Holiday Lighting Problem / Caseta Plug-in Lamp Dimmer with LEDs won't turn off

[cliqk]

We are trying to run a quick promotion for some of our clients to introduce them to Caseta. We are featuring the use of plug-in lamp dimmers to control their holiday lights.

However, after testing some of the popular LED strings of lights, we found that OFF doesn't turn them all the way off. This obviously is a non-starter for this use case. We also tried to convert the lamp dimmer to a switch, but same issue. OFF still sends enough power to the LED strip to have it light up just a bit.

As a reference, the LED lighting strings are from GE, called "StayBright 50 LED Energy Saving Lights". They were bought from Kmart.

Any suggestions for getting a lamp dimmer to actually turn OFF the lighting that is attached when using LEDs? I imagine this could also be a problem for regular LED lamps as well.



Thanks!

IMG_0447.MOV

[SDR-Mike]

First- great idea to introduce Caseta this way.

Second- have you tried with multiple strings? A low wattage load of LED will sometimes do this as the digital "switch" never truly turns off.

[evillalobos]

The LUT-MLC maybe help you with this problem, only works with ON/OFF loads.

[SDR-Mike]

The LUT-MLC maybe help you with this problem, only works with ON/OFF loads.

The LUT-MLC is for in-wall or fixture installation only on the switch. Tech has not recommended it for a dimming load.

[cliqk]

The LUT-MLC is for in-wall or fixture installation only on the switch. Tech has not recommended it for a dimming load.

Reading a few other threads suggested plugging in a wall wart to the free outlet of the Caseta Lamp Dimmer. Sure enough, a little Apple iphone adapter plugged in does the trick. These adapters draw enough to raise the minimum load even when no mobile device is plugged in.

[SDR-Mike]

Nice work around. Let us know if this sales technique is working. I personally think it is a great idea.

[wkearney99]

Nice work around. Let us know if this sales technique is working. I personally think it is a great idea.

Well, kind of a great idea, excepting the requirement for the added load. Not too many phone charger gizmos I'd be willing to plug into the outdoor string of extension cords and lights. That seems like it'd make the solution seem a bit hokey. As in, the customer says "If this is such a great product why can't it handle something that simple?" Which is certainly just another in a long line of customer misunderstandings. It'd be better to have a less mysterious kind of solution than using a charger, otherwise it plants seeds of doubt where there might not have been any before.

Hmm, maybe throw in one of these?
http://www.amazon.com/Gemmy-Christma...e-Minion-Feet/
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Infl...dp/B00NYGVIEO/

Me, I went with putting an 8ANS switch in for a circuit dedicated to outdoor lighting. It controls one side of an outlet (the other's left live). I painted the switched side red and keep a child-safety plug in there. If just to remind me to avoid running an electric mower or something through it.

[whoDean]

Look near the bottom of

http://www.casetawireless.com/Documents/0301710a_Caseta%20Advanced%20Inst.pdf

At the section about setting the lower trim level of the dimmer switch.

[Taylor]

We are trying to run a quick promotion for some of our clients to introduce them to Caseta. We are featuring the use of plug-in lamp dimmers to control their holiday lights.

However, after testing some of the popular LED strings of lights, we found that OFF doesn't turn them all the way off. This obviously is a non-starter for this use case. We also tried to convert the lamp dimmer to a switch, but same issue. OFF still sends enough power to the LED strip to have it light up just a bit.

As a reference, the LED lighting strings are from GE, called "StayBright 50 LED Energy Saving Lights". They were bought from Kmart.

Any suggestions for getting a lamp dimmer to actually turn OFF the lighting that is attached when using LEDs? I imagine this could also be a problem for regular LED lamps as well.



Thanks!

IMG_0447.MOV

I have had issues with radio ra lamp dimming modules and LED christmas lights doing what you are experiencing... Some do not like to be dimmed.

For the Caseta lamp plug in module... I would recomend trying the following...

Go to the link to the PDF provided above by whoDean for the advanced functions of Caseta devices...
http://www.casetawireless.com/Documents/0301710a_Caseta%20Advanced%20Inst.pdf


And you can try adjusting the trim as he suggests, however I think your best bet would be to convert the lamp module to a "switch" instead of a dimmer. Look on the advanced functions for ... "Converting a Caséta® Wireless Plug-In Lamp Dimmer to a Switch to Control Non-Dim Loads (Lights Only)" and follow the instructions.

[GapBoyPCS]

I'm reviving an old thread as I'm getting into putting up my decorations and decided to give this a whirl.

Has there been any other fixes or ideas for fully turning off LED Christmas/Holiday lights plugged into the lamp dimmer module?

I tried making the module on/off only, and using some of my old iPhone or BlackBerry USB charging plugs seem to work only once, but then they go back to the really dim setting when "off".

(I sure hope Lutron come up holiday lighting solutions as more people adopt their products and want more integration.)