this post was submitted on 25 Dec 2025
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Well, I can't say I've ever seen it happen, but I could see how it could happen in certain scenarios, especially if the LED has some weird driver in it. Maybe the capacitors in the driver would be allowed to charge up in some designs before getting dissipated through the LED in a flash?
The simplest form of LED light (just a rectifier and a bunch of LEDs in series for a 120V diode drop), idk if you'd ever see any glow or flashes, since LEDs don't turn on until a certain voltage, and if you're getting like 50V on an open circuit that seems to me like you've accidentally built a transformer in your walls.
A very low current transformer, more of kess yeah.
Some lights will charge op and flicker, others have a constant glow. The speed/brightness depends on how long the wire is, so most residential lamps are unnoticeable even when it happens, but large rooms and weird wiring can make it more obvious.
I guess that makes sense it'd happen more in big buildings. The runs in most houses wouldn't be long enough to have a noticeable induced current without the electrician adding a few extra loops for fun :)
Thanks for humoring my skepticism, it's been interesting to think about how this would happen.