7 Reasons LED Strip Lights May Not Turn On
When you turn the switch on an LED light, it doesn’t always turn on. Sometimes they will flicker or even blink before turning off. What could be wrong? There are a few potential reasons why your LED lights may not turn on. Read this blog post to find out the 7 most common reasons that LEDs won’t turn on.
Bad Pin Connection
If your LED lights have a bad pin connection, they will not turn on. This can be easily fixed by replacing the pin connection with a new one. In order to determine that this is the cause of the issue, you can disconnect the pin and take a look, sometimes these will be bent or not fully connected, but if they are not it is always a good idea to check and rule out this issue.
Incorrect Power Source
Not using the right power source or using a bad power source can cause LED light failure. Make sure that you are using the correct power source for your lights, as each type of led bulb will require a different voltage to work correctly.
To learn more about the power with your LED lights check out our blog on what happens if you use too much voltage.
Bad Capacitors
Bad capacitors can cause your LED lights not to turn on. These are little pieces of circuitry that help the light work correctly, and if they go bad then this could be why your lights aren’t working right now!
Instead of having to purchase an entirely new light string, you can just replace the capacitors. Sometimes buying a set comes with several different types of capacitors so it’s likely that one will fit your lights perfectly.
Bulbs Are Too Tight
LED Bulbs that are too tight can cause an issue and actually end up not working.
LED bulbs are designed for an easy installation but sometimes the LED bulb ends up being too tight on the socket of the lamp or fixture. When this happens you will need to use a little more effort and force to push it in all the way, which is normal because they are not supposed to be loose like old lightbulbs were before.
But if the LED bulb is pushed in all the way and still does not work it can be a problem because you will need to try pushing harder to get it working.
Grid Problems
Grid Problems cause LED not turning on because of a few different reasons that might happen. If the power supply is plugged into a surge protector or an extension cord it could be possible that there was too much electricity flowing through the grid and it caused you to lose one of your LEDs.
Despite LEDs not requiring much power to run properly, in combination with other devices on the grid it is possible that your grid can be overwhelmed and not run the proper levels to the LED lights.
If this happens you may want to take a step back and look at what is on the grid.
Is there anything that could be turned off?
Can you turn this device into a separate circuit with its own breaker to avoid too many devices in one location of the building running at once?
Low Quality
If you have a low end LED strip , you may notice that it doesn’t work as well as a higher quality strip. And in the worst cases it may not turn on at all.
Some low end strips will flicker or even slightly dim when the power supply is connected to them. It’s not an issue with all of them, but some just don’t do what they’re supposed to do and this makes your hard earned money go down the drain.
At this point you may be wondering what makes a good quality strip different from one with subpar performance. A lot of it has to do with the way they are wired.
Damaged Or Loose Wires
Another common reason that LED strip light won’t turn on is because the wires leading to it are damaged or loose. There’s a chance your lights may have been cut when they were manufactured, which means you’ll need to return them and get new LED strips.
Wiring can also be damaged from weathering or animals especially if they are outdoor lights. There are also cases where the wiring was shorted, which is when two of the positive wires touch each other or a negative wire touches another negative one.
When your LED strip lighting doesn’t turn on, this means that there’s something wrong with it and you’ll need to figure out what exactly went wrong so you can fix it.
The Best LED Strips Available For Your Lighting and Decoration Needs
The best quality LED strips have a long lifespan and are waterproof. They also don’t overheat as much which is why they last longer than lower end models.
They turn on immediately when you plug them in so there’s no flickering or dimming issues with these lights, even if the power supply isn’t perfect for them.
Check out our quality selection of LED Strips to find the perfect lights for your lighting or decoration needs.
Disclaimer: Our products are ROHS-compliant. This means that we are aware they may contain lead but do not exceed the allowable amounts.
