Why Won’t My Lights Turn Off Completely?

This article provides step-by-step guidance on why your lights may appear slightly dim and how to resolve the issue. Follow the steps below to adjust your setup and ensure optimal performance.

If your lights remain slightly dim even when the dimmer is turned off, this is likely due to a residual glow issue. This is not a fault with the dimmer itself but rather a result of the minimum wattage requirement not being met.

What Causes Residual Glow?

Lightwave dimmers require a minimum wattage of 10W to function correctly. If the total wattage of the bulbs on the circuit is below 10W, the bulbs may not fully switch off, causing a slight glow.

How to Fix Residual Glow

If your lights remain dimly lit when switched off, try the following solutions:

✅ Option 1: Connect a Neutral Wire

• Adding a neutral wire to the dimmer lowers the minimum load requirement to 5W.
• In most cases, this resolves the issue as the dimmer no longer relies on the circuit for standby power.

✅ Option 2: Increase the Circuit Wattage

• Ensure the total wattage of the bulbs is 10W or more.
• This allows the dimmer to stay in standby mode while also fully turning off the bulbs.
• You can achieve this by using higher-wattage bulbs or adding additional bulbs to the circuit.

What If My Dimmer is in a 2-Way or Multi-Way Setup?

For every additional dimmer connected to the same circuit, the minimum wattage requirement increases by 10W.

Solutions for 2-Way or Multi-Way Switching

✅ Option 1: Connect a Neutral Wire

• Just like in single-dimmer setups, adding a neutral wire reduces the minimum load requirement to 5W, preventing residual glow.

✅ Option 2: Use Slave Dimmers in Wireless Mode

• Disconnect the Slave Dimmers from the circuit and configure them to wirelessly communicate with the Master Dimmer.
• This can be done by connecting Live and Neutral or Live and an empty Switch Live to the Slave Dimmer.
• Since only one dimmer remains wired, the minimum load requirement drops to 10W, reducing the chances of a residual glow.

✅ Option 3: Increase the Load

• Ensure the circuit meets the required minimum wattage based on the number of dimmers connected.