Led Lamps Glow When Switched Off

Hi

I remember reading something about this a while back but cant remember what the solution was.

I have a customer who has changed the GU10 lamps in the bedroom for LED's but the LED's glow very dimly when the swichis in the off position. The lighting circuit is switched 2 way to a switch beside the bed and apparantly if it is switched off in one orientation of the two way switch it is fine but if switched on at the main switch then switched off by the bedside they glow dimly. I know this is induced voltage but I cant remember what the solution was in the article I read. Can anybody remember seeing the article or know the solution of which colour core to use on which terminal to solve the problem.

The Job is quite a distance away and the problem is not easy to see in daylight so I dont want to spend a lot of time going backwards and forwards.

I hope I have explained this clearly it makes sense to me when I read it back.

Thankyou for taking the time to read this and for any help in advance

Try here..

http://www.talk.electricianforum.co.uk/topic/20446-snubber-for-leds/page__hl__snubber

Maybe if it's a single pole switch you replace it with a changeover switch with Live on NO, Neutral on NC and Common to the light. Would only work if you have a Neutral at the switch. Also not sure if there's anything in UK regs to prevent it but I think we could get away with it with our regs. It might confuse the hell out of the next electrician to work on the circuit though.

Marvo said:

Maybe if it's a single pole switch you replace it with a changeover switch with Live on NO, Neutral on NC and Common to the light. Would only work if you have a Neutral at the switch. Also not sure if there's anything in UK regs to prevent it but I think we could get away with it with our regs. It might confuse the hell out of the next electrician to work on the circuit though.

Click to expand...

The OP says its a two-way switched light.

Doc H.

Sidecutter said:

Hi

I remember reading something about this a while back but cant remember what the solution was.

I have a customer who has changed the GU10 lamps in the bedroom for LED's but the LED's glow very dimly when the swichis in the off position. The lighting circuit is switched 2 way to a switch beside the bed and apparantly if it is switched off in one orientation of the two way switch it is fine but if switched on at the main switch then switched off by the bedside they glow dimly. I know this is induced voltage but I cant remember what the solution was in the article I read. Can anybody remember seeing the article or know the solution of which colour core to use on which terminal to solve the problem.

The Job is quite a distance away and the problem is not easy to see in daylight so I dont want to spend a lot of time going backwards and forwards.

I hope I have explained this clearly it makes sense to me when I read it back.

Thankyou for taking the time to read this and for any help in advance

Click to expand...

I would be more inclined to suspect one switch is a bit leaky. Try replacing one or both switches first.

How is the 2 Way wired, is it live and sw-live across strappers ?

Doc Hudson said:

The OP says its a two-way switched light.

Doc H.

Click to expand...

And i doubt it would happen on a one way circuit anyhow.

Now I would have though bedroom 2-way to be less prone to induced voltages than landing / hall lights...

as..

shorter runs..

+ less other circuits running through loft void..

But as steve says...

you may be able to sort it by re-arranging the strappers..

also..

what cables are used?

3core+E

T&E + single

3x singles?

opcorn

I have cured this in the past by not running my LINE through the strappers, simply wago/connector block it to the common of your 3 core,

I have never seen this occur on a 2wire strapper system so thought it worth trying and it worked in my instance,

the other solution that has been used by various forum members is 'resload' or similar products.

Steve3948 said:

How is the 2 Way wired, is it live and sw-live across strappers ?

Click to expand...

Circuit is wired live and sw/live to terminals L1 & L2 on switch A and switches A and B conected together with black terminals L1 grey terminals L2 and Brown Common terminals

Obviously all non Brown cables have a small piece of brown sleeve on them lol.

Cables used are twin and earth from Light fittings to switch A (live and S/ live)

3 core and earth from switch A to Switch B

steptoe said:

I have cured this in the past by not running my LINE through the strappers, simply wago/connector block it to the common of your 3 core,

I have never seen this occur on a 2wire strapper system so thought it worth trying and it worked in my instance,

the other solution that has been used by various forum members is 'resload' or similar products.

Click to expand...

I will try that Steptoe have to go near there later this week so will call in and try that

Sidecutter said:

y if it is switched off in one orientation of the two way switch it is fine but if switched on at the main switch then switched off by the bedside they glow dimly.

Click to expand...

Sidecutter said:

Circuit is wired live and sw/live to terminals L1 & L2 on switch A and switches A and B connected together with black terminals L1 grey terminals L2 and Brown Common terminals

Click to expand...

With the way you have it wired in one of the off positions there will be two conductors with mains potential on them and one conductor connected to the light, Which may explain your situation of only glowing in the one state. By reconfiguring how steptoe suggests, you can ensure that during either 'off' state that there is always only one conductor at mains potential in both 'off' states. Which cores in the 3-core cable are adjacent to each other may also carry some relevance I think.. i.e. I think most three core is manufactures with "Brown,CPC,Black,Grey" across the flat profile, so Grey and Black conductors probably have higher possibility of inducing currents between them.

Doc H.

If wiring 2 way as Steptoes suggestion without buying double insulated single core 1.5 most people use tw&e. What do you think the correct procedure is for the unwanted core ?

As this is to stop induction the spare core should be either grounded or connected to the neutral of the circuit ?

SLIPSHOD AND SLAPDASH said:

If wiring 2 way as Steptoes suggestion without buying double insulated single core 1.5 most people use tw&e. What do you think the correct procedure is for the unwanted core ?

As this is to stop induction the spare core should be either grounded or connected to the neutral of the circuit ?

Click to expand...

the way I was trying to describe slips was to change the existing T&E switch wire from the conventional strapper connections to common and switch,

ie, a twin from the light , connect the brown to the brown of the 3 core, black and grey of 3 core to strappers, blue of twin to common on switch, at other switch brown of 3 core to common.

obviously sleeving where required.

Well on the 3 Core if using the Brown as Common and then Black & Grey as strappers with the twin Live connected to Grey and Sw/Live connected to Black you could try swapping Sw-Live to Grey due to it being on the outside edge of the cpc.

steptoe said:

the way I was trying to describe slips was to change the existing T&E switch wire from the conventional strapper connections to common and switch,

ie, a twin from the light , connect the brown to the brown of the 3 core, black and grey of 3 core to strappers, blue of twin to common on switch, at other switch brown of 3 core to common.

obviously sleeving where required.

Click to expand...

Interesting, had to draw that out,i have never seen that method but can't see how it woulld make much difference as there will always be dead cable running in parrallel connected to the lights when switched off.

SLIPSHOD AND SLAPDASH said:

Interesting, had to draw that out,i have never seen that method but can't see how it woulld make much difference as there will always be dead cable running in parrallel connected to the lights when switched off.

Click to expand...

I dunno either, maybe it was a lucky one off,

as I said, I tried it as a chance and it worked on the one occasion I did, maybe there was more to it and what I did was only a small part of the puzzle,

:C

Could it have been your gentle touch ?

SLIPSHOD AND SLAPDASH said:

Could it have been your gentle touch ?

Click to expand...

and on that,

why dont polis women wear skirts anymore? :|

2 police women road past on a couple of horses yesterday whilst we were doing a garden lighting job, i had some strange images going through my head for a while