LED lights very dim

We just moved into my wife's Grandparents house which was built about 75 years ago and we changed all the light bulbs to LED bulbs including the porch and carport. Just on the LED lights outside they will SOMETIMES burn very dim and like I said it just the outside lights that do this, all the inside lights work just as they should. I can swap an inside light with the one on the porch and both light's will once again work with no problem until the porch starts to act up again.

So I know its not the bulb that's the problem or I think I know the bulb is not the problem.

What is going on here, any thoughts and help is appreciated.

 

LED bulbs are electronic and as such can be very touchy about line voltage. Check your voltage on the outside sockets and compare to the inside sockets. Our experts will see your post soon and most likely have a better explanation.

 

I have 2 theories. 1-Unless the LED package states the lamps are for outside use, the electronics in the base of the lamp are being affected by humidity since they are not water tight. Get lamps rated for outdoor use. 2- If both outdoor lights operate from 1 switch, the LED lamps are in parallel electrically. This changes the impedance of the circuit which can result in a changing voltage. If problem goes away after removing one LED lamp, your stuck with 1 LED and 1 non=LED lamp on the switch.

 

I suspect there is either a loose connection someplace that is changing the wiring from parallel to series wiring, or there is some type of control on the circuit such as a motion sensor, or timer.

Try installing an incandescent light bulb on one of the lights and see if that makes a difference.

 

Thanks Norm, Bob and Tolyn

Bob, 1. I'm really not sure if the bulbs are rated for outdoor use but I will go by HD and get a couple of bulbs that are for outdoor use and see if that helps. 2. They are on separate switches.

Tolyn, Yes they had Incandescent bulbs for the first 3 months we lived here and they worked without any issue and there is not any motion sensor or timer attached to the lights. I'll need to check for loose connections.

 

Adding one incandescent light to the mix will allow current to leak through to power a sensor, pilot light, or dimmer. These can cause odd things to happen with LEDs.

Also, check to see if there is any rhyme or reason for the dimming. Like turning on/off other switches, using a 240-volt piece of equipment like a dryer or stove..