LED LIGHT ELECTRIFYING BODY

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Nocta Lunais

Member
Hey Everyone was hoping to get some help with an issue i'm experiencing with my 400w COB LED Light.
The problem is that the unit is electrifying it's body and by extension the fridge that it's in.
It can be felt most directly by making contact with one of the screws holding the body together.

Please help it's really annoying as I'm just about constantly getting electrocuted.

I've checked as best I can for short wires and the such and can't find anything at all that could be producing the results i'm getting.

Any help would be super appreciated!! thank you.
 
Stephenj37826

Stephenj37826

Well-Known Member
Nocta Lunais said:
Hey Everyone was hoping to get some help with an issue i'm experiencing with my 400w COB LED Light.
The problem is that the unit is electrifying it's body and by extension the fridge that it's in.
It can be felt most directly by making contact with one of the screws holding the body together.

Please help it's really annoying as I'm just about constantly getting electrocuted.

I've checked as best I can for short wires and the such and can't find anything at all that could be producing the results i'm getting.

Any help would be super appreciated!! thank you.
Click to expand...
Ground the frame to the ground wire of the cord/driver ground.
 
greg nr

greg nr

Well-Known Member
Grounding the frame will help keep you from getting shocked, but the problem is still there. You will be wasting power at the least, and have a potential fire hazard at the worst.

Start at the beginning and make sure you haven't reversed any ac wires leading to the driver. Next, put an inline fuse on the dc out side of the driver. It should be just larger than the max current expected from the driver the way you are running it.

Next, check the driver case to see if the case is energized. If it is, replace it.

Finally, check all of your dc wires for knicks or cuts. Be especially careful where they pass through a hole in the frame or acrss a sharp edge.

You should never get shocked by a light fixture. Definately ground it, but also find the cause.
 
Philip-O

Philip-O

Well-Known Member
greg nr said:
Grounding the frame will help keep you from getting shocked, but the problem is still there. You will be wasting power at the least, and have a potential fire hazard at the worst.

Start at the beginning and make sure you haven't reversed any ac wires leading to the driver. Next, put an inline fuse on the dc out side of the driver. It should be just larger than the max current expected from the driver the way you are running it.

Next, check the driver case to see if the case is energized. If it is, replace it.

Finally, check all of your dc wires for knicks or cuts. Be especially careful where they pass through a hole in the frame or acrss a sharp edge.

You should never get shocked by a light fixture. Definately ground it, but also find the cause.
Click to expand...
I´ve tried grounding my fixtures (by running a cable from the ground wago to the aluminium frame), but my GFCI receptacles tripped right away and I could not turn the lights on. What could this be? Any thoughts, @619kt619?
 
Colo MMJ

Colo MMJ

Well-Known Member
Philip-O said:
I´ve tried grounding my fixtures (by running a cable from the ground wago to the aluminium frame), but my GFCI receptacles tripped right away and I could not turn the lights on. What could this be? Any thoughts, @619kt619?
Click to expand...
This may not answer your question but T5/T8s usually trip GFCI receptacles. I think it is their ballasts. I am not sure if LED drivers (that look like a ballast) work the same way.
 
Philip-O

Philip-O

Well-Known Member
Colo MMJ said:
This may not answer your question but T5/T8s usually trip GFCI receptacles. I think it is their ballasts. I am not sure if LED drivers (that look like a ballast) work the same way.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I´m runnings LEDs with HLG drivers.
 
greg nr

greg nr

Well-Known Member
I have an hlg driver and it doesn't trip my gfci breaker.

You have current going to the frame. You can use a simple volt meter to figure out if it's ac or dc current.

The simplest mistake that would cause this is you reversed either hot and neutral or neutral and ground on the ac side. That can energize the case of the driver and cause a jolt.

After that, you either have a defective driver (check for voltage between the case and ground) or you have a lead shorted against the frame somewhere.

This isn't rocket science. Check your wiring, use a volt meter, and find the problem. Tripping the gfci means you have current running to ground, which should never be the case. It isn't safe, and you have a potential safety and fire hazard.
 
alesh

alesh

Well-Known Member
PilouPilou said:
Ok thank you very much. If I understand well I just need to connect the ground wire of the wall plug on the frame.
Click to expand...
Yes, assuming that your outlets are correctly wired.

However, the more important part is what @greg nr already said:
greg nr said:
You should never get shocked by a light fixture. Definately ground it, but also find the cause.
Click to expand...
Check your AC wiring in both the fixture and the wall outlet. (I've seen a lot of incorrectly wired AC outlets). Could also be a faulty isolation/exposed wire in the fixture.
.
 
Last edited:
greg nr

greg nr

Well-Known Member
alesh said:
Yes, assuming that your outlets are correctly wired.

However, the more important part is what @greg nr already said:
Check your AC wiring in both the fixture and the wall outlet. (I've seen a lot of incorrectly AC outlets). Could also be a faulty isolation/exposed wire in the fixture.
.
Click to expand...
True that. Lots of houses have wiring that is mixed up in the outlet box. You can buy a cheap polarity meter that will tell you if it is wired correctly..

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-RT110-Receptacle-Tester/dp/B01AKX3AYE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1508860892&sr=8-4&keywords=outlet+polarity+tester
 
KonopCh

KonopCh

Well-Known Member
Lol, funny guys.
I read somewhere that they have ground wire directly from wall, not like USA people?
 
HydroRed

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
Philip-O said:
I´ve tried grounding my fixtures (by running a cable from the ground wago to the aluminium frame), but my GFCI receptacles tripped right away and I could not turn the lights on. What could this be? Any thoughts, @619kt619?
Click to expand...
GFI's trip from shorts/bad grounds. Does it trip just when you initially plug it in, but it works when you hit the reset - or does it trip all the time no matter what?
 
Philip-O

Philip-O

Well-Known Member
HydroRed said:
GFI's trip from shorts/bad grounds. Does it trip just when you initially plug it in, but it works when you hit the reset - or does it trip all the time no matter what?
Click to expand...
Just trips right away when I plug the fixture, and inmmediatly after resetting (so its tripped all the time). As per @greg nr suggestion, I will check with a multimeter if there is any current on the frame, and the polarity of the receptacles (it would not be a big suprise if the wiring is reversed something like that). What do you think?
 
HydroRed

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
Philip-O said:
Just trips right away when I plug the fixture, and inmmediatly after resetting (so its tripped all the time). As per @greg nr suggestion, I will check with a multimeter if there is any current on the frame, and the polarity of the receptacles (it would not be a big suprise if the wiring is reversed something like that). What do you think?
Click to expand...

Sounds like the lights issue and not the outlet. You have a short somewhere on the light and its likely of significant amperage to trip a gfi in that manner. As mentioned, check the frame with a MM and see if it is AC/DC to tell you where to look on the light for the short (wiring insulation stripped exposing the wire to the frame like on a sharp edge or pinched under something, or if you used stranded wire there may be a strand exposed somewhere, etc).
 
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