LED light bulb failure

[Stewie]

Has anyone had early failure of LED bulbs? Lights of America sold crappy LED bulbs a few years ago. They failed in the first couple of years. The FTC took action.


I bought quality LED bulbs and just had a 2nd failure within one year. These are supposed to last years and years.


Anyone else having issues? Just curious. Maybe I bought a bad batch from a good company.

[DaFace]

I've had a few. Seems to be more of a QC issue than a lifespan issue, as I've had others in the same box that are still working years later.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I've had a few. Seems to be more of a QC issue than a lifespan issue, as I've had others in the same box that are still working years later.

It's a quality problem, for sure. That was kind of my point.

It was a bigger issue when LED bulbs were more expensive.

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan

I agree...BUT...the fixtures fail about as often as the bulbs as well. I've had 2 of 5 start strobe-lighting me over the last year. The idea they last for as long as they say is a farce. However...they DO save on energy. Putting a date on the fixtures is a fantastic idea. I think I'll start doing that.

So I have changed out all of my bulbs inside and out with LED bulbs. All have lasted through the years EXCEPT, my kitchen bulbs. They do the disco thing which enrages me! So I keep 2 new ones in my pantry for when the "dance" starts. Basically, I am on the fence on them since 98% of the LED's in my home and out actually have lasted. Crazy!

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Has anyone had an early failure of LED bulbs? Lights of America sold crappy LED bulbs a few years ago. They failed in the first couple of years. The FTC took action.


I bought quality LED bulbs and just had a 2nd failure within one year. These are supposed to last years and years.


Is anyone else having issues? Just curious. Maybe I bought a bad batch from a good company.

Did you know that those expectations are figured in a lab where they have complete control of all elements?
If the conditions are not perfect they do not last nearly as long as they are supposed to last.
If you think it is bad with a bulb don't ever put in an LED fixture. When the fixture quits working you have to replace it and of course, they do not make that same fixture any longer. So you are left with cover-up work to do in order to hide the footprint of the other one.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

Did you know that those expectations are figured in a lab where they have complete control of all elements?
If the conditions are not perfect they do not last nearly as long as they are supposed to last.
If you think it is bad with a bulb don't ever put in an LED fixture. When the fixture quits working you have to replace it and of course, they do not make that same fixture any longer. So you are left with cover-up work to do in order to hide the footprint of the other one.

Yeah, as an engineer,, we used to call prototypes in the lab "Shop Queens". Worked great under controlled environments, but we figured out how to make them work in real world settings.

[Snica]

My led lightbulbs never last more than two years. But hey I'm saving the earth right? ****ing crap.

[Bob Dole]

Rather than start a new thread, I figured I'd dig up an old one.

When I built my house in 2017, I took advantage of ACE Hardware's annual BOGO bulb sale and bought 28 LED bulbs, which should last my lifetime if they last as long as claimed. I think I have probably replaced 3 of those bulbs in the past 7 years. (There are 14 bulbs on site, including exterior.) Not too bad at all, and certainly better than incandescent bulbs.

I came here however, to ask if anyone else has experienced odd behavior from the bulbs when they finally go? My bathroom has a 2-bulb fixture that lost one of the bulbs about 5 weeks ago, and I haven't replaced it because it's kind of a pain in the ass. I walked in the bathroom this afternoon and the damned thing resurrected itself, and I just now verified it is still working. WTF?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Bob Dole

Rather than start a new thread, I figured I'd dig up an old one.

When I built my house in 2017, I took advantage of ACE Hardware's annual BOGO bulb sale and bought 28 LED bulbs, which should last my lifetime if they last as long as claimed. I think I have probably replaced 3 of those bulbs in the past 7 years. (There are 14 bulbs on site, including exterior.) Not too bad at all, and certainly better than incandescent bulbs.

I came here however, to ask if anyone else has experienced odd behavior from the bulbs when they finally go? My bathroom has a 2-bulb fixture that lost one of the bulbs about 5 weeks ago, and I haven't replaced it because it's kind of a pain in the ass. I walked in the bathroom this afternoon and the damned thing resurrected itself, and I just now verified it is still working. WTF?

Just to confirm, are you traveling at or near the speed of light?

I have an LED light that's starting to fail, I think. It's over my breakfast bar, and sometimes when you turn it on you get a disco experience because it strobes rapidly. But then other times it's just fine.

I'm not even sure I can change the bulbs on this fixture. It looks like the LED is sealed inside it.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Just to confirm, are you traveling at or near the speed of light?

I have an LED light that's starting to fail, I think. It's over my breakfast bar, and sometimes when you turn it on you get a disco experience because it strobes rapidly. But then other times it's just fine.

I'm not even sure I can change the bulbs on this fixture. It looks like the LED is sealed inside it.

The house is stationary. That would suck if you couldn't replace it, though in today's world such a silly design wouldn't shock me.

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Just to confirm, are you traveling at or near the speed of light?

I have an LED light that's starting to fail, I think. It's over my breakfast bar, and sometimes when you turn it on you get a disco experience because it strobes rapidly. But then other times it's just fine.

I'm not even sure I can change the bulbs on this fixture. It looks like the LED is sealed inside it.

Yeah I have dealt with that flashing far more than I care for on LEDs. I know when they start flashing that they are nearing their end, but I continue using them until they don’t work at all.

What you described above is why I steer away from fixtures like you have. They look nice, but when they go out you have to change the whole fixture vs just a bulb.

[Dunerdr]

I run an electrical crew at a data center with 25 buildings on site. Were in the process of changing lamps out to led when the originals go bad. But we have a lot of issues with anything thats retrofitted failing early. Normally the led fixtures don't have a lot of problems, or at least the indoor ones. It's not uncommon for t5 and t8 retrofit LEDs to have a shorter life that the lamps they replaced and it doesn't seem to matter if they're ballast bypassed or not. LED's use less electricity but so far I haven't seen many that are getting near the life that's advertised.

I would be very interested in isolating the lighting circuits and doing and actual cost per life span test not these things. But were just contracted electrical maintenance so therye not going to turn me loose with ct doughnuts and the equipment to record it.