LED bulbs, what NOT to do
Here is a small compilation of tips that we must take into account when installing a LED bulb.
1 Problems with LED bulbs?
It is well known the long useful life of LED bulbs compared to traditional light bulbs. Although the life hours stipulated in the descriptions are 30,000 to 50,000 hours, these are generally certified hours under laboratory conditions. Therefore, circumstances may arise where these hours are not reached. In order to meet or get closer to these hours, we must take into account the following points that we discuss below.
2 Temperature effect
Temperature is one of the most influential factors in the useful life of LED technology. Both the ambient temperature and the internal temperature of the components are crucial in the hours of life. A considerable increase in temperature inside the components can reduce the useful life by more than half. From this it follows that a good LED product must have a heatsink, always sized based on the heat generated by the luminaire (the more power the luminaire has, the more heat is generated and the better the heatsink must be) and a material that is capable of evacuating all this heat.
3 Intensity effect
This may be one of the most unknown for beginners in the use of LED technology, but it is no less important. The increase in the intensity that circulates within the electronics of the Bulbs can considerably reduce their useful life and produce some failures such as flickering in light bulbs LED. Therefore, a good design of the internal electronics of the components will ensure that the intensity values remain at optimal operating values, a fact that will guarantee a long useful life.
4 Manufacturing defects
The manufacturing of LEDs is based on the use of high purity semiconductors. Since it is impossible to obtain a completely pure one, there is always a minimum percentage of impurities that will affect the useful life. Another very important factor is the design of the internal electronics of the LED bulbs. In 75% of the cases when an LED “burns out” the failure comes from the internal electronics and more specifically the driver. This may be due to higher than recommended working temperatures that can cause solder or capacitor failure, causing a cascade failure. In conclusion, we can indicate that the 30,000 hours of life offered by manufacturers is only a part and that to make good use of these components, the factors explained in this post must be taken into account. In this way, we can get closer to the hours of useful life extracted from the tests carried out by the manufacturers.
