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I have been turning on and off an installation, including some LED PAR lights, using a digital timer switch (Brennenstuhl Primera Timer DT). It's been running since half a year or so, but recently I noticed when all lights were off and the timer was in 'auto off' position, that the LED PARs were still emitting light, just very faint so you would only see it if the room was otherwise entirely dark. I am sure this is a new behaviour, and they were not having any current initially. Question: Is this an "aging" of the relays, is it something to worry about (safety etc.)? Like, should I change the switch, or this harmless or expected behaviour.

The photo shows the situation with relatively long exposure time (the blue LEDs are from a separately connected Wifi router, so are irrelevant to the situation).

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0__
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  • Does this answer your question? [LEDs stay on (very dim) when switch is off](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/108732/leds-stay-on-very-dim-when-switch-is-off) – isherwood Feb 11 '22 at 17:22
  • @isherwood thanks, it seems related. I'm still puzzled as to the question whether the timer has always had this leakage, as it seems improbably to me that I only noticed this effect after more than half a year. Would it imply that this behaviour is "normal" then, and nothing harmful? Or could it be that the switch is in a bad shape and I should replace it. – 0__ Feb 11 '22 at 17:25
  • It's not uncommon that adding another device on the circuit changes things. Any new LEDs elsewhere on the same breaker? – isherwood Feb 11 '22 at 17:27
  • No new devices. It's two of the LED PAR (each 10W or so), a Raspberry Pi 3, and a 12V power adapter connecting to two small servo motors (a small amperes). The Wifi router is new, but doesn't sit behind the timer switch. – 0__ Feb 11 '22 at 17:30
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    My guess is that it's been there all along and you've just now noticed. – FreeMan Feb 11 '22 at 18:42
  • Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking. – Community Feb 11 '22 at 19:48
  • I would agree with freeman I tried to find the listing info and it was not in English, mechanical relays work or they don’t, solid state when they fail they usually short then blow open. You probably did not notice it in the past. – Ed Beal Feb 11 '22 at 20:56
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    One thing I will check next time I'm the studio, is if this is perhaps an issue with the LEDs themselves, like they started showing the leaking current when they didn't do so initially. Because I deem it fairly impossible that I simply didn't notice it before: I have to turn off all lights before leaving the room, the light switch is away from the exit, so every time I leave the studio after dawn, it be an obvious thing to notice. The relays make a tiny click, so almost certainly they must be mechanical. – 0__ Feb 11 '22 at 21:07
  • Could be a speck of dirt or carbonized insect on the relay contacts... since it clicks, I assume a mechanical relay. Though I wouldn't be concerned, you could put a 100 watt bulb in one socket, temporarily, and turn the lights on and off a few times, which likely would burn off a tiny bit of carbon. – DrMoishe Pippik Feb 13 '22 at 01:43

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