I'm hoping someone here can help. I recently swapped out some old CFLs for LED bulbs in my living room ceiling fan, it's a 3-bulb fixture, and now I'm getting a faint buzzing sound whenever the lights are on. No flicker, just the hum. The wiring looks fine, and the switch is a standard toggle, not a dimmer. House was built in 2005, and I've never had this issue before. Is this just a bulb compatibility thing, or should I be checking something else? Thanks everyone!
LED buzzing issue
- Thread starter hipp0camp
- Start date
It's almost certainly a compatibility issue. Many newer LED bulbs are sensitive to electrical noise and can hum when used with certain types of fixtures or switches, even standard toggle ones. The fixture itself might have a transformer or ballast designed for CFLs, which can cause this humming sound with LEDs. Try swapping the bulbs and look for those specifically labeled as being dimmable even if you don't have a dimmer switch. These bulbs often have more advanced internal drivers that are better at handling slight variations in the current, which can eliminate the buzz. If a different bulb doesn't solve it, you could be dealing with some dirty power on the circuit, but that's less likely.
Does it buzz when the blade motor is off? If so, I'd suspect the bulb.
I've purchased some brands of A-Shape LED which buzz- even on my conditioned bench supply. Sometimes you can feel it in the bulb. It could be brand specific. Dollar Store ones are notorious for buzzing.
Maybe do like VoltagexV said & try a different lamp. I've found that dimmable ones definitely are less prone to vibrating & buzzing. (And last longer)
Paul
I've purchased some brands of A-Shape LED which buzz- even on my conditioned bench supply. Sometimes you can feel it in the bulb. It could be brand specific. Dollar Store ones are notorious for buzzing.
Maybe do like VoltagexV said & try a different lamp. I've found that dimmable ones definitely are less prone to vibrating & buzzing. (And last longer)
Paul
I just swapped out some CFLs for LEDs in my garage and noticed a faint hum too. I wasn't sure if it was normal. Do dimmable LEDs usually say anything about noise reduction on the packaging? And if the fixture has an old ballast, is it better to replace the whole thing or just bypass it?
Hi Space0ut,
I'm confused whether your lamps are screw-shell CFL or tube fluorescents. The use of CFL in your mention implies screw-shell bulbs. (Like what goes in a table lamp) A picture of some screw shell CFL bulbs is below.
If the old were, indeed, screw-shell CFL bulbs; there won't be a ballast in the fixture. It's in the bulb.
Or-
If the new lamp is to replace a typical linear (tube type) fluorescent (such as a 4 foot fluorescent tube for example) removing or leaving the ballast will be dependent on the new LED tube. Some want it gone and some want it to stay.
I buy the ones to let the ballast be ditched to eliminate left over ballast hum. Some minimal re-wiring of the end caps is usually required for those.
Paul
