Are your LED lights changing colors on their own? Here’s why it happens:
- The light is cheap, overused, or has overheating issues
- The remote control is malfunctioning and changing colors
- Dimmer switch isn’t installed properly
- Voltage is fluctuating too much or LEDs not getting enough power
And… more underlying issues can be the reason.
Whether you are using LED bulbs, panels, or strips lights, color-changing issues can happen. However, it’s more common in LED strip lights and RGB lights.
Through several experiments and talking with long-time LED strip light users, we have found 11 reasons why LED lights to keep changing colors automatically.
Keep on reading….
1. Your LEDs Are Cheap & Not Durable
Let’s face it. You can find LED lights anywhere and everywhere. Their productions have increased manyfold in the last couple of years.
If you buy LED lights from cheap and unknown manufacturers, there’s a good chance that these lights will malfunction at some point. Apart from issues with brightness, you might also face issues like colors changing themselves. For example, red changing to green and stuff like that.
Cheap LED lights or strips have low-quality diodes and oftentimes use scrap materials.
2. Faulty Remote Control Is The #1 Issue
A faulty remote control in most cases is the reason behind your LED strips changing colors constantly. This can happen if the remote control is overused or maybe the coding of the circuits was faulty in the first place.
Sometimes, one or two-button may be stuck inside the remote and that also can change light colors. However, this issue can be fixed.
Read Also: LED Strip Lights With Remote Control
To test whether the remote control is what’s causing the bizarre color changes in your LED strips, you can take the remote out of the room and observe what’s happening.
If that’s the case, you need to find a replacement.
3. Installed A New Dimmer Switch? That’s What Changing The Colors
Sometimes, after installing a new dimmer switch, LED strips might behave erratically and you might find a few diodes changing color on their own.
This isn’t uncommon, especially if you install an after-market dimmer switch that didn’t come with the lights. So, compatibility might be the reason behind it. In that case, it’s best to change the dimmer switch and look for compatible versions.
If you don’t install the dimmer switch properly, this can also change the behavior of the diodes. Along with the colors, the brightness will also be affected.
4. Voltage Fluctuations In Your Area Are Quite Common
You bought a great LED light from a reputable brand. It’s brand new and still, you are asking yourself why does my LED light keep changing colors on their own.
Maybe you did get a good LED light and nothing’s wrong with that. The issue can be related to the area where you live.
In some neighborhoods, voltage fluctuations are common. While this doesn’t switch off lights and TVs, it can cause LED lights to change colors and behave in a weird way. Differences in voltages create differences in colors in the diodes.
5. Extending Your Led Strip With Incompatible Extensions
You might need to extend your LED strips if you think that the current length is not sufficient. Go ahead and do it.
However, if the extensions strips you are buying are not from the same brand or are not compatible with the current ones, color-changing issues may occur.
Things like wattage, CRI, color temperature, circuit layouts, etc, should match with the new extension LED strips. If you buy from third parties, you will have a hard time matching everything.
6. Continuously Overused Leds Can Change Color
LEDs have a long span. That’s true. But that’s not forever, right?
A lot of people keep their LED lights on for days and this can significantly minimize its lifespan. While the LED lights might still work and shine as they did, they might behave in a peculiar way sometimes.
You might see them changing colors without any reason. This is because overused LEDs become weaker and the circuit also fails to function like how it should.
7. Changes In Codes And Software
Every LED has some codes and software inside that controls how the light behaves.
Sometimes, the coding might be too old and the software might not support it anymore. Or, the manufacturer has made the lights with buggy codings.
So, the LED light is perfect in terms of its physical qualities, but the faulty codings can cause it to change colors, turn off automatically or even blink erratically.
It’s best to ask the manufacturer about the software updates and if they can help in any way.
8. Exposure To Heat And Lack Of Air Circulation
LED strips are placed on a thin sheet of aluminum or aluminum alloy which is used as a heat sink. Though LEDs emit extremely small amounts of heat, keeping them on for days can cause them to heat up.
And. When they overheat, they start to behave weirdly. The circuits stop functioning properly and the result is the wrong colors start showing up.
Lack of air circulation can also cause the LED lights to overheat faster. You might be in a confined space where air doesn’t come in or out too much.
Use your LEDs moderately so they don’t heat up.
9. Led Strip Not Receiving The Right Amount Of Power
We tested out a couple of LED strips and used them for a few months. In one instance, we found them to change colors and do all sorts of bizarre stuff like blinking, brightness getting down.
We checked everything like the heat levels, installation, remote control functionality and still the lights kept changing colors. Later we got to know that if LED lights don’t get enough power, these issues can happen.
We were using a surge protector or what is commonly known as multiple sockets power bar. This was the reason why the lights behaved that way. Sometimes, the power cord might be incompatible and fails to draw the right amount of power.
10. The Signal From Your Remote Is Interfering With Signal From Another Remote
You might have a TV remote and LED strip remote that has uses the same kind of IR signal. This is what usually is known as interference. In that case, when you press the TV remote, it can also affect the function of your LED lights and vice versa.
Sometimes, a clever neighbor can also be playing games with you. Your neighbor might have a similar remote and they can use that to change the colors of your LED lights.
11. You Might Have Spilled Paint Over The Diodes
You might have had a paint job recently and right after that, you notice that the LED strips are showing wrong colors or maybe not lighting up at all.
The reason could be that paint might have spilled over the diodes and now it’s showing totally different colors. Just give a quick glance and gently try to rub the paint from the affected diodes.
If you can’t get the paint over, it’s best to get brand new LED lights.
How To Stop Led Strip Lights From Changing Colors Themselves
Sometimes, you cannot fix your LED light from changing color anymore. That’s when you should buy new lights. However, there are still ways you can use to prevent or fix this issue:
- Always buy LED lights from reputable manufacturers or sellers with a warranty. So, you can get a refund or fixes if something like color changing, low brightness, etc issues happens.
- Check if the remote control is faulty and then replace it
- Install a dimmer switch carefully and also make sure that it’s compatible with your LED lights.
- You need to keep LED lights in such a room where air circulation is maintained properly. Otherwise, overheating can happen more and lead to LEDs changing color by themselves.
- Use a multi-socket power bar if voltage fluctuations are common in your area. Otherwise, avoid it and plug the LED light cord directly into the wall socket.
- Don’t buy used LED lights as they might be overused and at the end of their lifespan.
- When buying extensions for LED strips, always get them from the same manufacturer and match the model number. Even make sure the cord matches the original one.
- Check if your TV remote or signals from your neighbor’s remote is interfering with your LED light’s remote. If that’s the case, you should keep the LED lights in a separate space where other remote signals won’t be able to interfere.
Is Led Light Turning Yellow A Common Issue? How Can You Fix It?
LED lights turn yellow because 1. The light guide plate used is cheap, 2. The chip technology is cheap, 3. Stains from the guide plate penetrate into the light.
You can fix these issues by either replacing your LED lights or wiping the lights with industrial alcohol.
Is Led Light Not Working Or Not Getting Bright Is Related To Led Light Changing Color Themselves?
Yes, the issues that cause LED lights to change color themselves are often the same issues that can cause brightness to adjust itself or the light to turn off.
So, if your LEDs face color-changing problems, in most cases, they will also face other issues. The solutions to all of these issues are almost always the same.
Final Words
LED lights are affordable and highly sought-after stuff in today’s age. So, the manufacturing is almost made cheaply and these lights can malfunction at some point.
To prevent facing issues like lights changing colors automatically or adjusting brightness themselves, you need to get LED lights from well-known brands.
Apart from this, if you follow the guidelines we provided, you can solve this issue. If nothing works, then it’s best to replace your LEDs with newer ones.
