Who has any luck with LED lights

[carvesg]

LED lights were supposed to be long lasting, efficient and functioning at lower temperature in enclosed fixtures and pot lights which makes much safer to use than incandescent lights .

After over a decade I highly dispute the long lasting assertion that has been claimed for so long . It doesn't matter what I use them for , I always replace LEDs as often as any other light bulb and in the Christmas lights ( now months behind I know ) it's so bad that I reverted to incandescent lights.

Any pointers to make them last ? I don't over tight , wash my hands to leave sweat deposits "in case " more an halogen thing but I stick to it.... What else ?

 

[luvsdaty]

I switched to LED lights long ago and have never had any problems with them. I've replaced all my 2000's dated ceiling boob lights with flush mounted 15" Led lights, much brighter and with a quick flick of the switch you can change the light colour from white to the more traditional incandescent yellow. My hydro bill went down too.

 

[Amerix]

LED lights were supposed to be long lasting, efficient and functioning at lower temperature in enclosed fixtures and pot lights which makes much safer to use than incandescent lights .

After over a decade I highly dispute the long lasting assertion that has been claimed for so long . It doesn't matter what I use them for , I always replace LEDs as often as any other light bulb and in the Christmas lights ( now months behind I know ) it's so bad that I reverted to incandescent lights.

Any pointers to make them last ? I don't over tight , wash my hands to leave sweat deposits "in case " more an halogen thing but I stick to it.... What else ?

The made-in-China Christmas lights are so bad now I consider strings an annual replacement item.

And no, LEDs do not last nearly as long as they should.

 

[masterpoonhunter]

The shitty Xmas string lights fail more to do with the wiring and cording and they are shitty. They end up in landfill or a lot less frequently in recycling. We need more QA in the sales channel on those things.
Whereas LED pot light replacements, easy to install, wonderful good area emission, are infinitely better. I compare my current house all with LED ceiling lights, bulbs where bulbs are needed to the last house (the big one that the 2nd wife got) and I pay a fraction for electricity vs what it took back then. And a lot better overall lighting.
MTTF is supposed to be in the 50,000 hour+ range but most manufacturers warrant 15,000 hours. Still, incandescent MTTF is in the 1000 to 2000 hour range, a 60W bulb LED equivalent is 9-10 W so its all getting there.
But those christmas string lights ....

 

[Mrmotorscooter]

I have had the led replacement bulbs burn out in their base 3 different times in different fixtures. The smell of molten plastic electrical burn in the house is nauseating, I hate those things wonder if any house fires have happened from them. They are expensive and don’t last as long as regular bulbs used to and those don’t last at all anymore. I remember the 100W bare light bulb lasted for 30 years on our front porch, they are designed to die these days so you keep buying more and more, yet they consider this shit environmentally friendly!🤬

 

[Cock Throppled]

I've had some last a long time in lamps, but burn out as fast as incandescents in enclosed fixtures.

 

[rlock]

LED lights were supposed to be long lasting, efficient and functioning at lower temperature in enclosed fixtures and pot lights which makes much safer to use than incandescent lights .

After over a decade I highly dispute the long lasting assertion that has been claimed for so long . It doesn't matter what I use them for , I always replace LEDs as often as any other light bulb and in the Christmas lights ( now months behind I know ) it's so bad that I reverted to incandescent lights.

Any pointers to make them last ? I don't over tight , wash my hands to leave sweat deposits "in case " more an halogen thing but I stick to it.... What else ?

In theory, LED's will last as long as than the lamp they're attached to.

Except: you have to get quality ones, not cheap shite. (Xmas lights too. Great that they do not heat up like incandescents, but one burns out and it is not replaceable by itself.)

Also: How's the voltage in your socket? Steady I hope, because the chip inside LED's probably doesn't like power surges.



Actually, the one problem I have personally had with LED's - well, just 1 or 2 of them on one fixture, is that some kinds of them flicker in intensity, sometimes to the point where it hurts the eyes.

I just think these particular ones are a fucked up type, but the company that made them is supposedly reputable, so I dunno.

 

[carvesg]

In theory, LED's will last as long as than the lamp they're attached to.

Except: you have to get quality ones, not cheap shite. (Xmas lights too. Great that they do not heat up like incandescents, but one burns out and it is not replaceable by itself.)

Also: How's the voltage in your socket? Steady I hope, because the chip inside LED's probably doesn't like power surges.



Actually, the one problem I have personally had with LED's - well, just 1 or 2 of them on one fixture, is that some kinds of them flicker in intensity, sometimes to the point where it hurts the eyes.

I just think these particular ones are a fucked up type, but the company that made them is supposedly reputable, so I dunno.

As for Christmas lights I have as much luck with Noma, Philips, Sylvania or GE as I have with the Canadian Tire brand or Walmart. But with Noma as long as you keep your receipt or stickers they will exchange them at no cost.

As for regular lighting at home or in buildings at work that I am working in....the ratio of burnt light bulbs from incandescent, halogen, neon or led technology is pretty much the same .

I was specially asking because of conversations with building managers and engineering departments this past year that still stick to old technology sometimes out of spite because of reliability issues... a bit like I encounter at home from miscellaneous brands. Neon technology seems to be the most stable at times and even better lasting than LED . The question is more to see if it's a trend or only anecdotal like my own experience of the last decade .

 

[80watts]

Search online.
If you have led and reg bulb on same circuit. This affects the voltage.
Ideally you should have a dedicated 12 /24 V circuit for lights only.

 

[jgg]

I believe Canadian Tire owns NOMA

 

[carvesg]

I believe Canadian Tire owns NOMA

I know a buddy who returned a trunk full of Noma strings to be replaced and they took them all . He buys so much of them that he must be on a first name bases with half the staff between early November to early December at our local Canadian Tire.... lol

 

[Wakeup]

I have not had an led burn out yet and have lots of them, mostly from Costco.

 

[angry anderson]

Depends what you mean by "luck"

 

[trackstar]

LED lights were supposed to be long lasting, efficient and functioning at lower temperature in enclosed fixtures and pot lights which makes much safer to use than incandescent lights .

After over a decade I highly dispute the long lasting assertion that has been claimed for so long . It doesn't matter what I use them for , I always replace LEDs as often as any other light bulb and in the Christmas lights ( now months behind I know ) it's so bad that I reverted to incandescent lights.

Any pointers to make them last ? I don't over tight , wash my hands to leave sweat deposits "in case " more an halogen thing but I stick to it.... What else ?

I replaced all of my lights with LED around six years ago. I have yet to change a single bulb (even the ones I got at the dollar store). The first year I got a letter from BC Hydro stating that I had a 64% reduction in power usage!

There is a huge difference between cheap and more expensive LED bulbs too. Compared to the dollar store ones, the more expensive ones are a lot bigger at the base and a hell of a lot heavier too. I'm not sure what you are using, but if the cheaper ones maybe that is it?

The other thing it could be is your power levels. If you have a multimeter, check your outlets to see if you have too much power coming through. That will fry your LED's pretty quickly too. A lot of the newer condos have that issue. I had to replace almost the whole system, breakers, what was on each circuit, everything. It's amazing how little is installed to code in newer condo buildings. One example, you're only supposed to have one heater to a 220 circuit. This place had THREE ON THE SAME CIRCUIT, with several outlets daisy-chained on to it for good measure. I checked a couple of neighbours electrical and theirs was wired the same way, so it was definitely the install and for some reason the inspectors let it slide through.

If you are in a condo/newer building, go to Canadian Tire and invest in a multimeter. It's a cheap easy to check on things before they become problems in the future and gives you peace of mind when you have problems that you can't figure out.

 

[rlock]

The other thing it could be is your power levels. If you have a multimeter, check your outlets to see if you have too much power coming through. That will fry your LED's pretty quickly too. A lot of the newer condos have that issue. I had to replace almost the whole system, breakers, what was on each circuit, everything. It's amazing how little is installed to code in newer condo buildings. One example, you're only supposed to have one heater to a 220 circuit. This place had THREE ON THE SAME CIRCUIT, with several outlets daisy-chained on to it for good measure. I checked a couple of neighbours electrical and theirs was wired the same way, so it was definitely the install and for some reason the inspectors let it slide through.

If you are in a condo/newer building, go to Canadian Tire and invest in a multimeter. It's a cheap easy to check on things before they become problems in the future and gives you peace of mind when you have problems that you can't figure out.

It's shit like this that makes me think the "we should just approve & fast-track all developments" lobbying by some leaders is a prelude to disaster. Standards exist for a reason - these shake & bake projects are just there for a fast sale at maximum mark-up. I would definitely be pissed if something critical like electricals was done by some shady half-assed contractor.

 

[Wakeup]

Wow,

 

[JaidenLang]

Have you tried looking at different brands or models of LED lights? Sometimes certain ones just don't hold up as well as others. Also, make sure you're not using LED lights in fixtures or lamps that aren't designed for them - that can cause them to burn out more quickly. Btw, as for the RGB LED strip kit, I haven't used those myself, but maybe you could check out reviews from other users to see if they have any tips to make them last longer.

 

[asf_post]

I used to get Phillips or GE and those were quite expensive, and didn't last a year. Now I always get the cheapest ones from Home Depot or Rona and guess what? They lasted much longer, with the average of around two years. Same usage pattern.

 

[PuntMeister]

10 yrs ago, I replaced over 100 Halogen ceiling lights with LED’s. Went with a combo of cheap chinese bulbs and more mainstrean brands. Two findings:

(1) LED’s have come a long way in 10 yrs—failure rates much lower now, with less stinky burnouts. Also, the more expensive bulbs did last longer but their lighting looked shittier.

(2) Drivers and fixtures matter. Bulbs for standard fat-ass pussy-lipped sockets straight up lasted longer than MR16’s or GU 10’s. Had as many failures with MR16 drivers (tucked way up in metsl enclosures in the ceiling or attic) and the lame-ass supposedly heat resistant wires that fed them failed too. Now, the newer bulbs and drivers seem to manage heat much better. So after infant mortality of around 30%, my LED high beams are all on and saving a fuk-ton of power every year.

Learning curve for sure, but happy I did it. If you still have incandescent or halogens now, you are a troglodyte douchebag power fiend.

 

[Uncled]

If you still have incandescent or halogens now, you are a troglodyte douchebag power fiend.

Nothing beats the warm, Godly glow of an incandescent light bulb.

Screw the environment !