56
votes
LED Light bulbs burning out much sooner than expected
Yup, that's marketing.
And then, these bulbs don't last long, either. They work fine for about 3 months, but then they start randomly getting dim for a minute or two, then getting bright again for a ...
40
votes
Can I safely use a 9w LED bulb in place of a 40w incandescent?
Yes. The fixture is concerned with heat. Your LED light bulb makes about 9 watts of heat. Your fixture is rated for a bulb that makes 40 watts of heat.
With an incandescent bulb, 98-99% of its ...
35
votes
Accepted
Why do my led bulbs state: not for use in totally enclosed luminaires?
Yes, it is because of the heat buildup in enclosed fixtures, and no you should not use the bulb in that ceiling fixture you listed unless you are willing to accept shortened bulb life.
Your options ...
- 13.7k
35
votes
Is is safe to use LED strips that shine onto stair risers instead of directly onto treads?
I really like the way your mock-up looks!
Additionally, as one whose eyes are extra sensitive to bright light, I would significantly prefer that to having any chance of light shining directly into my ...
- 32.6k
30
votes
Accepted
Is an extra 1 W that significant with LED bulbs?
There are two completely different thermal objectives
First, don't set other stuff on fire. That's decided by the thermal insulation of the fixture (think: thick insulation in down lights) and limits ...
29
votes
Accepted
Why won't a LED bulb work in a standard light fixture?
I found the answer! @diceless set me on the right track in looking at where the foot of the bulb is connecting to the fixture.
Since it was an older fixture (installed in the 80's, I think), the hot ...
- 589
29
votes
Is it safe to put a 120W equivalent LED bulb in a 100W max fixture?
Yes, that is fine
"like" /"equivalent", etc. are based on light output.
Limitations on fixtures is based on heat output.
Some power (Watts) becomes light, the rest becomes heat. ...
28
votes
Lutron LED/CFL Dimmer switch turns lights off the wrong way, up is down and down is up. What's the problem?
You've probably connected one of the 2 power wires to the incorrect traveler terminal on the switch.
This switch can be used as both a standard two-way switch as well as a three-way switch. (A three-...
- 550
25
votes
Is light flickering only on camera bad?
LED lights actually flicker very quickly. It only shows up in video, your eyes don't care.
It's fine.
- 943
22
votes
Can I safely use a 9w LED bulb in place of a 40w incandescent?
SHORT ANSWER: NO PROBLEM
LONG ANSWER:
The maximum wattage limits are largely a function of heat. For incandescent lights, more wattage means more heat. And too much of a heat buildup could result in ...
- 33.2k
21
votes
Why do my led bulbs state: not for use in totally enclosed luminaires?
Even if LED or even CFL bulbs create far less waste heat than a conventional lightbulb, they react far more adversely to the heating resulting from ANY waste heat. A lightbulb won't care if it is in ...
- 682
19
votes
How much power do LED smart bulb wireless control systems consume when the light is turned off?
The specs are out there, just not always so easy to find. For example, one Philips Hue is rated at 9.5W with max. standby of 0.2W. (Click "The bulb" on the right side under Technical Specifications).
...
19
votes
Accepted
How can I install an on/off indicator for a lighting circuit?
It sounds like you have light bulbs or fixtures directly controlled by Alexa/Google Home. A better solution, though sometimes a bit more work to install, is a smart switch. With a smart switch, the ...
18
votes
Why do LED Lights Flicker on Low Dimmer Setting
LEDs on AC Power Don't Like to be Dimmed. Period.
(LEDs on DC can actually be dimmed quite easily - just look at an older battery powered LED device (like handheld computer games from the 1980s) and ...
18
votes
LED Light bulbs burning out much sooner than expected
Advertising around LED bulbs is a big problem today, and it was even a problem back when "long life" compact florescent bulbs came out. The issue is that the actual LED will in fact last ...
- 26.9k
17
votes
Is an extra 1 W that significant with LED bulbs?
I think you misunderstood the instruction manual. Where it reads "LED bulbs (9-Watt, Maximum)" is in the parts list. This is not giving the fixture rating. It is saying that the included ...
- 171
15
votes
Accepted
Why do LED Lights Flicker on Low Dimmer Setting
The specifications of the LED lights you have say they will dim down to 10% without any flicker or buzzing. Some lights don't go down that far, and some will go even further.
Based on the manual for ...
- 26.9k
14
votes
Accepted
Can someone explain how this makes sense electrically?
However, if I only turn off the lights breaker, and go into the switch panel with my voltmeter, I am still detecting 100V AC across the switch (with it off), even though the lights stay off when I ...
- 3,547
14
votes
LED Light bulbs burning out much sooner than expected
I'd like to know where you folks are getting LED bulbs with constant current sources that can be adjusted. The bulbs I've disassembled didn't bother with such niceties. They have capacitive dropper ...
- 408
14
votes
Accepted
Is the lifespan of a led affected drastically by the type of sensor?
LEDs are the best choice for motion sensors
Someone told me that the motion sensor (I guess the IR in this case) will drastically reduce the lifespan of it because it the lifespan depends on the ...
13
votes
Is light flickering only on camera bad?
The majority of artificial light sources flicker, but they do so with different amplitudes and frequencies.
If you have lights powered by direct current (DC) from a battery:
An incandescent bulb will ...
- 235
11
votes
Accepted
LED light bulb flickering in socket, incandescent works fine
Are these the the type of motion sensors which use the neutral wire? A motion sensor needs power to work. Ideally it gets always-hot, and neutral, and then provides a switched-hot to the target ...
11
votes
Is is safe to use LED strips that shine onto stair risers instead of directly onto treads?
I don't see any problem with mounting them in that way.
Effectively you just use them as indirect lighting.
They still provide some illumination to the steps themselves, just at lower intensity.
Just ...
- 735
11
votes
Is is safe to use LED strips that shine onto stair risers instead of directly onto treads?
It's a bit 'form over function'. It's the kind of lighting bars trying to look 'cool' use & which three drunks a night fall down, because they can't figure out where to step.
Would it not be ...
- 5,415
11
votes
What are the different types of LED tubes on the market?
As you problably know, electricity flows in loops. It needs 2 wires/contacts/etc. to be effective.
You also may know most fluorescent tubes have 2 pins per end, or 4 total. That is more than is ...
10
votes
What should I do to increase the dimming range of LED bulbs?
I'm in same boat. When I redid the house I'm in, I installed as much LED lighting as I could and the rest is halogen. What I've learned is, dimming range is based completely on the driver in the LED ...
- 4,366
10
votes
Is an extra 1 W that significant with LED bulbs?
The maximum power ratings are set by the design of the fixture. If it says 9W max. then you run a risk or damage or fire by exceeding that. Going from 9 to 10 W is a GREATER than 10% increase.
- 21k
10
votes
Is an extra 1 W that significant with LED bulbs?
The manual is vague, but I think the trick here is what I like to call "old wattage".
Back in the not-so-dark dark ages of light bulbs, everything was incandescent. Incandescent wattage was ...
- 21k
10
votes
LED Light bulbs burning out much sooner than expected
My background: When I was in engineering school I worked summers at a Westinghouse light bulb plant (eventually in the engineering department). This was a very long time ago (when tungsten filaments ...
- 201
9
votes
LED lights delayed when turned on
It's not the wiring. It's the LEDs themselves.
LEDs have a characteristic delay when turning them on which may be more than you're used to from a lifetime of incandescent bulbs.
Swap the LEDs ...
- 805
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