A/A Fuel GTX
Senior Member
- Location
- WI & AZ
- Occupation
- Electrician
Going on a service call tomorrow where the customer states that an LED lamp slightly glows when the switch is in the off position. Any thoughts?
Glowing LED Lamp
- Thread starter A/A Fuel GTX
- Start date
- Status
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
Last time I did a call like that it was a dimmer switch that did not have a full off and it let enough power through to make the LED glow just slightly.
brantmacga
Señor Member
- Location
- Georgia
- Occupation
- Former Child
Yeh same ..... those Lutron dimmers that have an air-gap switch at the bottom can do that.
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kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Not first time this question has come up here - illuminated wall switch could also allow enough current to pass through when open to allow some illumination of the LED.
A/A Fuel GTX
Senior Member
- Location
- WI & AZ
- Occupation
- Electrician
After checking this out, looks like a faulty lamp. It was a 4 lamp ceiling fan light fixture and one of the lamps had a slight glow no matter which socket it was installed in. Told the HO to get new lamps. Weird............
winnie
Senior Member
- Location
- Springfield, MA, USA
- Occupation
- Electric motor research
All of the 4' 'shoplight' type fixtures that I get from costco have a very slight glow when they are turned off by their built in pull switch. Unplugging them turns them off completely. I figure there is some leakage through something like an MOV across the switch, or capacitive coupling or something similar.
I remember a design project that I had with some high intensity LEDs. At the time I was surprised by how much light they produced when driven at well below the datasheet 'turn on' threshold voltage. Very little current will make an LED noticeable in a dark room.
-Jon
I remember a design project that I had with some high intensity LEDs. At the time I was surprised by how much light they produced when driven at well below the datasheet 'turn on' threshold voltage. Very little current will make an LED noticeable in a dark room.
-Jon
underdogwon
New User
- Location
- Freeport IL
lutron dimmers
lutron dimmers
or if this is on occupancy sensor.
lutron dimmers
or if this is on occupancy sensor.
gar
Senior Member
- Location
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Occupation
- EE
180723-2032 EDT
A/A Fuel GTX:
You do not have a defective bulb. You have not found the cause of the problem.
If there is no current to the bulb, then there will be no light. Somehow sufficient current gets to the bulb when you think it is turned off.
.
A/A Fuel GTX:
You do not have a defective bulb. You have not found the cause of the problem.
If there is no current to the bulb, then there will be no light. Somehow sufficient current gets to the bulb when you think it is turned off.
.
RLyons
Senior Member
- Location
- Changed for anonymity
My first experience with one of these not long ago and it was a loose neutral....My wrists love em' but you can keep your wego's
- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
Are you sure you're replying to the right thread/post?
RLyons
Senior Member
- Location
- Changed for anonymity
I have no idea how, but based on my own observation I saw a LED lightbar fixture glow ever so softly with the light switch off and it turned out to be a loose neutral. It was a lighting circuit not working call.
My only guess was that there was some way the power from the circuit was making its way back through the ground possibly causing the light to glow.?.? Just guessing here
I can say as soon as I pulled the HR switch of the lighting circuit and replaced the wego on the neutral with a wire nut everything worked as it should.
- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
Sounds good.
I just couldn't see how Wagos got in the discussion and you didn't mention anything about the LED and that confused me.
RLyons
Senior Member
- Location
- Changed for anonymity
No, I want answers now! :lol:
I didn't end up going through the whole circuit so I don't know what else was drawing on it...
I never questioned the "why" as it was such an easy fix but this one will stay with me cause it was so unusual
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Seems unlikely that neutral connection was the only thing causing your problem, If everything else is in good condition, the open switch interrupts any current that would make the lamp glow.
ghostbuster
Senior Member
- Location
- Great White North
We ran into a similar situation. Many years before the howeowner's dad had "wired" up the place.He ran the neutrals to all the switches and switched them to turn off the power to the lights.The standard light bulbs worked OK for years until they changed out the lights to CFL.All the lights in the house glowed at night with them"switched off"
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
I could see capacitive effects in that situation allowing enough current to get a dim glow out of LED's.We ran into a similar situation. Many years before the howeowner's dad had "wired" up the place.He ran the neutrals to all the switches and switched them to turn off the power to the lights.The standard light bulbs worked OK for years until they changed out the lights to CFL.All the lights in the house glowed at night with them"switched off"
cburke1111
Member
- Location
- Fort Myers
What type of dimmer rare they using?
Sometimes you need a minimum wattage on the dimmer, so the LED lights will not slow.
For example customers that require this are: Lutron maestro, Lutron radio RA2, Lutron caseta.
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Sometimes you need a minimum wattage on the dimmer, so the LED lights will not slow.
For example customers that require this are: Lutron maestro, Lutron radio RA2, Lutron caseta.
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gar
Senior Member
- Location
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Occupation
- EE
180728-1049 EDT
You have to think about basics.
If you have a mechanical switch which when off has a substantial air gap relative to applied voltage, then with no parallel leakage there will be no current flow. No current flow thru an LED, then no illumination.
If an LED glows, then there is a source of current. Find it.
Your switch in the off position may not actually be an open circuit, or there may be parallel leakage.
.
You have to think about basics.
If you have a mechanical switch which when off has a substantial air gap relative to applied voltage, then with no parallel leakage there will be no current flow. No current flow thru an LED, then no illumination.
If an LED glows, then there is a source of current. Find it.
Your switch in the off position may not actually be an open circuit, or there may be parallel leakage.
.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
An "illuminated switch" very well can let enough current through when in off position to get some light out of LED lamps.
mbrooke
Batteries Included
- Location
- United States
- Occupation
- Technician
Everyone is over thinking this one. Capacitive induction- common issue with LED lights that do not have a "bleed" resistor somewhere in the circuit either across the line or across the driver output. It take very little current to make LEDs glow. A switch leg or 14/3 power to a socket is more than enough to do it.
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