# Remote Control Power Question



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

I have a few of those remote control power outlets you can pick up during the holidays that lets you turn your lights on and off via remote. They work pretty good and even used one to start the Halloween show this past year.

So anyways, I have one plugged in to the outside outlet (the normal usage) which in turn has one of those musical light show boxes plugged in to it and then of course my Christmas lights (yes, January is almost done and I haven't brought them in - they're mostly buried in snow and ice). 

This year in addition to adding the light show box (which was a steal for $70 bucks cause you can plug an MP3 player into it as well) we replaced most of our lighting with LED lighting to lower ye old electricity bill. Well, several nights during the holidays we had noticed what looked like the lights being on really dim after we had shut it off with the remote. We had attributed it to the street light reflecting around inside the plastic of the lights - especially considering the music was no longer playing.

Well while out blowing the snow off the walkways I noticed them again and this time curiosity got the better of me so I cupped my hand around a bulb and sure enough it was getting juice - not a lot but it was definitely lit.

I'm assuming that the remote box is letting some amount of current through but not enough to power the music system but enough to let AC through the lines and to the lights.

The main reason we used the remote is not to be lazy or cool but because whomever wired this house thought it would be neat if they put the light switch for the outside outlet in the basement at the bottom of the steps instead of on the inside wall next to the front door near the porch light power.

Was wondering if any electrical whizzes out there can give me a little more technical information as to what might be happening here.

Thanks,
-TM


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## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Here's a long shot - perhaps the LEDs are not presenting a sufficient load to the control circuit? Back in the day we would run into this with compact fluorescent and X-10 modules. A quick test would be to plug an incandescent lamp in along with the LED strings and see if it powers off completely.


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## bourno (Jan 21, 2006)

Agreeing with Phil on this as posted below.


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## bourno (Jan 21, 2006)

At work, we use solid state relays to control some AC devices in our control panels and they are in their "Off" state, they do bleed 120 volts across with no load and using a volt meter will show that. When a load is added, the bleed across voltage goes away.

I would suspect the LEDs are dimly on if the unit is using a solid state relay and not a mechanical relay. I bet if you added an incandescent light bulb to the outlet as well (more load), it would bleed away the voltage that could be lighting the LEDs.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

That makes sense, thanks guys. Ultimately I flipped off the switch in the basement after last night's discovery. I think the switch USED to be upstairs because the porch light switch is a two switch panel with the second doing absolutely NOTHING. When things warm up gonna look into what it will take to rewire that switch back upstairs.


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