Outside light flickering during wet weather

[Owen74]

Hi all.

I have an outside light which seems to flicker like crazy. At first I thought faulty light bulb, but then I realised the problem is worse when it is raining. In dry weather it's either a steady dim light, or not working at all. In wet weather it flickers and flashes randomly.

I worry there might be rain water getting into the wiring (best case), or somehow soaking into the wall cavity insulation (worse case) touching the wiring. A simple loose connection surely would be the same in all weathers.

My other 2 outside lights and all other electrics in the house appear fine.

As precaution I'm keeping it switched off most of the time. But I would welcome any opinions before I call an electrician.

 

[Taylortwocities]

When it stops raining, Turn the power off and open the light up so you can see the wiring connections. If its wet in there then it needs fixing.
You can probably do it yourself with a tube of silicone.
An electrician will charge you 2 hours minimum, if you can find anyone who can be bothered.

 

[Owen74]

If there's water inside the wall cavity of course I won't see it anyway. But I'll see a pool of water inside the light fitting itself, if that's there.
I suppose my real question is, might this pose a fire hazard or safety risk if I leave it too long.

 

[ericmark]

I would change the bulb anyway, LED bulbs I have found flicker at times, I have not worked out why only flickers some times, but they do, maybe down to voltage which may be slightly different in the wet. And you can check for damp at same time as changing bulb.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I suppose my real question is, might this pose a fire hazard or safety risk if I leave it too long.

Water is often used to put fire out, so water in the fitting would be a good thing as a fire prevention measure! However, if the problem is a faulty connection in the nice dry loft then that is a different matter.
Check thd light, if there’s water there then you - or any handy person - could fix it. If it all looks dry then maybe leave it off snd get an electrician.