LED Strip Lights Won’t Turn Completely Off (Glow When Off)
When you have a problem, even with something as simple as LED strip lights, you are bound to get 14 different opinions on what is wrong. It just takes time to find out which one of those 14 pieces of advice solves your issue.
In some cases, the controller or dimmer switch may have a lot of stand-by current that LED lights feed off of. This is considered normal and not a defect. Or your issue could be with how your lights were grounded. It is a hunt and peck issue.
To learn more about this problem and how to solve it, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about to help you solve a similar issue with your LED lights. Take a few minutes to see how this information can help you.
Why Won't My LED Strip Lights Turn Off?
Sadly, even in a simple problem like this one, you are going to find that there are many different sources that cause this problem. The trouble is that everyone you talk to may have a different opinion on what is wrong.
They may think that the problem they had is the same as the problem you are having. Unfortunately, they do not take into account that different controllers, switches, and light systems have different sources for the same problem.
One example is, that the LED lights may not need to be directly grounded to the chassis. Or they may need that connection to work right. Another possible problem is that you are using a phase-cut dimmer without a neutral.
Some people will even suggest that you reversed the polarity when you wired the lights up. This is a possibility and an easy issue to check. Just switch the leads and see what happens. Or check for any residual voltage coming through the negative wire.
Finally, the source could be the controller or dimmer are malfunctioning or have a defect. as you can see, there are different sources that can cause this problem. You may even have the wrong dimmer for the system.
Pick one and start from there to solve your problem.
LED Strip Lights Still Glow When Off?
Another option may be that the lights do not turn off completely when you are using the remote. They will if you have a power switch that is within easy reach and turn that off. If that is the case the remote may be bad.
Or you have to change your LED switches to something that is compatible with your system. The recommended switch is the Z-wave and it is said that this change should solve your problem.
Then your location of the lights may be providing some interference. You can try to move the lights to a new location to see if that solves the problem. If so, then you should upgrade to a higher grade of switches.
If these new switches only reduce the glowing lights, then you may have to contact customer service about the problem. They may be able to recommend a repair or supply you with another LED light system.
As you can see, you have a multitude of possible solutions to work with before you reach that step. Take the possible solutions one by one to get to the real one as quickly as possible. It is your only avenue to take.
The LED Bulb Does Not Turn Off Completely
One possibility could be that the lights are wired to a 2-way intermediate circuit. Some LED light strips only work with a 1-way lighting circuit. So check your circuits to see which one you have wired them to. A change may be all you need to do in this case.
But you are not alone when you experience this issue. It has been happening for almost 20 years or more. One thing you can do is go to a discussion forum for electricians. They would be the best people to ask as they work in all forms of electronics including LED strip lights.
Their explanations may be technical but they are helpful. Sometimes you can plug another light into the system with a regular switch and that does the trick. The key is to find the right voltage or watts in the light to make this option work for you.
One owner went through about 5 to 6 lights before finding the right one that would turn the lights off. However, he could not fully power those lights again with that light plugged into the system
Do LED Lights Turn Off By Themselves?
Even in this situation, there are multiple answers and solutions. One is that the LED lights are smart lights and can be programmed to turn on and off by themselves. This happened to one wife and she didn’t know her husband had programmed the lights for this function.
Other people have suggested that someone is going around behind you and turning the lights off without telling you. This is a possibility when someone in the house wants to save on electricity.
A more technical answer would be that the drivers are overheating. When that happens the internal thermal protection unit kicks in and turns the light off. Finally, the controller may be faulty or going bad on you.
A little testing or asking someone what they have done will solve your issue and provide you with the source.
Some Final Words
LED strip lights are a little different from incandescent light bulbs in how they work. As you can see, that different circuitry brings a variety of helpful suggestions that may or may not work.
It may take some time to filter out all the bad suggestions before you get to the correct one that will lead you to the solution. There is little else you can do with these light strips.
