Why does my LED bulb glow when it's off?

A faint glow from an LED with the switch off is what Leviton calls ghosting, caused by a little current still leaking through to the bulb. Leviton points to a dimmer’s locator light and to neon lighted switches, which it says commonly cause it.

What to check

1. A dimmer with a locator light

   How to tell: The dimmer has a small light that stays on while the lights are off, so you can find it in the dark. With that light on, a very small current passes through the LED, and a very sensitive LED can glow from it.

   Fix: Read the dimmer’s instruction sheet to see whether its locator light can be turned off. If it can, turn it off, as Leviton advises. If the setting is behind the wall plate, have an electrician do it.

2. A lighted switch

   How to tell: The switch itself glows when it’s off, from a small neon light inside it. Leviton says leaking current is a common problem with neon lighted switches.

   Fix: Changing the switch means working in the wall box, so have an electrician do it. Leviton makes LED illuminated switches that it says are designed to stop ghosting with LED bulbs.

3. A dimmer on a light with two switches

   How to tell: The light is worked from two places, with a dimmer at one of them. Leviton says current from the dimmer’s locator light can bleed through that circuit and make the lamps glow.

   Fix: Turn the dimmer’s locator light off, if its instruction sheet shows how and the setting is on the front of the dimmer.

4. An LED that doesn’t suit the dimmer

   How to tell: The bulbs glow after they’re dimmed off, and may flicker or buzz while they’re on. A glow after switching off is one of the glitches Leviton lists when an LED and a dimmer don’t match.

   Fix: Use LEDs marked dimmable, on a dimmer rated for LEDs (see LEDs on a dimmer).

Before you change the bulb

Because a little current still reaches the bulb, turn the light off at the breaker, or unplug the lamp, before you change the bulb, and let it cool first.

When to call an electrician

Swapping a switch or a dimmer, or anything else in the wall box or the fixture, is work for an electrician. Call one too if the glow stays after these checks.

If a switch, dimmer or fixture feels warm, buzzes or smells hot, turn the light off and call an electrician.