Using LED lights, you must also have the following problems:
What are the problems with LED lights?
What causes LED lights to fail?
What will replace LEDs?
How many years should LED lights last?
The life span of LEDs is longer than any other existing lighting technology.
Usually standard lamps, if used properly, can last up to 50,000 hours before failing.
In addition, these lamps are made of high-quality environmentally friendly materials, which are less susceptible to damage, unlike traditional glass bulbs that break as soon as they fall.
LED lamps are designed to be more robust and durable than most lamps; all this is due to their hard housing/housing, compact components, non-heating and low energy consumption.
However, improper use can cause problems even with LED lamps due to various reasons.
Although most of these problems may be minor and easy to correct, if they are not resolved in a timely and correct manner, they may lead to larger problems.
When this happens, you may face huge losses.
Sometimes, you may be forced to replace your lamps completely.
1、 Improper installation of LED lights
In communicating with many customers, we found that many problems that usually occur with LED lamps are caused by improper installation.
If the lighting system connection is defective, many things can go wrong.
For example:
- -Loose or bare wires can cause a short circuit.
- -The power supply is overloaded.
- -Poor or incorrect power distribution.
- -Poor light distribution.
- -Frequent failures and so on.
Therefore, we recommend overall planning before the actual installation.
Why is the planning phase needed?
The reason is simple,
That is knowing what to do and how to do it is the only way to perform a successful installation of LED luminaires.
The correct installation plan includes:
- -Know how many lamps and lanterns the power supply of your use space will support.
- -Determine where each lamp should be placed to achieve the best lighting.
- -Know what kind of LED light is needed.
- -Figure out the role of each lamp in the entire lighting system.
- -In addition, it can also help you determine the cost to ensure that you will not over/undertake when buying LEDs.
A comprehensive and complete installation plan is used as the blueprint of your project, which will come in handy at all stages from installation to use and maintenance;
From purchasing the required items to testing the complete setup.
If executed perfectly, a plan can lead to a very successful and functional lighting system.
2、The recommended voltage or current of the Fixture is not used
LED luminaires-like all other electrical devices with circuit boards-always specify the normal operating current and voltage range very specifically.
This means that any out-of-range fluctuations in the current-whether increasing or decreasing-will definitely cause the lamp to malfunction or reduce the lamp’s service life;
There is no doubt that supplying an LED lamp with a current lower than the manufacturer’s rating will cause the lamp to dim.
It cannot provide you with the experience you are looking for when you buy.
In the opposite case, a higher current or voltage supply will quickly burn/damage the components or semiconductors of the lamp, and may lead to premature failure.
So please be clear, in any case, in order to avoid this, you must always check the manufacturer’s rating on the LED bulb packaging to ensure that the product you buy is suitable for your current electrical settings.
Or, you can decide to customize your electrical setup and wiring to suit your new luminaire.
The former option is always better and more cost-effective than the latter.
3、Use LED alongside other lighting technologies
It adopts the parallel transition from the old lighting system to the new lighting system. Different types of lamps are mixed. It is cheaper and smoother than replacing all lamps at once.
However, be aware that this may adversely affect your new LED fixtures.
Why is this?
Most traditional lighting systems-such as incandescent light bulbs-are usually very inefficient.
They are prone to heat due to poor heat dissipation.
Unlike incandescent and fluorescent lamps, LEDs thrive in colder environments.
Therefore, using LED lamps and incandescent bulbs and other heat-generating lamps in the same room may be detrimental to your new lamps.
Normally heat will begin to accumulate around your lamps, and without proper ventilation, air flow or heat dissipation, your LEDs may begin to malfunction.
When this happens, you may find yourself dealing with the following things:
- -The wire is short-circuited.
- -Permanent fixture damage.
- -Smoking.
- -Burns.
- -Fire.
What you need to understand is that compared to modern LEDs equipped with high-efficiency heat sinks, traditional luminaires dissipate heat differently.
Therefore, using these technologies together will definitely lead to incompatibility-one of which is heating.
And, in the end, you may damage or lose all lighting fixtures.
4、Using LED lights in high temperature environment
From the previous point of view, it is clear that LED lights do not perform well in hot environments.
Therefore, it is not recommended to use LED lamps in the following heated environmental baking plants, smelters and nuclear power plants.
What is the appropriate ambient temperature for LED lamps?
Research done by industry experts shows that maintaining a temperature level of 25°C is ideal for achieving the best LED function.
Interestingly, lowering the temperature will further lead to brighter lighting or an increase in light efficiency.
On the contrary, high temperature usually reduces the white light output, thereby affecting the brightness of the lamp.
This means that when your room temperature rises above 25°C, your lamps will begin to gradually dim.
We may not usually notice this phenomenon;
But if you place two identical lamps side by side at different extreme ambient temperatures, you will easily find the difference.
Generally, LED lamps in a hot environment-such as a temperature between 40°C and 60°C-will show a 20% to 35% reduction in white light.
Therefore, it is always recommended that you strengthen and shield the LEDs used in any environment where the ambient temperature exceeds 80°C to limit the risk of thermal damage.
Note:
High temperature is not the only factor that causes the lamps to become darker or darker.
There are other factors that can cause such problems, including:
- Aging LED lights have a very long service life. But once their lifespan is over, the first thing you will notice is that they will gradually lose their brightness and become dim. After that, the light will start to flicker.
- Poor wiringThis is another thing that can cause the lamp to lose brightness. Loose wire connections will cause some LED chips to fail to light up. When this happens, the overall lumen output will be lower than expected.
- Incorrect power supplyWhen the power received by the LED chips is lower than the manufacturer’s rating, it is impossible for them to reach the maximum lumen output. This means lower brightness or unusual dimming effects.
5、Buying cheap LED lights
One of the biggest problems with modern lighting systems is buying and using the wrong LED lights.
However, it is understandable for novices to make such mistakes.
Why?
There are thousands of product lighting fixtures on the market to choose from
In most cases, price is always a decisive factor, because smart shopping techniques indicate that you should buy things that are reasonably priced and within your budget.
However, in most cases, cheap LED bulbs are generally not as reliable as other fixtures.
You will find that manufacturers use inferior and cheap materials to make such products, so that they can make substantial profits from sales.
Essentially, these devices usually have problems within a short period of time, such as:
- Abnormal heating.
- Flashing.
- Spontaneous dimming.
- Even premature failure.
Now, you may be wondering how can I make sure that I buy a high-quality and reasonably priced LED light?
For this, you need to do some work in several areas:
- Do a little researchThe first thing you need to do is to determine what kind of LED light you want. This way you can easily find the best manufacturer that offers that particular product.
- Look for reputable manufacturersThere are hundreds of manufacturers today. Therefore, you must be very careful when searching. The best starting point is usually the comments and ratings section. Feedback from other customers is always useful because it can help you understand more clearly what you should expect. In addition, find out if they are reputable, capable, trustworthy, innovative, and focus on improving your experience with their products.
- Compare their LED luminaires with other alternativesNo matter how sweet the deal sounds, always compare to ensure that the price offered is not lower than the market average. Occasionally, brands will make promotions and offers, but the prices they provide need to be reasonable.
6、Use a faulty current driver
One of the most important components of LED lamps is usually the driver.
What does it do?
Well, its main purpose is to adjust the power required or used by these fixtures;
Therefore, it is the cause of some of the most common problems with LED lights.
Most of these current drivers are not only essential for power regulation, but also play a very important role in ensuring the service life of the fixture.
And, this means that getting a faulty driver can cause many problems with your lighting equipment, including premature failure.
You don’t want that, do you?
So, how and where can I find LED lights with high-quality current drivers?
A high-quality driver has many characteristics, such as:
- -It should be low voltage DC drives because they are more reliable and efficient.
- -It should effectively convert alternating current to direct current to ensure that the lamp always gets a continuous and constant power flow.
- -Measures have been taken to deal with power surges and power failures to protect LED lamps from damage.
With this in mind, you might also want to know…
How can I tell if the current driver is bad and not worth buying?
Here are some things to note:
- Frequent heating and premature failure. If your LED light frequently heats up or even fails before it reaches its end of life, it may be because it has a faulty driver installed.
- Inexpensive and low-quality drivers. It is natural to work hard to save costs. However, for LED drivers, this can be expensive in the long run.Why? Poor quality drivers often allow more power to pass than recommended, resulting in heating, damage, and gradual failure of the circuit board components of the lamp.
In any case, you should note that the quality of your LED fixture depends on the driver it uses.
Therefore, your goal should be to find LEDs equipped with the best and highest quality current drivers.
7、 Failing to Consider Fixtures’ IP protection requirements
There is no doubt that the wrong IP rating is one of the biggest causes of common problems with LED lights.
So, what is the IP rating and how does it affect your lamps?
The Intrusion Protection (IP) rating is an electronics industry standard used to measure the protection of equipment from intrusion of objects, dust, water, and moisture.
Usually IP grade is expressed in the form of IPXY, where:
- “IP”is an abbreviation of the word Ingress Protection.
- “X” is a protective measure for the equipment to prevent the intrusion of objects and dust.
- “Y” is a protective measure to prevent the intrusion of water and moisture.
Intrusion Protection (IP) rating is so important, how does it affect your LED lights?
First of all, you should notice that unlike other lighting technologies, LED lights use a circuit board instead of the simple glass enclosures you find in incandescent and fluorescent lamps.
This just means that dust and water can easily damage your LED.
Purchasing the right type of fixture with an IP rating that matches its intended use means you don’t have to worry about any of these.
However, if the IP requirements of the lamps are not considered, the lamps may die prematurely due to water or dust damage.
So, how do you determine which IP rating level best meets your luminaire purpose?
Well, there is no specific way to determine this.
However, based on experience, the higher the “X” and “Y” levels, the more protection the lamps will receive.
For example:
IP68 LED lights are more superior and protective than IP14 lights.
This means you can use the former in dusty environments, and even for outdoor lighting, no matter how humid, dusty or dusty it is.
The IP14 lamp is suitable for indoor use in places without a lot of dust or humidity.
Otherwise, using such a lamp in a humid and dusty environment will definitely shorten its efficiency and service life.
So, what is the point here?
Always make sure to purchase customized LED lights according to the actual use environment and the purpose of the intended use of the lights .
Therefore, if you are looking for a good indoor office space fixture, any fixture with a lower IP rating (such as IP40) is sufficient.
If the luminaire is used for external lighting, you may need to obtain a luminaire with higher intensity and higher rating (for example, IP65/68/69K) for this purpose.
These high IP ratings enable the luminaire to withstand any type of weather without affecting its service life and performance.
8、Use an old or incompatible dimmer
Dimming can be said to be one of the biggest functions that LED fixtures must provide, because these lamps are solid state devices (SSD).
In short, the dimmer allows you to easily adjust/control the amount of light/lumens emitted by the lamp.
This means that you can quickly and easily adjust the lighting of the room to match any mood or decoration you want.
If the dimmer is so good, why does my fixture have the problem of flickering LED lights?
The answer is simple-these fixtures are very special in terms of dimmers.
Obviously, technology is constantly changing every day.
This means that over time, we will get better and more efficient dimmers;
This also promotes the development of lamps that seamlessly cooperate with new technologies.
This may be a good thing for some people, but for anyone still using the old technology, incompatibility becomes a problem.
Incompatibility of dimmers brings many disadvantages.
One of them keeps flashing.
How does the LED dimmer work?
Generally, dimmers allow you to manipulate the power entering the fixture.
This means that you can dim the lights at any time by lowering the voltage, or let the lamps run at full power for maximum brightness.
From this, it is obvious that the dimmer and the driver perform almost similar responsibilities, as they both regulate the power supply of the luminaire.
What is the difference between the two?
The dimmer allows you to control the power supply to achieve temporary dimming by increasing or decreasing the power supply.
However, the driver will not give you any control.
Their job is to ensure that your lamps receive the correct power specified by the manufacturer.
Basically, you don’t have any control / say in the way the driver works.
What happens when you try to use an old or incompatible dimmer with the light fixture?
The most obvious symptom of using an incorrect dimmer is usually flickering lights.
You may also experience light attenuation and different brightness levels within the same fixture.
All these symptoms are usually the result of changes in the power supply of the lamp due to the incompatibility of the accessories. How to check the compatibility too much will cause the LED lamp to be damaged or completely fail.
To avoid this, it is always prudent to find a dimmer designed specifically for your fixture.
You should only use dimmers approved by the luminaire manufacturer.
On the bright side, many modern LEDs come with dimmers pre-installed.
Therefore, you don’t have to bother to comb through hundreds of products to find the right one.
9、Complex circuit board
The last thing that can cause problems with LED lights is the complexity of their circuits.
As I said before, the LED industry is experiencing rapid technological progress.
Although this may be a good thing for many people, it brings some setbacks, including complicated circuit boards.
We all agree that as long as new products are better, more efficient, more cost-effective and affordable than old products, these complexities are not always important, right?
However, the more complex the circuit board, the more its weaknesses and possible causes of damage.
Basically, complex LED lamps are more prone to premature failure than old simple lamps.
So why do these lights become so complicated?
Well, unlike incandescent and fluorescent lamps, LEDs usually have a large number of features and functions.
And it is obvious that more functions will increase the number of module components required for a circuit board, thereby increasing complexity;
In rare cases, this can lead to damage and premature failure.
In Summary
There are many things that can cause problems with LED lights.
While some of them can be avoided, others may be beyond your control.
One thing is certain, regardless of the harsh environment, poor driver performance, incompatible dimmers, etc., the life span of LEDs is always longer than that of any other lighting technology.
Because they are just to make you value for money.
In any case:
I hope this article containing 9 common questions about LED lights is useful to you.
Before you buy LED light fixtures, please make sure you have read and understood each of these points to ensure that the lamps you buy can serve you for many years.
Do you have any questions?
Or do you want to contribute to this topic?
If so, feel free to say something in the comment section below.
I would love to hear any of your thoughts on the use of lamps and lanterns.
Thank you.
