LED Light Issues

JackeeBoy

Hi all

How long are LED lights supposed to last? They usually advertise around 5-10 years and I took that as around 5 years continuously and 10 years normal use. The reason I ask is one of the lights above the shower cut out. I haven't changed it since I moved in 5 years ago so thought nothing of it. Then, when switching a light on in the second room on the same floor, my hand slipped at I accidentally turned it on and of quickly, and that light stopped working even when I replaced the bulb. Now, one ceiling spot light (out of the four) on the same second floor has stopped working despite me putting a new one in about two years ago. It also makes a funny sound, like an old computer loading something, when the switch is on (so the other lights are on).

I'm going to call in an electrician and roofer (as the roof did leak) to check it out but thought I would post something here if the above sounded like an imminent problem that I needed to solve right away.

SHAFT

Cheap leds by chance?

Ectophile

Are these 240V or 12V lights?


If it's the latter, then it's quite likely that the 12V power supply ("transformer") has failed. The power supply units are often built to a price, and don't handle power surges at all well.

Norman_Castle

I've had two lights where cfl bulbs fail early and both turned out to have loose connections in the wiring. The electronics in led bulbs are likely to be similar and would presumably be damaged in the same way.

troffasky

JackeeBoy wrote: »

They usually advertise around 5-10 years and I took that as around 5 years continuously and 10 years normal use.

I think it's power cycling that kills them, ie I would expect longer continuous life than intermittent use. However...heat kills LEDs too so if it's poorly designed/made then maybe you'd get shorter life with it on continuously.

I would never buy an LED light where the "bulb" can't be changed. I had a clip-on reading light from Ikea that died after a couple of years [chucked it] and at work we had a five ceiling lights of which two didn't make it past three years [boss argued with the electrician who supplied them and went halves on the replacements].