I have a strange problem with a domestic circuit.
I live in Belgium and in some old areas with old electrical installations the AC supply provided has a hot "live" and "neutral" wire (as opposed to neutral being held to ground). Both are at around half the standard voltate (240v). (I'll refer to them as "live" and "neutral" though, even though both are actually half-live).
Unfortunately, this allows a small current to flow in, for example, a lighting circuit even when switched off. I believe this is because the switch only breaks one of the wires and there is enough capacitance in the circuit to allow a small AC current to continue flowing through the non-broken wire. In addition, a small current may be induced as there are two parallel "live" wires due to there being two-sway switching.
The problem is that this small voltage is sufficient to illuminate an LED, so it is impossible to switch off.
My question is how it might be possible to easily dampen the small voltage? I can't install a switch that breaks both "live" and "neutral" as there is only one switched wire available and for that I believe I would need another.
So I am looking for some device that is commercially available (in Europe) that could be safely (and legally) attached to the cable somewhere and that would not in itself draw a lot of power.
I have heard that a Zener diode or a capacitor might be used, but I have no idea which might be best or what specification should be used.
Side note: The matter of the non-ground neutral wire generates a lot of interest but isn't that relevant to the question. For whatever reason, there is a voltage in the lighting circuit. A quote from the power company:
The 230 V network represents 88 % of the cable lengths. These cables
have 3 wires for the 3 phases. You get 230 V single-phase power by
connecting across two phases.
Additional information: I get the problem in two different rooms, a bedroom and a bathroom. The glow is only faint, so it must be a small voltage. Both rooms have standard manual switches (new ones). Both are LED lamps multi-bulb units with 6 and 3 bulbs of the G9 type. Only the bedroom is two-way. I actually have some G9 bulbs that don't glow and some that do, but the ones that don't are unbranded and don't really go with the lamp. I tried ordering various replacements, but they all glow.
I have other LED bulbs around the house (the standard-sized ones) and I don't get any glow.
Best Answer
In most countries, the neutral is tied to earth at the supply end. It is often connected at the consumer end as well. But this is not something you should do yourself without consulting your local electrical installation codes and/or your electricity supplier. Connecting the two together in the wrong place, or in the wrong way, can be dangerous.
A a fix for LED lamps that flicker or glow when they should be off is to connect a suppressor or snubber between live and neutral, at the lamp, after the light switch. Make sure anything you use is designed to handle the full mains voltage.