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Why Does My Ceiling Fan Light Flicker, Blink or Flash?

Ceiling fans usually do two tasks for us. They are circulating air and lighting in our room. When your ceiling fan stops doing any of these two tasks, it causes a lot of frustration.

Flickering, blinking or flashing ceiling fan lights is not something to worry about, still it can be the indication of few electrical problems. Let us discuss the problems that this issue may cause and offer you some viable solutions to solve it.

Why does my ceiling fan light flicker, blink or flash?

Your ceiling fan light may flicker, blink or flash due to an incompatible, old or loose light bulb. An old light switch or old fixture at your home may cause this issue. This may happen due to overloaded circuits or loose connections which might cause some serious problems.

If you want to understand more about these problems, here are some detailed explanations about them:

Old or loose light bulb:

Lights have a limited working time. After the light exceeds that time, it may start to flicker, blink or flash. Besides, over time the light might get loose from the ceiling fan light holder which may cause this.

But if you are asking why does your new ceiling fan light flicker, then loose light bulb can be the reason behind it.

Incompatible light bulb:

Every ceiling fan has a specific type of light holder. If the light does not fit with the light holder, it may cause the ceiling fan light to flicker, blink or flash.

Led ceiling fan light is a new type of light. But it may not be compatible with all ceiling fans, especially old ones. Moreover, this may also cause the ceiling fan light to flicker when turned on.

Old light switches:

Light switches help you to turn on your ceiling fan light. This switch has a working lifetime just like a ceiling fan light. After the switch reaches the end of its working ability, it starts to malfunction.

When it malfunctions, you can hear audible popping, sizzling or buzzing sounds.

Likewise, the switch may feel warm or may spark and the ceiling light fan flicker when turned on.

Old fixture:

If your house is old, your ceiling fan light may flicker, blink or flash due to an old light fixture. Due to aging, the fixture may wear out. Thus, it may cause this issue.

Overloaded circuits:

Sometime you may notice that when you start a high-voltage appliance, your light may blink on and off. This indicates that your circuits are overloaded and your ceiling fan light may flicker, blink or flash.

This is very common in old households. But, if you notice this flickering frequently, consult with an electrician to solve the issue as soon as possible.

Loose wiring:

Your ceiling fan light might flicker, blink or flash if there is a problem with your wiring. This may happen if your connections are very old. After checking all the options above, this might be the only cause remaining to explain the issue.

How to fix a flickering or blinking ceiling fan light?

Many reasons can cause a ceiling fan light to flicker or blink. But there are some common reasons behind it.

Before doing any kind of troubleshooting, turn off the ceiling fan light and let it cool down before you start fixing it. Now let’s go through the possible ways of fixing it:

Change your light:

Often old lights cause ceiling fan lights to flicker or blink. Change the light and check if your problem is fixed or not.

Tighten the light:

Check if your flickering or blinking light is tightened or not. Secure it properly with an extra twist if necessary for good grip with the holder.

Change old switches:

If your switches have become old or malfunctioned, you should change the switch. If you have proper electrical experience, only then you should change it on your own or else you should call an electrician.

Change old fixture:

If your house or ceiling fan is old, you might need to change your fixture. Only if you have proper electrical knowledge and experience, you may change it by yourself. Else you should call an electrician.

Reduce load on circuits:

If you find your circuits are overloaded, you should reduce the load on your circuits. You can do that by using low-wattage bulbs.

You can also determine which appliance is causing the circuits to overload by checking each circuit one by one. But it is better to call an electrician in this case.

Checking for loose wiring:

After testing all other possibilities, contact an electrician and let them check for any loose wiring. Loose wiring is very dangerous and causes might cause untimely fires. So, you should get it fixed as soon as possible.

Why does the ceiling fan light bulb flicker when turned on and turned off? How to fix it?

The ceiling fan light bulb may flicker when turned on and off for many reasons. Following are the reasons why does ceiling fan light bulb flickers when turned on and off and the some viable solutions to it:

Ceiling fan light bulb flickers when turned on:

Reason:

Old light bulb:

When a bulb is used for a long time and starts to flicker, it may indicate that the light has become old.

Solution:

Bulb replacement

It needs to be replaced with a new one.

Reason:

Old switches:

Switches connected to the ceiling light fan may wear out over time causing sparking and heating in the switch.

Solution:

Switch replacement:

Calling an electrician to replace the switch is the best solution.

Ceiling fan light bulb flickers when turned off:

Reason:

Old fixture:

If the ceiling fan light fixture or the house is old, it may cause the light to flicker when turned off.

Solution:

Fixture replacement:

Changing the fixture with the help of an electrician is the best solution to it.

Reason:

Shorted wiring:

If the ceiling fan light is flickering when turned off, this may indicate that the wiring with the light is shorted with some other wire.

Solution:

Check with electrician:

You should immediately call an electrician and do a full check of your house wiring to see if any wires are shorted or not.

Contact for ceiling fan light troubleshooting:

Ceiling fan with lights Visit for service
Hunter ceiling fan lightSupport Page
Harbor breeze ceiling fan lightSupport Page
Hampton bay ceiling fan lightSupport Page
Merwry ceiling fan lightN/A
Minka aire ceiling fan lightSupport Page

Why does my ceiling fan light randomly turn on or off by itself?

Your ceiling fan light can randomly turn on or off by itself due to frayed wiring, faulty circuit breaker, remote frequency and many more. Let us go through the possible reasons and solutions behind them:

Frayed wiring:

When the wiring of the ceiling fan light is frayed, it not only causing the light to randomly turn on or off but also might cause safety risk and affects the functionality.

Solution:

This issue can be resolved by changing the wires of the ceiling light fan. Call a professional to solve the issue properly.

Faulty circuit breaker:

Shorted circuit breakers may cause your ceiling fan light to randomly turn on and off. This may cause voltage variation in your home wiring. Likewise, your appliances may be harmed due to this.

Solution:

To check if the circuit breaker is shorted or not, you should turn off and on the circuit breaker. If yet unsolved, you should call a professional electrician and check the issue.

Remote Frequency:

As many modern electrical devices use various remote frequencies, the frequency of the ceiling fan light may overlap and may cause your ceiling fan light to turn on and off randomly.

Solution:

You can solve this issue by changing the remote frequency of your remote to a unique frequency. You can find instructions about how to change it by your ceiling fan light manual.

Why my ceiling fan remote blinking red light?

Your ceiling fan light remote may blink red light due to having a low battery. You should change the batteries of your remote and check if the blinking of light has stopped or not.

Your remote contact may also cause the red light to blink. You should clean your contact on the remote and check if your issue is resolved or not.

It may be also caused due to faulty wiring on your ceiling fan or remote. Check if any wire of your remote and ceiling fan is loose or not. Call an electrician for better assistance if you can’t find any.

Final thoughts

Your ceiling fan light can flicker, blink or flash due to various electrical or physical malfunctions.  If you check your issue methodically, you may solve the issue by yourself without any hassle. You can also contact the customer support of your brand or local electrician to resolve the issue.