LED Bulbs Reliable? Not to me..


  #1  
Old 01-11-21, 07:53 AM
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LED Bulbs Reliable? Not to me..

Got these two 60W (equivalent) LED light bulbs installed about a year ago, one on a night table and the other in the wall and they both stopped working about days apart.. Surprise....I thought these new LED’s supposed to work almost forever? When I tried to replace one as I was unscrew it it flickered on/off so I though perhaps a bad connection? I checked the socket’s contacts and they looked ok so I try to get it to a spot that’s ON but soon I let it go it went off. Same for the other one. I managed to get the one by the wall to stay on but after a few days I have to play with it again to find the “sweet” spot and it works, for now!!!

Is anything known about these new LED bulbs? Perhaps something is loose inside the bulb? Kind of expensive to through away after 1 year and replace with another LED? What a racket.....
 

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01-14-21, 04:05 PM
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I've had some that work well and some that fail too. The main issue I have with LED lighting is the output, they're just blinding white...It's not very comfortable to have hospital white light in the living room or kitchen. Yes there are more "warm" type LED lights, but they still just don't do it for me.
The color temperature (Kelvin) is not the only thing that affects lighting quality the other important one is called Color Rendering Index (CRI)

While an incandescent or halogen lamp has a perfect CRI of 100 cheap and older LEDs were usually in the range of the 70's and older fluorescent lamps were in the 50-60 range newer fluorescent lamps are 70-80 (the color code EX: 750 would be CRI 70 range and 5000K color so the first number is the CRI range)
950 is 90's CRI range with 5000K color temperature.


 
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Old 01-11-21, 08:04 AM
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I have contacted manufacturers when LED bulbs have failed early and they have sent replacements at no cost. Check the bulb or Google for an 800 number or URL and make a claim. I consider 5 years a reasonable "warranty" period for an LED bulb.
 
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Old 01-11-21, 10:24 AM
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I think they are better today than a few years ago but time will tell.

I also have had good luck contacting the manufacture to replace when/if they dont seem to live up to expectation!
 
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Old 01-11-21, 12:03 PM
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Thank you guys for the answer. Kind of a hassle but I will do it because LED’s are expensive. I will also try first my local HD to see if they will replace them
 
  #5  
Old 01-12-21, 10:34 AM
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Unfortunately, like a lot of things these days, manufacturing of items are getting cheaper and cheaper. If they can save half a cent on a less reliable capacitor, they will. I try to stick with the better brands when possible (CREE, GE, etc), but there are still the occasional bulb that lasts only a short time.

Then again, I do recall back in the olden days occasionally installing a new incandescent bulb only to have it blow immediately.
 
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Old 01-12-21, 01:13 PM
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You are right Zorfdt, but I thought with the new LED’s been all electronics if the light the first time, they will do it for.....ever. Not much to go wrong there.

I also thought perhaps there is an issue with them but I guess not, just I got a couple of bad apples, lol
 
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Old 01-12-21, 11:02 PM
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You will also find that the really cheap bulbs/fixtures sole, like what you find on eBay are just that, cheap. I've purchased some name brand 8' conversion bulbs for the garage that have been running for years yet the no name 4' "cooler" fixtures are bad from the start.

The drivers that step up the voltage simply fail and the whole thing goes into the trash!
 
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Old 01-13-21, 02:27 AM
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Before they outlawed them I used to buy incandescent bulbs for $1.25 a 4 pack, now I spend about $6 a 4 pack. While the LEDs might use less electricity, I've not found them to last any longer than the incandescents. They only thing I like about LEDs is you can up the wattage. The older I get the more it seems I need better lighting.
 
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Old 01-13-21, 05:28 AM
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LED are still in the development stage. Like anything else there are good ones and cheap ones. However a lot depends how and where they are used. An LED used in the upright position in an open fixture should and would last longer than an LED in the down position and enclosed on a globe like fixture. The LED's themselves will last nearly indefinitely but the "ballast" or electronics are heat sensitive and if not vented will quickly burnout. Read the fine print. Most will say "not to be used in an enclosed fixture". And just like incandescent bulbs if they are constantly turned on and off, that will take it's toll. Also, I learned not to buy in bulk. Buy as you need them. They are making improvements regularly and you want the latest.
The best thing about LED's is the fact the color or Kelvin temp of the light. You can get them from a 2700K to 57000k and some let you change the color as needed. Not so with incandescent.
Here's how I "sell" customers light bulbs. I tell them in most cases you'll want high contrast, cool white (high Kelvin temp) for places like food preparation, sewing room, work bench area, garages, storage rooms, and maybe some outside walkways. On the other hand you'll most likely want warm white subdued (that yellowish incandescent type color) for dinning, bedroom, living room, hallways, accent lighting and most outside lighting.
One of the areas that I advise cool white or high Kelvin is the bathroom vanity mirror. Most women disagree, they say it's too hash and makes their clothing look "wrong" but...that is the lighting that most people will be seen in. Stores, offices, schools, and sunshine.
 
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Old 01-13-21, 08:44 AM
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Yay! finally someone else realizes LEDs are CRAP/JUNK!
I only use them for their intended purpose indicator lamps on electronic equipment.
I only wish manufactures did not discontinue traditional/reliable lighting products.

Advance scrapped it's entire HID/fluorescent ballasts and fixture parts and now is only making LED JUNK!

LED parts are non standard so if it fails a year down the line good luck finding the part as it was only available from the manufactures that made it and they are constantly changing parts and the manufacturer may not even be in business a year later!

Like the apartment complex I'm in they "upgraded" the M90/100W Metal Halide fixtures to Global Tech LED some failed (the ballast/ power supply did they now "identify" as a driver Lol!) the thing is still good as tested by my 24VDC power supply but Global Tech LED is gone.

If you must use LEDs at least use the screw in lamps as they can easily be replaced as they fail (and they will)
 
  #11  
Old 01-13-21, 11:06 AM
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I had all of my basement lighting redone last spring. The electrician replaced 10 ceiling fixtures and installed 60 watt incandescent bulbs. That was in May. By November every single incandescent had failed (they were made in Hungary probably the cheapest the electrician could get). I have since replaced them with LEDs and have not had a failure.

All of our house lights are now LEDs including more than 20 pot lights. I counted the LED bulbs used for lighting in the house, in the garage, and outside. We have 92 LED bulbs and two LED strip lights. None have failed in the 9 months that we have been in the house.

I think there are good, reliable LEDs and there are junk LEDs. Most of the LEDs I installed were CREE with some GE and ECO Smart. CREE bulbs have a 10 yr warranty. They are also suitable for an enclosed fixture. I have them in a half dozen nipple lamps. CREE bulbs are also reasonably priced.
 
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Old 01-13-21, 12:28 PM
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To key to understanding LED lighting is two basic parts.

First LED basic chips/elements which use a few volts DC are very reliable.

Second the electronics to provide these few volts is often very unreliable.

What goes bad in most LED bulbs is internal electronics powering it, not the LED chip.

Modern home 120 volt products that have electronic items LED lighting, TV, etc. use semiconductors which over long periods are damaged by transients, not surges.

While there is no ultimate protection every, home electric panel should some transient protection that covers all items it powers:

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Square-D...120-240V-36-kA

While the ratings and prices vary widely, that is good basic unit. Consider plug-in surge/transient strips a waste.
 
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Old 01-13-21, 03:41 PM
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To key to understanding LED lighting is two basic parts.

First LED basic chips/elements which use a few volts DC are very reliable.

Second the electronics to provide these few volts is often very unreliable.

What goes bad in most LED bulbs is internal electronics powering it, not the LED chip.

Modern home 120 volt products that have electronic items LED lighting, TV, etc. use semiconductors which over long periods are damaged by transients, not surges.

While there is no ultimate protection every, home electric panel should some transient protection that covers all items it powers:

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Square-D...120-240V-36-kA

While the ratings and prices vary widely, that is good basic unit. Consider plug-in surge/transient strips a waste.
Yes I agree 100% it is the ballast/power supply AKA drivers that are junk!
My LED I got works 100% fine it was the 24VDC power supply that failed causing a strobe light effect.



The fan is a 24VDC Sunon MagLev 80MM fan and only runs when needed! The fan is also quiet a full speed not that it would be noticed in a post top fixture anyway.

 
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Old 01-13-21, 04:54 PM
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So what you're saying and we all agree, the weakest link is in the electronics (ballast or driver, which ever you prefer). Which means it's economical to buy the name brand and pay a higher upfront cost for an LED that is made to more exacting specs. All my LED's have lasted longer than the equivalent incandescent.

So lets do a comparison: CircuitBreaker you're not going like this.

LED's cost a bit more but becoming nearly equal to Incandescent.
LED's readily available. Incandescent Becoming harder to find.
LED's lots of choices. Incandescent less and less choices.
LED's use plastic body that can take shock. Incandescent glass body very fragile and most knocks burn out filament
LED's cool to the touch Incandescent... don't dare touch that sucker.
LED's Kalvin Color choice. Incandescent no or nearly no color option.
LED's many options becoming more available, such as multi color in both spectrum and temp( often in the same bulb). Incandescent just a colored glass for the most party that actually reduces light output.
LED's must be specific about dimmer and 3 ways and not always compatible with existing hardware.
Incandescent 3 way bulbs are easy and dimmers almost always work well.
LED"s cost less to operate. Incandescent you pay the power company most of what burns in wattage.
LED's are fantastic in portable lighting due to reduced energy needed. Incandescent go through batteries big time.
LED's emit light in a 180 degree direction. Incandescent in a 360 degree direction necessitating reflective apparatus driving up cost. This is a questionable advantage. OK for direct lighting. But ceiling reflected light is not nearly as harsh.
LED's are instant on and do not require a warm up.
LED"s are environmentally safer than fluorescent or other gas filled bulbs but can give same lighting results.
LED's can be used in very cold temperatures and in outside condition without any special protection within reason.
 
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Old 01-13-21, 06:29 PM
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For the DIYer without going into technical theory, let's keep this simple.

For over 100 years home telephone 2 wire terminal blocks have used gas discharge voltage protectors. AT&T made quality stuff but also protected it. Quality has its limits!

Today's home electronics often have built in protectors (often blue MOVs) .. TV, computers, etc.. But LED items may not have them.

Home owners are oblivious to transients ….micro second pluses of several thousand volts. Over long periods … months, years, semiconductors in those units are damaged by transients, not surges and go bad.

On 120 volt power lines transient protectors clamp voltages to under 200 volts. DIYer should look on them as cost saving protectors of their items, not insurance.

For various reason the protectors should be wired 2 pole 240 volt 20 amp breaker. If protector goes bad it will pop breaker indicating problem. While protector has build in protection this is double safety.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Square-D...120-240V-36-kA
 
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Old 01-13-21, 07:09 PM
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LED's cool to the touch Incandescent... don't dare touch that sucker.
LED's Kalvin Color choice. Incandescent no or nearly no color option
Yes while LEDs are operate cooler but I don't touch the heat sink after a few hours of operation.
While incandescent lamps usually are 2200-3000K the higher color temps are achieved by over driving the filament at the experience of lamp life. Fluorescent and HID sources are available in a variety of color temperatures.

I don't like the LED for everything lighting but I really don't care anymore I don't let it get to me anymore I'm just glad I stocked up on the good stuff while I still could on the plus side it makes finding the good stuff cheaper as some eBay seller think it is old junk so they sell it at a significant discount!
 
  #17  
Old 01-14-21, 05:07 AM
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I've had some that work well and some that fail too. The main issue I have with LED lighting is the output, they're just blinding white...It's not very comfortable to have hospital white light in the living room or kitchen. Yes there are more "warm" type LED lights, but they still just don't do it for me.
 
  #18  
Old 01-14-21, 04:05 PM
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I've had some that work well and some that fail too. The main issue I have with LED lighting is the output, they're just blinding white...It's not very comfortable to have hospital white light in the living room or kitchen. Yes there are more "warm" type LED lights, but they still just don't do it for me.
The color temperature (Kelvin) is not the only thing that affects lighting quality the other important one is called Color Rendering Index (CRI)

While an incandescent or halogen lamp has a perfect CRI of 100 cheap and older LEDs were usually in the range of the 70's and older fluorescent lamps were in the 50-60 range newer fluorescent lamps are 70-80 (the color code EX: 750 would be CRI 70 range and 5000K color so the first number is the CRI range)
950 is 90's CRI range with 5000K color temperature.


 
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