Advice on LED inductive voltage preventing LEDs switching off

[Stagbeetle]

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on LEDs that glow when switched off in a multi-switch circuit.

Last month I replaced our old CFL lamps with multiple LED G9 'chandeliers'. The living room has a dimmer switch and the 20-odd LEDs all work fine.

However the hallway has 3 ceiling fixtures, with about 20 G9 LEDs, and 3 switches - one upstairs and 2 downstairs. They have the same LEDs as the living room but they won't stop glowing -when they are switched off they are almost as bright as when switched on.

Switching the RCD off switches the LEDs off.

My googling leads me to believe that the 40V I can see between live/neutral on the ceiling fixture, when off, is inductive voltage/capacitive coupling. I did buy a "0.1uF + 100 Ohm 250VAC triac snubber" from ebay but it didn't seem to have any effect, and the only other capacitor/resistor I found on my browsing linked to a maplin product.

I had one halogen G9 lying around which I put in the place of a single LED and it, too, glowed weakly as the LEDs shone brightly.

And that's how I've left it for a month but as June 21st has come and gone I need to sort this out. I have learned about as much as I can and am still no closer to a recognised solution.

What can I do to pin this down?

Thanks,

 

[davesparks]

I think even in industry in control panels with hundreds of wires grouped together with tens of motor drives close by, I’ve never seen induction as high as 40 volts!

Im pretty sure you will have seen induction at much higher voltages than that considering induction is the basis of how generators, transformers and motors operate

 

[Chris1234]

Im pretty sure you will have seen induction at much higher voltages than that considering induction is the basis of how generators, transformers and motors operate

Yes of course, like the 15kva transformer I was working on yesterday.
But we were talking about unwanted induction between circuits in a residence.

 

[Stagbeetle]

OK, thanks for all of your help.

I understand that the glowing halogen has killed the induction theory, which is a shame because I felt that was probably curable.

Ironically I did change some LED bulb brands and when they didn't glow I thought it was solved, but on removing the halogen they did glow.

I agree it now requires proper testing of the circuit which I'm happy to delegate.

I'm still curious though about the theory of what is happening - if the rogue current is only there when the RCD is closed, the live wire is the only possible source... correct?

So if there is a fault with the live wire, and if it is before the switches, the fault won't be detectable - ie the switches will still cut out the rogue current.

And yet if there is a fault after the switches then the LEDs would have glowed even after I disconnected the crossover switch - but they only glowed when I closed the circuit with the ammeter (and saw the 3mA).

Apologies if my question is too 'DC'-like