[Question] 220 V LED downlighters glowing when switched off

[pedruid]

I have jus installed 6 down-lighters in my lounge/dining area which are switched 2 x dining and 4 x lounge.
When Is switch off the 2 in the dining area are out completely but 3 of the 4 in the lounge area glow. What can I do to eliminate the after glow?

[Justloadit]

Do you have a dimmer in this circuit?

[pedruid]

No, just straight 220V led.

[AndyD]

Change the switch for a 2-pole and switch both the live and neutral (assuming the neutral is running though the switch)

There's also the option to install a snubber (bleed resistor) either at the switch or at one of the lights.

You can also use a 2-pole 230v relay at the first light fitting. The light switch is wired to operate the relay and the 2 poles of the relay then switch the live and the neutral to the lights. This is a belt and braces solution because firstly you're switching both live and neutral and secondly the coil of the relay also acts as a drain resistor.

There are also other ways of wiring a light circuit switch which....whilst they're maybe not illegal, certainly aren't orthodox and best only used as a last resort so I won't get into them here.

**Edit**

Just a word of warning, if you're not an electrician you should get one in to do this work. All the solutions above assume the circuit is correctly wired, safe and free of faults. Before assuming the glowing LED's are caused by small induced voltages which would be addressed by the methods above you need to test the circuit, specifically the IR values to prove the problem isn't actually a symptom of a more serious underlying fault.

[pedruid]

Thank AndyD. I will most certainly get an electrician to sort it.

[pedruid]

Sorry for the late reply. The electrician has put in a snubber and the problem has been resolved.

[GCE]

Hi
We have come across similar problems and it has been caused by a switch which has LED indicator - We have found the indicator to have been connected incorrectly allowing a slight "leakage "

[Clive287]

you can also install a small capacitor at one of the lamps

[ians]

We have also been encountering a similar problem...LED downlight flickers when switched off...on 3 occasions we found it to be the same make (Ellies) ...replaced the lamp with a different brand...problem solved.

[hartdev@hotmail.com]

I had a similar issue today with major tech LED indicators, there are wired to be on when the light is off, as a result there was a constant 35v on the load side of the switch even when off. A bleed resistor did the job.
I think these switches would be so much better if they had 2 poles so that the led indicator could be separate from the load. double pole relay could sort it out too, using NC for led indicator and NO for Light load

[hartdev@hotmail.com]

We have also been encountering a similar problem...LED downlight flickers when switched off...on 3 occasions we found it to be the same make (Ellies) ...replaced the lamp with a different brand...problem solved.

I have had this issue with the new osram LED downlight gu10s , the older ones never gave me this issue. Usually I install a bleed resistor in one of the OBO round pvc boxes with a few air holes in Lid, connected in parallel to the load of course

[AndyD]

Here's one that should put the cat amongst the pigeons. Not for the faint hearted but you could also replace the standard light switch with a 2-way switch wired with the light on common, the live on one side and an earth on the other. When the switch is in one position (ON) it connects the light to the live supply, in the other position (OFF) it connects the light to the earth which sinks any stray voltages and stops the flickering problem. Can't be done if the light circuit is on earth leakage though...

I'd be interested to know if you can find a regulation to forbid it, it's certainly guaranteed to confuse the hell out of DIY'ers and half awake sparkies alike so some documentation or at least a circuit sketch tucked into the switch for the poor soul who has to work on it next time. You'd also need documentation in the main DB to explian the insulation test results for that particular circuit.....not that anyone seems to be doing IR test any more

[hartdev@hotmail.com]

That's a much better way. Why didn't i think of that.
Definetly best if you can get a neutral down to the switch.
The first time i worked on s3000 switches i noticed the leds connected to earth but was ok as the light circuits were not on earth leakage.
Could make some nice led indicated s2000 switches with your idea!

[GCE]

Hi Andy

Have to strongly disagree with your method - You would effectively be earthing the neutral which is not allowed under
6.1.6 – pg 83 – Neutral shall not be connected direct to earth on the load side of point of control.ED 1.8

It will also create a fire risk if for some reason you lose your incoming neutral from the street , The complete installation will be using the neutral/ earth , Star point as reference - The amperage could increase drastically on your pieces of 1,5sqmm wiring. Even worse if the complete street tries to earth through your star point

[AndyD]

The method I outlined was kinda tongue in cheek, hence the emojis and suggestion it would put the cat amongst the pigeons. It wouldn't connect the neutral direct to earth as per the reg 6.1.6, the load of the lighting circuit would be between the neutral and earth so it would be a high resistance connection, not a direct one.

Neutral faults on the supply side are always problematic with TN C S supplies hence they're more often than not PME'd to prevent elevated earth voltages. If a neutral fault occurs on a TN C S installation there's always a good chance the neutral current is going to find its way down some arbitary parallel path and cause an overload/fire hazard, I don't think this circuit wiring would increase the chance of this happening as such.