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I recently replaced my chandelier with a new fixture (and new bulbs) and noticed that when my dimmer is off the light is still on. Dim but on. I measured 10V between Load and ground.

If I remove the load from the dimmer I no longer get 10V between the load wire and the ground, maybe just 1 volt (which probably rounds to zero or is induced?). If I use a dumb switch [replace load and line on dimmer to the dumb switch] I also get 0-1 volts.

Is my dimmer switch bad?

Stuff I've also tried:

• Continuity tested all the wires to ensure the line/load/neutral and grounds were in the right places (they were)

• Wired a new chandelier ($3 at HD) and one of the A19 bulbs from the old chandelier to the switch. When the new chandelier and single A19 are both connected the new chandelier appears to be completely off! There's still 10V on the circuit but everything looks off. When the new chandelier is removed leaving just the $3 one, that bulb also looks totally off (and it's a dimmable bulb too). But when the $3 fixture is removed the new chandelier turns back on to being dim.

Thanks so much!

Edits to distinguish from duplicates:

First of all - thanks for pointing me to this question which suggested adding a resistor into the circuit. My question is not the same as the linked duplicates because:

  1. I'm already using a WiFi switch which uses a neutral. In many users' cases a WiFi switch fixed the issue because it used a Neutral, my switch uses a neutral but I still have lights which glow when off.
  2. Additionally, the dimmer already designed to be used with LEDs but I still have this issue.

TLDR: I'm asking if a WiFi dimmer with a neutral should ever have any volts going over the LOAD when off. Does that make the switch defective?

wizlog
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    Is the dimmer old and you changed to LED lights? Are the LEDs able to be dimmed? – crip659 Jan 15 '24 at 18:35
  • No, it's a fairly new WIFI led dimmer, when I initially had this issue I actually replaced it with a new one (of the same model) and the issue persists. – wizlog Jan 15 '24 at 19:48
  • I would suggest that 10V may just be phantom voltage induced from cables next to this cable. And some LEDs are bright orange and look like they are on, when they are actually off. Finally my smart switch came with an optional bypass diode circuit in case there was leakage. I initially put this on, but later realised that the Leds were just bright orange when off. Theoretically, electronically, it is possible that a dimmer in its lowest position is still emitting a low level current. El cheapo one may well be worse at this. – Rohit Gupta Jan 16 '24 at 00:03
  • What is the make/model of the dimmer? While in theory any modern dimmer should be well designed for LED usage, there are some legitimate differences in technology and also a lot of substandard equipment that is caught in a big river. If it isn't UL or ETL listed, throw it back. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Jan 16 '24 at 00:22
  • And why is it that everyone seems to want to control their lights via WiFi? Remote control of HVAC I understand - coming home early and want to make sure the house is warm/cold by the time you get there. But dimmers? – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Jan 16 '24 at 00:24

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