Flicking Lights

[StreetSleeper]

Could some nice person please answer me this question. If the lights are on and the heater is on full the lights throb, is this down to a bad earth or is the main cable to the fuse holder not thick enough to take the current? The cable was upgraded when the fridge was fitted with no problems but now this has just started.

Rae

 

[trevskoda]

Led bulbs may flicker if cable to thin which i dought, more like the heater interfering with them, try fitting a ferite ring on lighting cables close to bulbs, or some sort of smoothing capacitor at motor.

 

[StreetSleeper]

Yes, you are correct, they are LED bulbs and that would explain why the strip light in the celling did not throb.

 

[Squiffy]

Could some nice person please answer me this question. If the lights are on and the heater is on full the lights throb, is this down to a bad earth or is the main cable to the fuse holder not thick enough to take the current? The cable was upgraded when the fridge was fitted with no problems but now this has just started.

Rae

Do the lights flicker when you are on hook up Rae, if they do then it must be frequency interference from the heater if they don't then it would point to me to be the battery voltage being comparatively low and the heater pulsing and drawing current, hence lights dimming and brightening in consequence. Though if its only just started and the wiring has not changed the major factor is surely a battery voltage problem or possibly a loose connection causing a high resistance in either the heater cct or lighting cct. Phil

 

[StreetSleeper]

Hello Phil,
Never use the van on hook-up, the solar system I have, with 2 lithium batteries, works very well. Having said that, I have on occasions topped the batteries up before we go away; if I was going to have the heating on all the time as well as the fridge. My batteries are used all the time as we have a microwave to cook with and I have a 240 kettle for hot water, through an inverter. The only time we get this pulsing, when I think about it, is when the diesel heater's running and it's only the LED lights it seems to affect.

Rae

 

[Phantom]

LED bulbs when on a mains dimmer switch often flicker if set too low, so maybe the same principle?