Electricians, Aero, Engineers, and other electrical experts....step inside

[Bill]

Since LED lights are becoming commonplace, and being used as replacement for Edison type incandescent bulbs, question....are these safer, or less safe in terms of electrical fires in the home?

I would think that, since they draw much less amperage, that they'd be much less likely to overheat wiring and cause an electrical fire, but I also wonder if there's an issue with drawing LESS amperage than expected. I've heard about cars that don't function properly if you replace incandescent bulbs with LED's, because the car's computer thinks a bulb is out, since not enough draw is coming from the LED bulb.

What's the deal here?

[thread certified as 100% NON political as of 3/4/23]

[Stangkiller]

Been running leds for years now, much cooler and more efficient, however they are sometimes incompatible with standard dimmers that can lead to strobing, or not completely shutting off.

[Rodnok1]

Other than dimmers as stated not being designed to work with LED , I'm not seeing a downside other than up front costs.
I like them living in t he South due to less heat being put out thus decreasing my heat load.
I have LED floods however in barn that get pretty hot (not screw in bulbs actual led flood assembly).
Main reason to switch is electric savings(Duke wants almost 20% increase this year)

[Tikiman]

No idea. I am still buying incandescent bulbs in bulk online. Just last week, I received a large box containing fifty 60 watt bulbs, fifty 100 watt bulbs, and thirty PAR30L halogen lamps.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Rodnok1

Other than dimmers as stated not being designed to work with LED , I'm not seeing a downside other than up front costs.
I like them living in the South due to less heat being put out thus decreasing my heat load.
I have LED floods however in barn that get pretty hot (not screw in bulbs actual led flood assembly).
Main reason to switch is electric savings(Duke wants almost 20% increase this year)

Bingo! It's hard enough to keep a house cool in the blazing hot Summer without adding more heat sources in the house.

[simpleman68]

Yes, cars with LED swapped fixtures/bulbs can have issues with working correctly. It's a resistance issue and can be fixed by installing aftermarket resistors. Pretty simple and affordable.

Just did the two fiddy with LEDs and it looks really nice. The problems usually come with the turn signals.

As far as LED kits go, you get what you pay for. The budget kits at Lowes/Depot will not be as bright or last as long as more quality units.
These folks are a great resource for bigger projects. https://www.flexfireleds.com/

Gratuitous truck pic

[simpleman68]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

Bingo! It's hard enough to keep a house cool in the blazing hot Summer without adding more heat sources in the house.

Up North we just run a pair of class A mono block amps for heat.
Scott

[Vandelay Industries]

Looks like the democrats fkd this up too.

[09CTSV]

At the old job most of our wiring was Aluminum wiring. Over the years it becomes brittle and breaks. We switched from Sodium or Mercury lights to LED. Cut our power load by 2/3. Lighting panels we were planning to replace due to load and heat on the panels, dropped the temp and no longer required replacement. The lights actually put out more light and we used fewer of them cutting down again on the power consumption.
Our house is fully LED lighting. Last month electric bill: $18.08.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

No idea. I am still buying incandescent bulbs in bulk online. Just last week, I received a large box containing fifty 60 watt bulbs, fifty 100 watt bulbs, and thirty PAR30L halogen lamps.

[QUOTE=09CTSV;2058260. Last month electric bill: $18.08.[/QUOTE]

U have a YEUGGE house or a warehouse the size of Ammozone's.....

and I wood LOVE a spark bill for 18 bux......
And I rewired all the heavy wiring and changed the breaker box to Square D and adding TEN circuits, replaced lots of alumunum wiring with copper, only aluminum left is to the 3 old bedrooms......

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by mrvette

U have a YEUGGE house or a warehouse the size of Ammozone's.....

and I wood LOVE a spark bill for 18 bux......

5,200 sq. ft. Last month's electric bill was $500.66. That's about par.

Edited to add: That's both my bills added together. My house and my #1 barn are on separate meters, but I only write them one check. House was $452.92 and the barn was $47.74.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

5,200 sq. ft. Last month's electric bill was $500.66. That's about par.

Edited to add: That's both my bills added together. My house and my #1 barn are on separate meters, but I only write them one check. House was $452.92 and the barn was $47.74.

Your house must have a HELL of an echo in normal conversations......'''

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Your house must have a HELL of an echo in normal conversations......'''

Not at all. Although my living room is 30' x 40'.

[Egnalf]

The noise created by let's could potentially mess with sensitive electronics, but nothing in the home SHOULD BE that sensitive.

[Aerovette]

I have LEDs in some of the high up/hard to change locations. Most are still old school. My house was built in 2007 and easily more than half the bulbs are from the day it was built.

[Aerovette]

Oh damn. I just read that dogs can hear the high pitch noise that LEDs give off. My poor dog !

Do LED lights hurt dogs ears?
A: Yes. Humans can hear frequencies up to only 20,000 Hz, but dogs hear up to 45,000 Hz, and cats perceive frequencies of up to 64,000 Hz. Electronic devices are designed for people, and many emit frequencies that are distressing to pets but beyond what human ears can detect.

[dvarapala]

Originally Posted by Stangkiller

Been running leds for years now, much cooler and more efficient, however they are sometimes incompatible with standard dimmers that can lead to strobing, or not completely shutting off.

Make sure you buy dimmable LED bulbs. Cree makes some excellent ones.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by dvarapala

Make sure you buy dimmable LED bulbs. Cree makes some excellent ones.

I bought a pair of 40W led bulbs for my over the range microwave last year. The microwave has two stages for the light, full, and half brightness. I leave them on the low setting, as a night light. One has already quit working....less than a year old. Probably will go back with normal bulbs when the other one burns out.

Having said that, my most used lamp is a 3 way, and that led bulb has been going strong for a couple of years now, as have the 100W bulbs outside.

[dvarapala]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

I bought a pair of 40W led bulbs for my over the range microwave last year. The microwave has two stages for the light, full, and half brightness. I leave them on the low setting, as a night light. One has already quit working....less than a year old.

Which brand were those LED bulbs? El-Chinko?

I had Cree dimmable LED recessed cans installed in every room of my house over 10 years ago. Not a single one has failed yet.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by dvarapala

Which brand were those LED bulbs? El-Chinko?

I had Cree dimmable LED recessed cans installed in every room of my house over 10 years ago. Not a single one has failed yet.

Thanks for asking! Yay! Went to pull out the non functioning bulb and discovered that it was loose in the socket, I guess from vibration of the microwave. Tightened it up and voila! It works. A miracle!

Patti LaBelle - Are You Ready For A Miracle? - YouTube

So I guess maybe I can get some kind of electrician apprentice tag now? I'm qualified to help Aero give electrical advice?

As to brand, I found the packaging......FEIT Electric, so shitty Chinese made junk, but the only led offering in that specific size for my over the range microwave.