I have three Blackstar 240W lights and I've just switched to flower a few days ago. I've been checking each night when the lights are supposed to switch off and my LED lights are staying slightly on, even when the power timer has switched off. I had a GE digital timer that I assumed was the cause of this problem. However, I put in a mechanical one today and I just found it doing the same thing.Has anyone else experienced this problem? Can anyone recommend a timer that will completely shut the LEDs off?
LED Lights Staying Slightly Lit When Timer Switches Off!!!
- Thread starter yaunch77
- Start date
It's definitely not afterglow. If I unplug the lights, they go completely dark. Apparently, many current timer designs do not support LEDs and CFLs. I found this (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/wiring/msg1121051518639.html?10):"The timer does not have a neutral connection. It runs a small current through the lights to operate. This is unnoticable with regular lights. However that small current is enough to light the LEDs. Similar problems exist with CFLs, only they flicker."I'm surprised more people haven't had this problem.
Psytranceorgy
Well-Known Member
I use this timer with my blackstar 240w panels, and my 68w CFLs, and I have no problems:
http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=4168
http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=4168
puffenuff
Well-Known Member
I have the same timer, no issues with my advanced leds turning completely off.I use this timer with my blackstar 240w panels, and my 68w CFLs, and I have no problems:
http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=4168
PSUAGRO.
Well-Known Member
I always thought that mechanical timers do NOT allow any current to trickle through(its a basic relay), but that digital timers due allow a small current to pass.....Many t5/pll/cfl growers have noticed shortened bulb lives with a digital timer(and suggest not to use them)..............I could be wrong, any thoughts??
Any electrical engineers in the house....?
Any electrical engineers in the house....?
Bad Karma
Well-Known Member
People have had this problem before in the past, it's just that nobody has posted about it recently.
The only thing you can do is buy a new timer and sell the old one on Ebay for a few bucks.
I recommend going to Home Depot and picking up a 3 prong, non digital timer.
It should cost you about $20, that's what I use to run over 1000W of LED in my garden, without any problems.
Good luck.
Thanks! I'm going to order one now.I use this timer with my blackstar 240w panels, and my 68w CFLs, and I have no problems:http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=4168
Psytranceorgy
Well-Known Member
you're welcome!
hope it works for you. if it does not. blame pufflenuff.
hope it works for you. if it does not. blame pufflenuff.
I got the timer today and I'll be damned if it doesn't do the exact same thing the other two I bought do. Damn you puffenuff!you're welcome!
hope it works for you. if it does not. blame pufflenuff.
Seriously, I wonder if my extension cord or plug splitter have somethign to do with it. I also have two CFLs on the same switch. I guess I'll have to experiment some or get used to manually plugging them in and unplugging them every day (not!).So I just went and plugged one LED directly (no extension cord or splitter) into the Hydrofarm timer I just got today. It's currently off and the LED glows very noticeably. To those other folks using this timer with LEDs, particularly the BS 240, have you looked up into the LED? Is your room really dark? I can't imagine this problem is unique to me.
puffenuff
Well-Known Member
No clue what's going on here just a bunch of random guesses I can throw out for you. I just re-read this and it is kind of a dumb question but worth asking, what happens if you plug the led into the surge protector (no timer involved) and kill the power on the surge? I know you said they turn off if you unplug them, but what about flipping the power switch on the surge? Maybe the surge keeps the enough juice running through the timer to the led to keep them barely lit? Maybe try a new surge protector. If it wasn't all three of your lights doing it I would suggest something wrong internally. That's all I got, sorry the timer I said works for me didn't do the trick for you. Good luck.
Beefbisquit
Well-Known Member
The timer is a switch. When it's open current cannot pass through, obviously it's not open all the way.
Psytranceorgy
Well-Known Member
OK well just how much glow are you talking about here? There IS, in fact, a noticeable amount of light emitted from the LEDs when the lights are off (I am talking about the Blackstar 240w, and I have 2 of them)...
When I say noticeable, I am talking about I can look up at the panel in my dark tent when the lights are 'off' and distinguish which leds are blue and which ones are red because there is some kind of emission there... but I am going to say that this emission does NOT appear to have any adverse effect on the plants, and the tent is very dark when the lights go 'off'. I will take a couple of pictures later to show you what I am talking about...
I mean, are your lights turning 'off' with the timer? When I say 'off', I mean, you are in fact seeing a very drastic difference between lights 'on' and lights 'off', correct???
Good call. I took the switch and the light to another socket in a different part of the house and the problem did not occur. Off was fully off. I went out and bought socket tester and it's telling me that for the socket where I have my lights plugged in, hot and neutral are reversed. Researching into this further, the reading from my testing could also indicate a bad ground.
The interesting thing was that I got the same result using the power strip as with the timer -- if I flipped the power strip swtich off, the LEDs stayed sligthly lit.
Yes, there's a very noticeable difference between on and off. I can barely stand to look at the lights when they are fully on. It's more like sunset or a moonlit night when they are "off."
I've determined that my problem is either reversed polarity or a bad ground. You should try moving your lights to a different socket and see if they go completely of there. Mine do.