Poll: LED bulbs for use in home
- Thread starter peterp1
- Start date
Pioneer.user
Active Member
I have leds in my house. Less power used, less money spent on bills.
Bodhi1
Super Member
I hate LED's because of their high flicker rate which can lead to blindness, and high EMF radiation. I'm progressively swapping out the cheap mass market LED globes in my apartment with Phillips Master Series LED's which have a lower flicker rate, lower EMF, and emit a warm glow that is closer to incandescent globes...along with Soraa Zeroblue globes for my desktop lamps. In my next home, I plan to use either halogen or incandescent globes, including possibly a few vintage pre-1915 globes which last up to 100 years (ie: before planned obsolescence).
Bill Ferris
Lunatic Member
LED bulbs incorporate switch mode power supplies, which are sensitive to power line surges and spikes that are constantly on all power grid delivered electrical circuits, whether noticed or not.
And that, IMO/E has a lot to do with their life span.
I have non failed LED bulbs that have been in daily use ( X10 timer controlled 7:00AM~10:00PM) for over ten yrs.
And that is just one example of long life use of LED bulbs in my house.
I`m confident of my long life use of LED bulbs, is because of all my house`s electrical circuits are protected with surge/spike protection starting at the meter outside, and also one installed in my load center (circuit breaker panel) to help protect all electrical/electronic devices in my home from powerline surges/spikes.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
Does the bulb interfere with the radio in the lamp?
Exterior lights have all been replaced with bright 5000K LED's while most interior bulbs are the softer 3000 or 3500K ones. Better yet, all the 4' fluorescents in the shop and house have been retrofitted with LED tubes. No more flickering or waiting for them to fire on cold or damp days now plus they give a much better light than the old T12's. LED's all the way for this guy!
One of the contracts my last company had was replacing all the 4' fluorescent fixtures with 1/2 the amount of 4' Led fixtures in the hanger bays and vehicle decks of CVNs, LHDs, LPDs, CG's and DDG's.
1/2 the fixtures and more usable light.
Edit: and the power savings are crazy good!!! Like bringing another generator online good.
1/2 the fixtures and more usable light.
Edit: and the power savings are crazy good!!! Like bringing another generator online good.
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DesertRatt
All Bark, No Bite!
All I can say is........WOW!
My bench grinder out in the shop would eat the expensive Rough Service bulbs on a regular basis so one day I put a 40W LED bulb in it and I haven't had to replace it since. That was about four or five years ago now. Same with the trouble light for working on my vehicles. When banged around hard or dropped, the filament in the Rough Service bulb would break. An LED bulb solved that problem to.
WillVT
Super Member
I don't like em'. I do use a few, but mostly in locations like the unfinished basement, outdoor lighting etc.
Something about the quality of light bothers me, although some of the fake "Edison" type are decent. It could be all in my head, but I don't like the idea that they are in fact flickering. I know it's supposedly too rapid for us to perceive, but it's still there. I mean, we can't perceive nuclear radiation, and we know that's not good for us. Thats' an extreme example, but just because we can't perceive something, doesn't mean it doesn't affect us.
I do feel like I can perceive some flickering, especially during fast eye movements. Maybe it's just with cheaper bulbs?
I just like the warm glow of incandescent bulbs too. They simply feel better to me.
Something about the quality of light bothers me, although some of the fake "Edison" type are decent. It could be all in my head, but I don't like the idea that they are in fact flickering. I know it's supposedly too rapid for us to perceive, but it's still there. I mean, we can't perceive nuclear radiation, and we know that's not good for us. Thats' an extreme example, but just because we can't perceive something, doesn't mean it doesn't affect us.
I do feel like I can perceive some flickering, especially during fast eye movements. Maybe it's just with cheaper bulbs?
I just like the warm glow of incandescent bulbs too. They simply feel better to me.
All blub types flicker 60ish/50ish times a second
WillVT
Super Member
All blub types flicker 60ish/50ish times a second
Right, but because of the slow decay rate of incandescent filaments, it's not really an issue. LED's turn on and off so quickly, it can be noticeable. That's why all youtube videos of modern cars, always have flickering lights. I can usually tell by the on/off quality of car break lights if they are incandescent or LED.
I've used those is a couple of kitchen fixtures. They do last a long time and provide great light. Only one problem I had was when I was remodeling the kitchen and had those lights on 10 -12+ hours a day, the transformer would eventually thermal off. May not have been LED related, I don't remember having them on that long when there were florescent tubes installed. But my guess would be that the LEDs pull a bit more current than the Fluorescents'.
Bill Ferris
Lunatic Member
They probably do, florescent tubes peak current consumption happens when first fired up, and after the tube`s gas has struck, the keep alive current draw drops considerably, that`s why I rewire the fixture`s tombstones and remove the ballast and purchase the direct powered 120 v type LED tubes, plus no more annoying hum or noise from the not really needed ballast transformer anymore !
I voted neutral, though that is an oversimplification. Early led bulbs were garbage for both the lumen per watt output, and the color temperature. Current (and recent, back 2-3 years) are far better. I tried to be an early adopter - mostly for the energy savings - but they weren't ready for prime time.
The current dimmable warm white types have finally equalled or exceeded the light output versus an equivalent incandescent bulb, and I have replaced many lamps at home with LED types. I do, however, still insist on incandescent in certain fixtures, mostly PAR 16 and 20 can and eyeball fixtures. Bi-pin reflector lamps used in some track lighting remains halogen, not LED.
The one notable issue I still have with LED is that I have a standby generator at home. When running on the genset, it's output is "dirty" enough that flicker on the LED lamps is much more noticeable than incandescent lamps. I have a visual sensitivity to light flicker (also dogged my when DLP TV's and video projectors were more popular years ago) so it is bothersome. Luckily that is only an issue during loss of utility power, but is part of the reason I keep selected fixtures on incandescent lamps still.
The current dimmable warm white types have finally equalled or exceeded the light output versus an equivalent incandescent bulb, and I have replaced many lamps at home with LED types. I do, however, still insist on incandescent in certain fixtures, mostly PAR 16 and 20 can and eyeball fixtures. Bi-pin reflector lamps used in some track lighting remains halogen, not LED.
The one notable issue I still have with LED is that I have a standby generator at home. When running on the genset, it's output is "dirty" enough that flicker on the LED lamps is much more noticeable than incandescent lamps. I have a visual sensitivity to light flicker (also dogged my when DLP TV's and video projectors were more popular years ago) so it is bothersome. Luckily that is only an issue during loss of utility power, but is part of the reason I keep selected fixtures on incandescent lamps still.
Most in the house are LED. I have an old floor lamp with four bulbs where I use it on low (only one bulb) which is still an incandescent. It sets a nice warm mood. The others are LED's I can fire up if I need bright light.
I had two double fluorescent four foot lights over my work bench in the garage, then one went bad. Couldn't find any fluorescent replacements so I had to get a double LED fixture. The light is brighter, but I don't like how it shines through the magnifier lamp I use when I need to get a good close look at circuit boards.
The LED's shine through it and displays all of this small bright spots on the area I'm trying to see. I'm going to have to look at diffusers to put on the LED fixture to remove the spots.
I had two double fluorescent four foot lights over my work bench in the garage, then one went bad. Couldn't find any fluorescent replacements so I had to get a double LED fixture. The light is brighter, but I don't like how it shines through the magnifier lamp I use when I need to get a good close look at circuit boards.
The LED's shine through it and displays all of this small bright spots on the area I'm trying to see. I'm going to have to look at diffusers to put on the LED fixture to remove the spots.
Have found various issues with LED lights. Can lights in the ceiling seem to fail quickly. IDK if it is heat that is trapped. Various brands tried Incl. premium GE. Most don't make it 6 months.
Additional issues with garage door opener remote. When the LED lights are on it sometimes jams the garage remote and I can't open or close the garage.
My old WiFi router bandwidth was reduced to about 10% of the previous speed when I installed the first LED bulbs in the kitchen. Eventually I got a new router which has multi-bands and changes channels automatically when there is interference.
The bright white ones hurt our eyes. I get the warmer ones when I have to replace one.
I haven't installed or used the light panels or LED light strings.
I answered I don't like them but use them when I have to.
Additional issues with garage door opener remote. When the LED lights are on it sometimes jams the garage remote and I can't open or close the garage.
My old WiFi router bandwidth was reduced to about 10% of the previous speed when I installed the first LED bulbs in the kitchen. Eventually I got a new router which has multi-bands and changes channels automatically when there is interference.
The bright white ones hurt our eyes. I get the warmer ones when I have to replace one.
I haven't installed or used the light panels or LED light strings.
I answered I don't like them but use them when I have to.
Bill Ferris
Lunatic Member
Wow! Your genset out must be pretty dirty (I`m guessing not very tight 60 Hertz regulation, or it`s possibly close to be undersized ?), as you say, because my LP fueled genset when my house is operating from it, the only LED`s light flicker that I experience is when my 3.5 ton heat pump kicks in, and that is just a brief flicker as the mains voltage drops for a split second, otherwise all my LED light appear normal in their light output with no perceivable flickering, and my whole house, both inside and out, less the 2 microwaves and stove, are fully LED lamped.
And that even happens, though not as pronounced when on grid, as LEDs tend to be sensitive to minor voltage fluctuations anyway.
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Actually, it really isn't too bad. To clarify, there is no perceptible flicker with LED lamps on utility. On generator, there is perceptible (though not severe) flicker. I know the THD rating of the generator is higher than utility (as is to be expected). It is a Generac 13KW natgas, and is properly sized for the load. it also receives regular maintenance, I just checked the brushes and slip rings this past fall.
Due to my pre-existing sensitivity to flicker in lights, it is noticable to me, but I'd guess most "normal" people wouldn't notice it at all, or at least wouldn't find it bothersome.
I can live with it for those times when the generator is running, but would really bother me if it was present full time.
Fluorescent lamps used to give me headaches if I was around them for too long at a stretch, as the flicker was more noticeable in my peripheral vision.
Due to my pre-existing sensitivity to flicker in lights, it is noticable to me, but I'd guess most "normal" people wouldn't notice it at all, or at least wouldn't find it bothersome.
I can live with it for those times when the generator is running, but would really bother me if it was present full time.
Fluorescent lamps used to give me headaches if I was around them for too long at a stretch, as the flicker was more noticeable in my peripheral vision.
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