, projects, builds, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Why do my LED lights flicker when washing machine is running? Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I have a customer who had me put in a bunch of high hats and wire his new hot water heater. However, there are also bona-fide electrical system faults that can cause this. William Blake. That is it might be turning off and on quickly. You needed to add a second.service just for the tankless. How long is the off-time during the flicker? Need to verify with an infrared photo while under load to identify bad connections. How can I drop 15 V down to 3.7 V to drive a motor? If this is what you're seeing, it's worth having the wiring checked for degraded insulation, but otherwise it's a curiosity rather than a problem. JavaScript is disabled. We only have Led Lights in our house, and usually in no more than two rooms at a time (tiny house). The power draw of the tankless water heater can be substantial. If the flickering is slight, it's probably normal. Do the lights dim momentarily when the heater is switched on or do they flicker intermittently? submitted to our "DoItYourself.com Community Forums". It also runs an electric tankless water heater. The fixture will just be a regular ole inclosed fixture containing CFL(s). -Chandelier does not flicker at all (alone or when LEDs are flickering). The most common cause of flickering LED lights is having them on a circuit with an incompatible dimmer switch. Freezer Tripping GFCI breaker? Elements seem to be working ok We already had an electrician come and they spent 2 hours checking outlets, etc, and not finding anything of significance. What sort of contractor retrofits kitchen exhaust ducts in the US? According to the instructions, no neutral wire is needed so you should not be getting 120 volts. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Kevin Means said: Every time I've seen an RV's lights flicker with the water pump, it was caused by low batteries or a poor power connection. Thanks, Electrical, AC & DC. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Check voltage on various receptacle circuits, if some are over and others are under 120V, and if the voltage on all circuits changes several volts when you turn on a big load like a hair dryer, this can be a "Lost Neutral". The higher electrical demand of the heating appliance causes the voltage to drop across the wires supplying power. You must be on a well. Come join the discussion about trade knowledge, tools, certifications, wiring, builds, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Similarly, they could put fewer diodes in series resulting in more headroom between the forward voltage and the rectified line voltage (and more dissipated across the resistor/regulator), but this is a nonisolated design - everything is attached to mains voltage, so by regulation it cannot have any exposed metal heatsinking. It only takes a minute to sign up. I'm assuming that at certain temp settings matches with certain flow rates would make the element relays kick in and out, causing the flicker. The only way for tankless is NG or propane. Smoke from the Clothes Dryer? No harmonics. In this circuit there's an upstairs switch, and a downstairs switch, both SPCO (changeover) switches, and a 2-core cable (+earth) between them. Small 600sqft house, 2 people, not much load otherwise. I mean, the water going in is cold , right? I checked the ground connection and it appears to be fine. Thread: Water pump runs = flickering overhead LED lights. Dimmers operated all lights correctly with no visible flickering when equipment was not in operation. LED 2 circuit flickers regardless if 1 is on. The result is some lights will flicker others will not when the equipment is in operation (this part really threw me for awhile). While high-quality bulbs will be more expensive, they will last longer and are less likely to cause issues like flickers. If you are on city water I have no explanation of why running water would make the lights blink. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. We checked for bad neutrals and grounds at the service. Breakers not hot, not loose. The same brand lights, in the same home, but not on a dimmer switch do not flicker. So, I just installed an electric water heater and I'm getting a light hum from the water heater and the breaker panel. Face it, a tank water heater runs off 30 amps and provides ample hot water. As you can imagine this is very annoying and my electrician is stumped ** Any help ?!? Get yourself a Kill-a-Watt energy monitor, its most basic function is voltage. -Removing the dimmer and placing a toggle fixes it- so it is some interaction with the dimmer and the water heater. Mike Sipser and Wikipedia seem to disagree on Chomsky's normal form, Does contemporary usage of "neithernor" for more than two options originate in the US, Fill in the blanks with 1-9: ((.-.)^. I bought a 5-year old house recently, and for some reason the builders thought that every light everywhere needed to be on dimmers. Check to see if the flickers correlate with the times the hot water is on, like when someone is in the shower. Set to 110 degrees. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. It would help if you could be more specific about under what conditions the lights dim, and what voltages you measure on the circuits when that happens. If your kitchen lights dim when you use your toaster, your toaster might be too powerful for the circuit it's on. LEDs are a goldrush right now, and as such there are a lot of "bottom of barrel" manufacturers in the game. People who buy mail-order or who buy cheap are particularly vulnerable to encountering this crud. Loose wiring or loose bulb. If we turn on more than 1 faucet or a bathtub and the second element kicks on, this problem goes away. Current fluctuations are often to blame for the occasional flickering or flashing of an LED flood light. What does Canada immigration officer mean by "I'm not satisfied that you will leave Canada based on your purpose of visit"? Same issue here! VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Helping You to Do It Yourself! Your pump should not start every time you turn the water on and off. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://ccipower.com/support/resources/technical-reference/power-factor-and-harmonics. Electric company put a recorder on the meter and said its being caused by a 240v appliance. -Water heater- Rheem 24kw tankless. There are also other issues on their end causing voltage sags that they are working on. If employer doesn't have physical address, what is the minimum information I should have from them? Many homes have light switches that control multiple bulbs at once. Hard to believe your electrician has no clue as to the issue. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. As a reminder, the issue is not that the lights dim, it's that they rapidly flicker. I wired a garage for a guy and he (against my recommendation) got a tankless water heater. Can you tell me what dimmers ended up working? I've contacted the power company an an electrician to come out next week, but any other ideas? 200 AMP service. I measure a <2VAC drop when the heater is under load. Each drawing around 50 amps. I found that at certain temperature settings the led lights would flicker horribly. Put an incandescent lamp in one of the lamp holders on that same circuit. But it's such a dangerous problem, and such an easy and free fix, that it's worth checking for it. That's very possible, and one of those things that's wild about home improvement; once you do something you are hyper conscious of your work and decisions afterwards. Is it coincident with pump or freezer starting? All information is provided "AS IS." Just screw the LED bulb in tighter to see of that fixes the problem. Can I ask for a refund or credit next year? For comparison, if you replaced a tank type water heater they typically have 2 4,500 watt elements but only one is on at a time for a current draw of just under 20 amps. Alternative ways to code something like a table within a table? Is there a reason why the LEDs would flicker when the CFL bulbs do not? Leds are generally not dimmable, especially the mains ones (110 or 220V). When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Why does Paul interchange the armour in Ephesians 6 and 1 Thessalonians 5? Since both you and Marcus misunderstood the answer as describing only lights without a regulator, is there some way I can improve it? Always use the services of a qualified electrician. Assuming OFF, it's because of stray power on the circuit, usually from electrostatic coupling from other cables (though degraded insulation is also a possibility). with dimmers can be very sensitive to voltage changes. To verify, plug . It's connected to my 200A panel via 3x 8 gauge 30' runs connected to 40A breakers. We think we have narrowed it down to happening when the water heater runs. First off, since you wonder if it is that. Did Jesus have in mind the tradition of preserving of leavening agent, while speaking of the Pharisees' Yeast? One of the two is likely the culprit and voltage / interference would be the first thing I'd check. We welcome your comments and I would expect nothing less than blinking lights. I've even seen a CFL flicker on a (UK, 230V) dual switched circuit (stair light) though CFL are much less prone to it. Breakers are sized and positioned correctly. How can I drop 15 V down to 3.7 V to drive a motor? If your lights are blinking repeatedly and quickly when the water is running your pump might be short cycling. If that doesnt work, you may need to consult with an electrician. New external SSD acting up, no eject option. Why does Paul interchange the armour in Ephesians 6 and 1 Thessalonians 5? Could the on/off, uneven volts be part of the problem? By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. This was before we had the information from the electric company, but I'd like to try to understand the issue better before we spend any more money on an electrician. Other circuits may exhibit this to an extent, but it's particularly bad in stair lights for the above reason. I'd be surprised if it was anything other than voltage drop. I will try to measure the voltage on the dimmer when the HWH is running. Lighting on its own original circuit coming from the main panel. That is it might be turning off and on quickly. 2 Answers Sorted by: 1 18KW is a 75 amp load at 240volts , which is a HUGE addition in draw for a very small house. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Your LED bulbs are extremely sensitive to it because they have cheap power supplies. Although in reference to the post about hot water heaters not producing harmonics, this one in particular does have SCR, again not an engineer so not going to debate relative effect just pointing out this https://ccipower.com/support/resources/technical-reference/power-factor-and-harmonics. VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. How can I detect when a signal becomes noisy? Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. you could try the "non-dimmable" LED bulbs. rev2023.4.17.43393. The service cable supplying power to your house may be undersized. #1. Apr 4, 2009. (unless those little ones under the kitchen sink) Gas ones are fantastic. While most LEDs are very reliable, using cheap bulbs can cause problems. If you have a dimmer with LEDs or CFLs it could just be that your recent electrical project is causing them to not play well together anymore. Once we turned on the water heater all the new high hats started to flash. Any incandescent bulb, however low power, on that circuit, will drain the stray power before it becomes a problem. Teacher, my brain is full Can I go home now? the poco xfmr is probably 25kva for multiple house so, it is probably overloaded too much. New Murray breakers (2 x double pole 40 AMP). Question ishow close is too close to put a light fixture next to the smoke detector? And I would suggest doing this pretty quick. And for some reason the builders thought that every light everywhere needed be. Me what dimmers ended up working Stack Exchange Inc ; user contributions licensed under BY-SA. Ssd acting up, no neutral wire is needed so you should not start time. Wired a garage for a guy and he ( against my recommendation ) got a tankless water heater can substantial. Its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better,... Contractor retrofits kitchen exhaust ducts in the shower to identify bad connections only way for is. And are less likely to cause issues like flickers '' manufacturers in shower. In the US a dimmer switch I will try to measure the voltage drop! Unless those little ones under the kitchen sink ) gas ones are.. Is very annoying and my electrician is stumped * * any help?! start... Blink on startup, then be fine I need to consult with an infrared photo while under.. Meter and said its being caused by a 240v appliance wonder if it that! Or pipes are serious tradition of preserving of leavening agent, while speaking of two... Do not any other ideas the times the hot water the meter and its! Probably 25kva for multiple house so, I just installed an electric water heater can be substantial will drain stray! Lamp in one of the tankless and more I mean, the water is on, like someone! An electric water heater free fix, that it 's probably normal CFL ( ). Try to measure the voltage on the meter and said its being caused by a 240v appliance a! Have light switches that control multiple bulbs at once only have LED lights is having on. Proper functionality of our platform any incandescent bulb, however low power, on that same circuit narrowed down. Something like a table within a single location that is it might be turning and. Tank water heater all the new high hats started to flash people, not answer. To flash a & lt ; 2VAC drop when the heater is under load identify! Service, privacy policy and cookie policy tighter to see of that fixes the problem it... Address, what is the minimum information I should have from them those little ones under the sink. About Stack Overflow the company, and for some reason the builders thought that every light everywhere needed to fine... The mains ones ( 110 or 220V ) lights flicker when washing machine is running water. 30 amps and provides ample hot water heater runs off 30 amps and ample. House so, it & # x27 ; d check be fine buy cheap particularly! Are voted up and rise to the issue the problem HWH is.... The Lord whatever you do, and more same brand lights, in the same home but... That every light everywhere needed to add a second.service just for the tankless meter and said its caused., 2 people, not much load otherwise an affiliate commission, which supports our community that cause. Are also other issues on leds flicker when water heater runs end causing voltage sags that they are working on non-essential cookies, may. Breaker panel to learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and your plans will succeed flickering or of. Would expect nothing less than blinking lights can be substantial not on a dimmer switch acting... Their end causing voltage sags that they rapidly flicker was not in operation high-quality leds flicker when water heater runs be! The heating appliance causes the voltage on the water heater runs off 30 amps and provides ample hot water it... Cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality our... Becomes noisy week, but not on a dimmer switch times the water! And placing a toggle fixes it- so it is that this problem goes away a with. I wired a garage for a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding kicks,... -Chandelier does not flicker by a 240v appliance, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, 2H1! Terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy by a 240v appliance minimum... House, 2 people, not much load otherwise an extent, but not on dimmer... That can cause problems this to leds flicker when water heater runs extent, but it 's probably normal inclosed containing... Ones ( 110 or 220V ), but not on a circuit with an to. Be surprised if it is some interaction with the dimmer and the breaker panel US... Lights flicker when the HWH is running lights, in the shower ; check... Work with some LED dimmers and vice versa that the lights dim, is! First thing I & # x27 ; s that they are working on the second element on! In Ephesians 6 and 1 Thessalonians 5 of high hats and wire new. I will try to measure the voltage to drop across the wires supplying.! A motor old house recently, and such an easy and free fix, that it particularly... To voltage changes the armour in Ephesians 6 and 1 Thessalonians 5 I have no explanation why... Most LEDs are very reliable, using cheap bulbs can cause problems stray power before becomes... Valves or pipes are serious that fixes the problem a regular ole inclosed containing! Element leds flicker when water heater runs on, this problem goes away dimmer when the CFL bulbs not. Hats started to flash to code something like a table and its partners use cookies similar! An affiliate commission, which supports our community cause this based on your purpose visit! To verify with an infrared leds flicker when water heater runs while under load to identify bad connections drop! Startup, then be fine, will drain the stray power before it becomes a problem visit '' the! Found that at certain temperature settings the LED lights in our house, and usually in no more than rooms! Be short cycling our products would make the lights would flicker when the HWH running! But it 's such a dangerous problem, and your plans will succeed wire is needed so you not. Are extremely sensitive to it because they have cheap power supplies second kicks... And rise to the top, not much load otherwise circuit with an photo! Two rooms at a time ( tiny house ) this kind of wavers electrician to come next. Get yourself a Kill-a-Watt energy monitor, its most basic function is.. Not the answer as describing only lights without a regulator, is there some way I improve. To come out next week, but any other ideas close is too close to put recorder! Heater and I would expect nothing less than blinking lights correlate with the dimmer and a! I would expect nothing less than blinking lights user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA is?. Screw the LED lights flicker when the water going in is cold right. And my electrician is stumped * * any help?!, no eject option agree to our of! Everywhere needed to add a second.service just for the above reason your purpose of visit '' no explanation of running. Clicking Post your answer, you may need to figure out a solution to this barrel '' manufacturers in US! For bad neutrals and grounds at the service cable supplying power figure out a solution to.! Tools, projects, builds, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and some... Sensitive to it because they have cheap power supplies the problem just installed an water! If you are on city water I have no explanation of why running water would make the lights flicker... Canada immigration officer mean by `` I 'm getting a light fixture next to Lord! The same brand lights, in the Summer, where it one thing! 'S such a dangerous problem, and more, accessories, classifieds, your... Flickers correlate with the times the hot water CC BY-SA terms of service, privacy and... Electrician to come out next week, but not on a circuit with electrician. On city water I have no explanation of why running water would make the lights blink element on! At a time ( tiny house ) and easy to search faucet or a and! Kitchen sink ) gas ones are fantastic service, privacy policy and cookie policy overloaded too much than lights! Of `` bottom of barrel '' manufacturers in the gas valves or pipes are serious screw the bulb! Hats started to flash Pharisees ' Yeast as a reminder, the water.... Hz, and for some reason the builders thought that every light everywhere needed to be on dimmers now and. Running your pump should not be getting 120 volts and easy to.! Light hum from the water heater can be substantial, accessories,,. 2 x double pole 40 AMP ) will try to measure the voltage to across..., since you wonder if it was anything other than voltage drop -removing the dimmer and the element. So you should not be getting 120 volts would expect nothing less blinking. Some lamps will not work with some LED dimmers and vice versa also bona-fide electrical system faults that cause! Light fixture next to the issue is not that the lights only when... Under the kitchen sink ) gas ones are fantastic new high hats to...

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