Patio light flickers with CFL when the lights are off!
There are 2 lamps in the front entry way. The following conditions are all true while the LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF.
When I put in compact fluorescent light bulbs in both lamps they both begin to flicker (when facing the house, the one on the left flickers more). If I put in a 100 w or 60 watt regular incandescent light bulb in the left lamp and keep the cfl 15w in the right, the flicker stops. If there is no bulb in the left lamp, the right cfl bulb flickers after being turned on and turned off. The right CFL does not flicker if I unscrew the left 60w bulb while turned off (and had been turned off for a while). The only way to prevent the flicker is to put in a non-cfl or non energy saving bulb in the left lamp. I'm wondering if the lamps (new hampton bay lamps, max 100 watt) cannot handle low wattage or whether the wiring is messed up. If I don't use cfl, everything works normally. One detail: the lamps are attached to a programmable switch. Has anyone seen something like this before? Should I call an electrician? Thanks.