Why do LED lamps burn when the lights are off? LED lamp glows when switch is off

There is an energy-saving lamp in every home. Is there any harm, why do energy-saving lamps burn out or smell, what to do if the light bulb blinks, crackles or breaks in this article.

In this article we will consider the following questions:

Energy-saving lamps include lamps that operate on glow effects due to the luminescence of the phosphor and the emissivity of LEDs. They have a traditional design: a glass bulb mounted in a base (cartridge).

The action of the lamps is based on the launch of a gas-discharge process, causing the glow of the phosphor concentrated on the walls of the glass bulb of the lamp. The gas discharge process is caused by high voltage acting on a gas medium consisting of an inert gas and mercury vapor. This process is called avalanche emission of electrons from the cathode towards another electrode.

Modern energy-saving lamps do not require separate power sources, use the type of socket familiar to incandescent lamps, are technologically advanced and meet electrical safety requirements.

Why is an energy-saving light bulb harmful?

Due to the fact that the gaseous environment of a fluorescent lamp contains a certain amount of mercury vapor, as a result of which there is a danger of poisoning. Long-term human contact with mercury vapor and its chemical compounds ends in death, but it should also be understood that even short-term contact can cause poisoning and even a neurological disease - mercurialism.

Ultraviolet radiation comes out through the glass bulb of a fluorescent lamp, which can be dangerous for people with sensitive skin. Its danger lies in its effect on the eyes, damaging the retina and cornea.

The harm from energy-saving light bulbs lies in the danger of poisoning with mercury vapor and exposure to ultraviolet radiation on the cornea and retina.

Energy-saving light bulbs on the market are positioned not only as economical, but they are also more reliable than incandescent lamps. Various devices are coming into fashion to make life easier for people in the metropolis. These are backlit switches. If the illumination is provided by a neon lamp, then the lamp is constantly under voltage, which leads to its premature consumption and rapid failure.

Another reason that energy-saving lamps burn out quickly may be a closed lampshade or other enclosed space where ventilation is difficult. Answer the question: " Why do energy-saving light bulbs burn out? " Analysis of its switching circuit and voltage surges will also allow. As they say, nothing lasts forever.

Why do energy-saving lamps smell or stink?

A foreign odor from an energy-saving lamp may be due to the heating of its plastic elements. The semiconductor elements of the power supply, located in the base of the lamp, operate in key mode. This is the most energy-heavy mode of operation of switching elements - transistors. The transistors on the board are located without heatsinks, heat dissipation is minimal, through a plastic case. Therefore, the odor may come from the plastic elements used in the electric lamp.

If an odor is detected, the source should be thoroughly examined. Because the smell can be caused not only by the lamp, but also by the socket in which it is inserted, and the insulation of the supply wires. The element that produces the odor must be replaced with a new, serviceable one. It is important to know that the socket into which the light bulb is inserted also has a limitation on the power of the inserted load. This load should never be exceeded.

There are also cases where the source of the odor was the varnish that was used to cover the circuit board of the lamp power supply. This is evidence of dishonesty of the lamp manufacturer, who decided to use an inappropriate element in the product. To avoid this, it is necessary to monitor the standards on the lamp packaging that the lamps must comply with. The more standards a lamp meets, the better. A lamp that emits an unpleasant odor should be replaced.

The smell from energy-saving light bulbs should prompt a search for a possible source of fire. Serviceable elements operate with virtually no odor.

Why do energy-saving lamps that are turned off blink?

The blinking of electric lamps is clearly visible at night or in a dark room. These are noticeable flashes of light with a frequency of approximately once per second. Here the problem may also be hidden in the backlit switch. The problem does not exist on switches that do not have such backlighting.

The reason is this. Every energy saving lamp has a capacitor that runs the lamp. When the switch is turned off, its LED backlight is on. This means that a small electric current passes through it (from the mains and through our energy-saving lamp).

It is this small flowing current that charges the capacitor, which at a certain point in time starts the energy-saving lamp. Then a small flash occurs and the capacitor discharges again and the process repeats. This is why energy-saving light bulbs flicker.

Why does an energy-saving light bulb crack?

An extraneous sound effect occurs due to a malfunction of the power supply elements of the lamp itself. Let us remind you that it operates in pulse mode; if the power supply elements are faulty, an unpleasant chirping noise may occur.

The sound can also be of contact origin due to poor contact in the cartridge. If the effect is of contact origin, it can be easily eliminated by restoring good contact. First of all, you need to tighten the lamp in the socket.

When a positive result is not achieved in this way, it is necessary, with the switch turned off and the lamp unscrewed, try to pull out the lamp tongue on which it sits in the socket. The last experiment is to replace the lamp with a new one or test it in a different socket.

When an energy-saving light bulb cracks, you need to check the lamp itself and the socket in which it is included.

What to do if the light bulb breaks

When an energy-saving lamp breaks, it is necessary to carefully collect the remains of the lamp, observing safety precautions. This is to ventilate the room so that the remaining mercury vapor evaporates. Carry out wet cleaning of the room using a soapy water solution.

When cleaning, you should use rubber gloves; after cleaning, wash your hands thoroughly with soap, removing all possible remnants of the lamp from the room.

How to recycle energy-saving light bulbs?

It must be remembered that fluorescent lamps are not thrown away like ordinary garbage, where they break and all breathe mercury vapor, but recycling energy-saving light bulbs occurs by handing them over to the appropriate collection points.

Bottom line

There are a lot of problems with energy-saving fluorescent lamps. The most common are flashing, sound effects and may cause unpleasant odors. In order to prevent these phenomena, it is necessary to choose lamps from time-tested manufacturers that meet a large number of international standards (from five), and use energy-saving LED lamps.

Video: Energy saving lamp flashes. Causes and how to eliminate

The design of LED lamps differs significantly from the design of conventional incandescent lamps. This is often the explanation for why LED lamps continue to light when the switch is turned off (sorry for the tautology).

LED lamp device

Despite the variety of models and the difference in technical solutions depending on the manufacturer, each LED lamp has the following main components:

• base;
• frame;
• LEDs;
• driver.

As in conventional lighting fixtures, the base is used for fastening, and the body is used to accommodate the main elements. Some of the lamps are equipped with radiators for cooling. Lighting sources are LEDs - semiconductor elements that convert electrical energy into light radiation. The voltage they consume is significantly lower than the usual 220 V, and therefore the power is much less than that consumed by ordinary light bulbs. This is the basis for savings in the operation of LED lamps. But to create the required voltage, it is necessary to use special converters (drivers) that lower it to the required value. This is where the main differences appear. The converter is a complex device consisting of electronic components: a diode bridge, resistors, transistors, capacitors, chokes, and sometimes transformers.

Why do LED lamps work after being turned off?

The glow of the device when it is turned off can be caused by several reasons.

Operation of the capacitor included in the driver

The ability of an LED lamp to continue to work when the light is turned off causes quite a logical surprise among many consumers. Electricity is not supplied, but the device is functioning. The next question then arises: where does the food come from? Some electronic components are capable of storing electrical energy. A capacitor is one of them. It is part of the LED lamp. While it glows from the network, it accumulates electricity. When the electricity is completely turned off, the capacitance releases the accumulated energy and acts as a voltage source in this case. It is because of this detail that LED lamps may burn briefly after being turned off.

The capacitance is considered reactance, since it is capable of returning consumed power to the network. If it were not an integral element of LED lamps, then they would not be able to shine when the electricity was turned off. Similar to how ordinary lamps stop working after being turned off, because they are very simple devices that do not contain reactive elements. When the electricity stored by the capacitor runs out, it stops being a power source and producing voltage, as a result of which the LED lamps stop receiving energy and go out. In this case, the accumulated charge is only enough for a few seconds to maintain the operation of the device after turning off.

It is unlikely that this couple of moments of glow needs to be eliminated. Moreover, capacitance plays an important role in power conversion: it smoothes out ripples in voltage after a decrease.

LED switch

If the LED lamp glows for a long time after being turned off, then the reason is different. The lighting fixture may be used in conjunction with a switch. Very often they use an LED switch, which, in addition to the main function of disconnecting the electrical circuit, also performs an additional function: it lights up when the lamp is turned off. To do this, it is equipped with an LED, which is supplied with voltage when the light bulb is not working. Thanks to the parallel connection, no power is supplied to the lamp. That is, at this moment, an electric current passes through the switch LED, which charges the above-mentioned capacitor. When the latter accumulates a sufficient amount of electricity, it begins to send it to the network, acting as a power source. LED light bulbs receive this electricity and glow. After the reactive element is discharged, there is no energy and the light bulb stops burning. The capacitor is then charged again and the process repeats. It will light up and then go out, which visually looks like blinking.

Important! This drawback disrupts the normal operation of the device, increases the amount of electricity consumed, and shortens its service life.

It is necessary to consider what can be done to eliminate the described defect.

Ways to eliminate blinking

1. The easiest way out is to replace the switch with another one that does not light up. Once the entire circuit is open, it will not glow, so no voltage will be required during the shutdown, and no current will flow to recharge the capacitor. The advantages of this method are speed and simplicity, but its disadvantage is the additional financial costs of a new switch.
2. Self-removal of the backlight from the switch. In this case, you will need to disassemble the lamp body, unscrew or use wire cutters to bite off the wire that goes to the resistor and LED.
3. Adding a shunt resistor. This method is suitable for those who want both the LED light and the switch to glow in the dark. But its implementation requires some technical steps. First of all, you will need to purchase a resistor with a resistance of about 50 kOhm and a power of 2-3 W, this can be found in any radio parts store. Then you need to remove the lamp shade, and plug the wires coming from the resistor into the terminal block to which the network wires are connected.
   

   Important! Before starting work, you should de-energize the circuit by turning off the machine, and when working, you must follow safety precautions. Do not do this work yourself if you are not confident in your abilities. Working with high voltage is dangerous to life!

   As a result, the resistor will be connected in parallel with the lamp and, when it is turned off, the current flowing through the switch LED will also flow through the resistor, and not through the driver capacitor, so it will not have the opportunity to recharge. As a result, the LED lamp will not light when the switch is off.

If the owner does not want to do electrical work, as suggested by the described methods, then you can simply additionally screw in a regular incandescent lamp if there is a free socket in the chandelier. The disadvantages of this method is that it will shine when the LED lamp is turned off. This will change the blinking to constant. Also, the disadvantages include the fact that the screwed-in light bulb will consume electricity at those moments when lighting is not required at all.

Errors when connecting electrical wiring to the switch

If the LED lamp continues to work even when it is turned off, and the person does not use the backlit switch, then the reason may be incorrect wiring: a zero was connected to the switch instead of a phase. In this case, when the circuit is opened, the zero is switched off, not the phase, as a result of which the wiring is energized. As a result, the lamp lights up when the switch is off. This situation must be corrected by connecting the wires correctly. Otherwise, during a scheduled replacement of the lighting fixture, even when everything is turned off, there will be a danger of receiving an electric shock, since the wiring will be live.

Whatever method you choose to eliminate the blinking of LED lights after turning off, compliance with safety regulations is mandatory, and error-free connection of the wiring to the switch is the key to normal operation of the device.

If you are faced with the problem that the LED lamp is on when the switch is off, do not be surprised. This indicates that current is flowing through the LEDs. The brightness of the glow depends only on its strength.

On the one hand, this phenomenon has a positive side, if the lighting is in the toilet or corridor it can be used as night lighting. What if in the bedroom? It is possible that the light does not smolder, but flashes periodically.

There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:

• Use of illuminated switches;
• electrical wiring faults;
• features of the power supply scheme.

The most common reason for a lamp to glow after being turned off is backlit switches.

Inside such a switch there is an LED with a current-limiting resistor. The LED lamp glows dimly when the light is turned off, because even when the main contact is turned off, voltage continues to flow through them.

Why does an LED lamp burn at full heat and not at full power?? Thanks to the limiting resistor, the current flowing through the electrical circuit is extremely insignificant and insufficient to light an incandescent electric lamp or ignite fluorescent lamps.

The power consumption of LEDs is tens of times lower than the same parameters of an ordinary incandescent lamp. But even a small current flowing through the backlight diode is sufficient for the LEDs in the lamp to glow weakly.

There can be two lighting options. Either the LED lamp lights up continuously after turning off, which means that sufficient current flows through the LED backlight of the switch, or the light flashes periodically. This usually happens if the current flowing through the circuit is too small to cause a constant glow, but it recharges the smoothing capacitor in the power supply circuit.

When sufficient voltage gradually accumulates on the capacitor, the stabilizer chip is triggered and the lamp flashes for a moment. Such blinking must be definitely combated, no matter where the lamp is located.

In this operating mode, the lifespan of the power board components will be significantly reduced, since even the microcircuit does not have an infinite number of operation cycles.

There are several ways to eliminate the situation when the LED light is on when the switch is off.

The simplest is to remove it from the backlight switch. To do this, we disassemble the housing and unscrew or bite off with wire cutters the wire going to the resistor and LED. You can replace the switch with another one, but without such a useful function.

Another option would be to solder a shunt resistor in parallel with the lamp. According to the parameters, it should be designed for 2-4 W and have a resistance of no more than 50 kOhm. Then the current will flow through it, and not through the power driver of the lamp itself.

You can purchase such a resistor at any radio store. Installing the resistor is not difficult. It is enough to remove the lampshade and fix the resistance legs in the terminal block for connecting the network wires.

If you are not particularly friendly with electricians and are afraid to “interfere” with the wiring yourself, another way to “fight” backlit switches can be to install a regular incandescent lamp in the chandelier. When turned off, its spiral will act as a shunt resistor. But this method is only possible if the chandelier has several sockets.

Problems with electrical wiring

Why does the LED lamp glow after being turned off even if the backlit button is not used?

Perhaps, when installing the electrical wiring, an error was initially made and zero is supplied to the switch instead of a phase, then after the switch is turned off, the wiring still remains “under phase”.

This current situation must be eliminated immediately, since even with a scheduled replacement of the lamp, you can receive a sensitive electric shock. Any minimal contact with ground in this situation will cause the LEDs to glow dimly.

Features of the power supply

To increase the brightness of the glow and minimize lighting ripple, high-capacity capacitors can be installed in the power driver circuit. Even when the power is turned off, there is enough charge left in it to light up the LEDs, but it only lasts for just a few seconds.