The reason why your led strip lights only show the color green is a question that many people have, but there are a few detailed answers to it. This article will explore some of the reasons so you can better understand how these lights work and what might be going on with them.
Here’s a quick overview on why your led strip lights may only turn green;
- Some Points Were Mistakenly Soldered Together
- Tear In The Led Strip Light
- Connections Between controller And The Led Strip Lights
- Power Supply Problems
- Old Led Strip Light
- Bad Outlet Can Cause Led Strip Light To Only Turn Green
- Led Controller For Your Lights Has Gone Bad
- Led Strip Lights Are Badly Wired
What Colors Are Led Strip Lights Available In?
Before we get into the details of why led strip lights are only showing green, let’s start by looking at what colors are available from LED Strip Lights.
The most common colors for these types of light fixtures are red, blue, green, yellow, and white.
You’ll notice right away that there are no orange or purple colors to choose from which might lead one to believe that those colors don’t exist in this type of lighting fixture.
That’s not true. Those basic colors of red, blue, green, yellow, and white as mentioned before can be mixed to get other colors.
So typically, your led strip lights are supposed to show different colors than just green.
What Is The Reason For Led Strip Light Only Showing Green?
If your led strip lights only show the color green and nothing else, then you probably have a problem with your lights or wiring.
Here are some of the possible things that could be causing your led strip lights to only turn green.
1. Some Points Were Mistakenly Soldered Together
It is common to have a few incorrect solder points on led strip light fixtures. This is because the soldering process can be difficult and mistakes happen.
If you see two solder points that look like they should be separate and aren’t, then this is probably why your led strip lights only show green.
You can check for solid connections at solder points so that you can be sure what the problem is. As mentioned before, your led strip lights only show the color green because some points were mistakenly soldered together.
You can take your lights apart and resolder the points to fix this problem so that you get back to having a full range of colors.
You can also cut away the part of the mistaken solder and then rejoin those pieces together to fix this issue.
If you don’t know how to safely cut and join led strip lights you can check out the video below.
2. Tear In The Led Strip Light
The next justifiable reason why your led strip lights only show green is that there’s a tear in the led strip light.
When you have a tear in your led strip light, then the lights don’t work properly as parts of the light may be missing. This is why you only see green because the tear stops other colors from showing up.
To check for this problem, look at the lights up close to see if you can spot a tear.
The tear could have taken out the R and B channels, leaving only the G channels operational. But do not worry as you or a professional can solder across the tear to restore the connection.
After that, you should be able to see all of your colors again. This is just one example but it’s the most common problem that people have with led strip lights.
3. Connections Between controller And The Led Strip Lights
One of the common causes of why is my led strip lights only green is a bad connection between the controller and your lighting system.
It’s possible that there isn’t any connection between the two which might be part of why they are only showing green.
You can quickly check to see if there is a connection by simply plugging in your lights and seeing if they turn on.
If there is a connection, then the led strip lights should light up. If they don’t, then your connection is bad and you’ll need to fix it.
You can try disconnecting the controller from whatever power source it’s plugged into and then reconnecting it.
4. Power Supply Problems
Another possible reason why your led strip lights are only green is a power supply problem. This is especially true if the power supply is not the correct voltage for what it is supposed to supply.
If the power supply is not providing enough voltage to run your lights, then they can possibly turn green because that’s what happens when there isn’t enough power.
You can check your voltage levels with a voltmeter if you have one so that you know the issue is related to low voltage.
For example, if your led strip lights are 12 volts then they need 12 volts supplied to them in order for them to work well.
Also, check that the power supply has the correct amperage rating. It has to be higher than what your led strip lights need, but you should not let it be that of a lower amperage.
5. Old Led Strip Light
Another common problem with your led strip light is that it’s old and outdated. Led strip lights usually last for around 50,000 hours of usage before there are problems like these.
It’s possible that the age of your leds means they cannot provide enough voltage to work properly anymore which leads to them turning green or not working at all.
You can try fixing this problem by replacing the entire set of strip lighting if you have some extra money on hand.
This will solve any issues related to a faulty power supply because you’ll get a new one when buying replacement led strips.
So if your led strip lights is turning only green, then it is possible it has outlived its usefulness.
6. Led Strip Lights Are Badly Wired
An additional reason why your led strip lights only display green is that they are wired incorrectly.
If the wiring of your led strip light set isn’t done correctly then you’ll end up with problems like these where it shows all green, or none at all.
You will need to open up each individual wire connection on the lighting system and check to see if the wire is connected properly.
This can be a bit tedious because you have to open up each connection and solder them back together so that there are no problems with your wiring.
After this, it’s possible for your led strip lights not to turn green anymore which means they were wired wrong from the start.
7. Bad Outlet Can Cause Led Strip Light To Only Turn Green
Similarly, the reason why your led strip lights only turn green is that the outlet might be to blame.
This can happen if you’re using an old surge protector or extension cord because they are not designed for high voltage usage like this.
If the power supply of the lighting system gets bounced around a lot, then it could damage both the lighting system and the outlet.
A simple solution to this is to go out and buy a new surge protector which will be able to provide clean power for your led strip lights.
If you’re using an extension cord, then it’s time to replace that as well because otherwise the entire situation will just keep happening over and over again.
8. Led Controller For Your Lights Has Gone Bad
Last but not the least, another reason why your led strip lights only turn green is there might be a problem with the controller.
When you use an LED controller, it’s possible for them to have the above-mentioned problem.
The solution would simply be buying a new LED controller that can be found at Amazon because if this is just a faulty controller then it is the cause of all your problems.
Just make sure to check any warranty so that you can return it if it’s physically damaged or not working as intended.
Final Thougths
In conclusion, you can see there are many reasons why your led strip lights are only green.
It’s important to understand that these problems can be fixed by any home user because there is no need for you to call an electrician if your led strip light set isn’t working well anymore.
Just make sure to do due diligence with troubleshooting what has gone wrong based on the information I have shared in this post.
It is important to mention that, in some cases, the reason why your led strip light may be turning green alone could also be a combination of the factors I have discussed in the post.
If it gets too technical beyond your knowledge of electronics then it is best to seek help from an electrician or a mechanical engineer.
Thanks for sticking around till the end of this post, I hope it has been helpful in understanding why your led strip lights are only green.