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You go for a night walk or any outdoor activities with your favorite flashlights, but suddenly you notice that your flashlight has stopped working. Also, sometimes you will notice that after apart flashlights and attaching everything again, the flashlight does not work.
The above scenario is so common for everyone who owns a flashlight. If you fall into such a condition and want to know why your flashlight is not working and want to know the easy fix, you land in the right place.
Why is my flashlight not working and Possible fixes?
There are several reasons that lead to the issue. Below are listed a few common causes and easy fixes which might help you in such conditions:
- Reverse Tube
Many tactical flashlights have a center tube that can be separated from both head and tail cap sides. The tail cap makes the electrical connection. Some flashlights come with different length threads. If you apart the flashlights and put them back on backward, there will be no electrical connection, leading to the stop working flashlights.
So, to fix the issue, you need to apart the flashlights and check whether you attach them in a reverse manner. If it is the main reason, you need to attach them properly, and hopefully, it will start working.
- Retaining rings
You will find the retaining rings in the tail caps, which sometimes stop working and cause the not working issue. You will get this type of construction in most flashlights that hold the switch. If the switchboard stops working, you can buy it for around $2 and replace it.
You do not need to follow a complicated procedure to replace the switch. You just need to remove the retaining ring and the switchboard and place the new switch and ring.
However, sometimes you will notice that the retaining rings come loose. You do not need to replace the board and rings in such a situation. You just need to take a pair of split ring pliers or needle-nose pliers. You will find two little holes in the ring. Place the pliers there and tighten them.
Also, do not use any chemical fastener as there is an electrical connection.
Some flashlights retaining rings come in the head section. If you have a flashlight like this, you need to check there to fix the issue.
- Weak or dead batteries
Weak or dead batteries are another common reason leading to flashlight fault issues. The good part is you can easily identify that the battery is dead. When the battery gets weak, you will notice that the brightness of the light will decrease before finished.
Many reasons can damage the battery. Due to a long time of use, you will notice that the battery loses its power most of the time. Also, if the flashlights idle for an extended period or are stored in a hot environment, you will notice such issues.
If the flashlight stops working due to batteries, you need to replace the batteries, which will solve the issue.
- Electrical connection issue
Over time, your flashlight may get collect dirt in the inner part of the flashlight, which can create obstacles to passing proper electricity. You can easily fix such an issue by using rubbing alcohol and a q-tip. You need to clean the contact ring using the q-tip by rubbing alcohol.
- Broken O-ring
O-ring is most common for such instruments. It is a rubber gasket used in flashlight opening parts to open the flashlight part easily. Also, it protects the inner part of the flashlight from water and dirt. Most of the time, you will notice an O-ring on the battery compartment and lamp. So, it is an important piece of equipment for tactical or camping flashlights.
When you open your flashlight component and notice dirt more than usual, it indicates that the o-ring is facing an issue. For overtime use, the o-ring dry out, wear and crack and stop performing.
If there have any issues with the o-ring, simply replace it with a new one. If it turns a little dry, you do not need to replace it. Just use a little silicone lubricant, and it will start working.
Watch out for below video to learn more about the issue:
Final words
If your flashlights stop working, I hope now you can know the reason behind this. However, you need to closely inspect your flashlights to know why the flashlight is not working.