Tag
LED lighting
14 articles
ArticleHow to Install a Photocell (Dusk-to-Dawn) Light Sensor Switch: Choosing the Load Rating, Wiring L, N and Load, Mounting, Adjusting and Fixing Lights That Stay On or CycleA client wants the gate light or signboard to come on by itself every evening and go off in the morning. A timer can do part of this, but sunset shifts through the year and a dark,…
ArticleHow to Install LED Strip Lights: Choosing 12 V or 24 V Strip, Sizing the Driver, Avoiding Voltage Drop, Wiring and Mounting in Aluminium ChannelA client wants a soft glow along the ceiling cove in the living room and bright light on the kitchen worktop under the wall cabinets. LED strip looks easy: peel, stick, plug in. St…
ArticleNo-neutral smart switch: wiring it right and fixing common faultsBy the end of this lesson, you will be able to: tell a smart switch that needs a neutral from one that does not, and explain why the no-neutral type has to "borrow" current through…
ArticleHow to Install a Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch: Checking for a Neutral Wire, Wiring L, N and Load, Pairing, and Fixing LED Flicker on No-Neutral ModelsA client shows you a glass touch switch they bought online. The box says "Wi-Fi smart switch, 3 gang, works with phone app". They want it in place of the old switch by the living-r…
ArticleInstalling outdoor lighting (gates, yards, boundary walls): choosing the IP rating, weatherproof wiring, sealed junction boxes and RCD shock protectionA client calls: “We’ve just redone the gate and front yard. Can you fit two gate-pillar lights, a wall-washer light on the boundary wall and a few path lights for us? And at the ol…
ArticleHow to wire mechanical and digital timer switches for signboard lights and water pumps: choosing the type, wiring, setting the schedule and when a contactor is neededA shop sign needs to be lit from late afternoon until late at night, a water pump needs to run at set times, and garden lights need to switch themselves off when the owners go to b…
ArticleLED bulbs keep burning out or failing early: finding the real cause (voltage, lampholder contact, heat, switches and dimmers, moisture) and how to fix it so lights lastA customer calls: “This is the fourth bulb I've put in the hallway light this year, all brand-new LED bulbs, and every few months it just goes dead.” Another is annoyed because the…
ArticleReplacing fluorescent tubes with LED tubes: removing the ballast and starter and rewiring the fitting correctlyTube light fittings with a ballast and starter are still common in homes, rented rooms and shops. When a fluorescent tube has blackened ends or keeps flickering without lighting up…
ArticleLED lights still glowing dimly or flickering after the switch is turned off: causes and how to fix them“The bedroom light is switched off but it's still glowing faintly, and in the middle of the night it even flashes.” Since homes switched to LED lighting, electricians get this kind…
ArticleInstalling a PIR motion sensor switch for corridor and stairway lights: choosing the type, wiring, and adjusting TIME, LUX and SENS"I come home at night with my hands full and fumble forever for the stairway switch." "The corridor light stays on all night." The neatest solution is a motion sensor switch : when…
ArticleWhy Do My LED Lights Glow or Flicker When Switched Off? Causes and Step-by-Step FixesEvery switch in the room is off, yet the new LED ceiling lamp still gives a faint glow, or it flashes every few seconds all night. Clients call it a "ghost light", and it has becom…
ArticleHow to Install a Dimmer Switch for LED Lights: Choosing a Compatible Dimmer, Wiring It Safely and Fixing Flicker or BuzzingA client buys a dimmer and asks you to swap it for the living-room switch. With incandescent bulbs almost any dimmer worked. With LED lighting, the dimmer, the lamps or drivers and…