12v wall light flickering

[Antony Perry]

Hi my 12v wall light was flickering so I replaced bulb still doesn't work. I am not confident with electrics but would like to take it off wall and check for loose wires, any advice to do this safely appreciated thanks moe. 

[Tony Brooks]

Turn the master switch off and just do it, but the loose wires could well be elsewhere. Does it flicker all the time, or only when something like the water pump runs? Does it do it when the engine is charging the batteries? LED, florescent, or filament bulb?

[MtB]

3 hours ago, Antony Perry said:

Hi my 12v wall light was flickering so I replaced bulb still doesn't work.

 

Terribly ambiguous. Do you mean it doesn't work at all now, or it still flickers?

 

Are you running the engine or charging the batts in some other way during the flickering? 

[JamesWoolcock]

3 hours ago, Antony Perry said:

Hi my 12v wall light was flickering so I replaced bulb still doesn't work. I am not confident with electrics but would like to take it off wall and check for loose wires, any advice to do this safely appreciated thanks moe. 

Photo of light fitting?

[BWM]

Cheaper LED bulbs often have a tendency to flicker at voltages outside of 12 volts. 

[Antony Perry]

Hi flickered when engine not running tried new bulb still doesn't work,should I turn off all power and check for loose wires. 

[David Mack]

14 minutes ago, Antony Perry said:

Hi flickered when engine not running tried new bulb still doesn't work,should I turn off all power and check for loose wires. 

But does it flicker when the engine is running?

[Tracy D'arth]

If you are unsure of your ability to do electrical work, why not ask someone who knows to help you. I am sure that there will be a handy lad in Crick who can assist. Have you asked at the marina?

[Detling]

I have had some flicker because they are too hot so the internal regulator shuts off bulb cools comes on again they were 5 watt LED changed to 4 watt everything fine.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

35 minutes ago, Detling said:

I have had some flicker because they are too hot so the internal regulator shuts off bulb cools comes on again they were 5 watt LED changed to 4 watt everything fine.

We still don't know for sure if they are LED's, incandescent bulbs, or florescent. The OP has only said light, bulb and electric. Not possible to offer much help remotely without more information.

Edited October 10, 2021 by Jen-in-Wellies

[Antony Perry]

5 hours ago, David Mack said:

But does it flicker when the engine is running?

No it didn't flicker when engine running. 

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Antony Perry said:

No it didn't flicker when engine running. 

 

 Now that IS curious. Certainly suggests a power supply problem rather than anything to do with the wiring.

 

What make and model of bulb is it you've fitted, exactly?

 

Or if you don't know, it is an incandescent bulb or LED?

 

 

 

 

Or failing that, post a photo of it please.

 

 

[Antony Perry]

5 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 Now that IS curious. Certainly suggests a power supply problem rather than anything to do with the wiring.

 

What make and model of bulb is it you've fitted, exactly?

 

Or if you don't know, it is an incandescent bulb or LED?

 

 

 

 

Or failing that, post a photo of it please.

 

 

Ipro lite plus 10 watt 12v

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, Antony Perry said:

Ipro lite plus 10 watt 12v

 

Hmmmm this might be the trouble then.

 

Googling this bulb reveals no results (other than irrelevant stuff nothing to do with lighting), so I suspect you have cheap and nasty LED lamps that simply don't work properly. Try an incandescent lamp in the light fitting and see if the same problem persists.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

10 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Hmmmm this might be the trouble then.

 

Googling this bulb reveals no results (other than irrelevant stuff nothing to do with lighting), so I suspect you have cheap and nasty LED lamps that simply don't work properly. Try an incandescent lamp in the light fitting and see if the same problem persists.

I also tried a search for Ipro and got no relevant results. Wipro however seems to be a brand with LED lights. Loads of different models at 10W, so can't narrow it down further.

@Antony Perry, is there any chance of a picture of this light please? It is very frustrating when information is doled out in tiny incomplete snippets over many hours and days. Help us to help you.

My theory for now is that this is an LED lamp designed for domestic use with a steady 12V transformer from the mains. It may be momentarily shutting down with high voltages from the alternator when the engine runs.

Edited October 10, 2021 by Jen-in-Wellies

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

My theory for now is that this is an LED lamp designed for domestic use with a 12V transformer from the mains. It may be momentarily shutting down with high voltages from the alternator.

 

This idea doesn't hold water, Shirley.

 

The OP says the lamp flickers when the engine of OFF, and not when it is running. Therefore spikey alternator output can't be the fault.

 

Although I grant we still don't have an answer to the early question about whether the battery is being charged during the flickering by some method other than the engine running. 

 

The OP really needs to up their game in answering the questions asked, or the forum is gonna lose interest in helping. 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

2 minutes ago, MtB said:

The OP says the lamp flickers when the engine of OFF, and not when it is running. Therefore spikey alternator output can't be the fault.

Yep. Misremembered the early replies. Scratch that theory.

And don't call me Shirley 😀

Edited October 10, 2021 by Jen-in-Wellies

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

And don't call me Shirley 😀

 

I know you likes it really......

 

🤣

[Tony Brooks]

4 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

We still don't know for sure if they are LED's, incandescent bulbs, or florescent. The OP has only said light, bulb and electric. Not possible to offer much help remotely without more information.

 

That is why I asked him in his first reply, but he has decided not to answer. If they are fluorests they may need a new fitting/inverter,

 

The OP really needs to answer questions, even if he thinks they are not relevant.

[Antony Perry]

38 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

That is why I asked him in his first reply, but he has decided not to answer. If they are fluorests they may need a new fitting/inverter,

 

The OP really needs to answer questions, even if he thinks they are not relevant.

Thanks for advice looks like they are cheap bulbs and not leds

[Tony Brooks]

10 hours ago, Antony Perry said:

Thanks for advice looks like they are cheap bulbs and not leds

 

So they might be halogens or filament lamps. Both types use filaments, so need no voltage regulation or inverter circuit between the boat system and the "bulb". Sometimes filament bulbs flicker when the filament so broken and keeps making - breaking the circuit, but a new bulb would normally fix that so it is probably something different, what could that be?

 

Wrong new bulb (e.g. an SCC bulb when an SBC bulb is required).

Bulb loose in holder.

Faulty switch.

Loose connection to bulb holder.

Loose terminal on cable.

Loose/dirty fuse

Faulty circuit breaker

Loose connection/ terminal on main fuse box

and so on.

 

Turn the master switch off and remove the fitting from the wall so you can see the switch terminal etc. Turn switch back on and move things to see if the flickering alters.

 

 

 

[Jim Batty]

On 10/10/2021 at 19:24, Antony Perry said:

No it didn't flicker when engine running. 

This could simply be that your (LED?) lights flicker when your battery charge is low. Say when they drop to 12.1v or less.

[Jim Batty]

What happens if your batteries are fully charged up and the engine is off?