Stinkin' Light Bulbs

[Gemsbok]

Guys - I've got a facility with hundreds of light bulbs. Floods, spots, decorative, and regular bulbs.

In my world, the failure mode of the LEDs is to start flickering (and be super annoying), and then if I don't hustle up a 20-foot ladder (or 45-ft boom lift @ $600/day rental) and swap out that bulb fast enough the power fluctuations screw with the electronics in adjacent bulbs and make a bunch more start failing.

I already got rid of all the rheostats.

Anybody know if more expensive bulbs from specialty shops are actually better quality?
Are there LED bulbs that fail differently?
If they would fail by just going dark (like BITD), that would be a huge improvement.

Ideas?

 

[91Eunozs]

Hate to say it, but the long-term fix is going to be replacing the actual light fixtures with something (or a system) that has integral voltage regulators. LEDs are great, but more sensitive to the power fluctuations we see in our average power feed coming in from the city, and those bulbs just aren’t made to handle that wide swing.

When we did our site (before I retired a second time) we tried the bulbs in 1/2 the warehouse, but had the same issues. In tne end, we wound up doing a complete system swap and wiring upgrade; including work to the main feeds into the facility.

Do y’all have your own power plant?

 

[P-Squared]

I think you mean ballasts. If you truly have rheostats, I would ask why.

I buy most of my bulbs at 1000Bulbs.com. I've had good luck with them for the past 15 years or so.

I've never had my LEDs flicker, they just don't come on. The old fluorescent lights would flicker or half way light, but not so with the LEDs.

 

[Gemsbok]

Power supply is a regional commercial utility (granted it's pretty much 2nd/3rd world here so I have UPC/conditioners for the computers).

@91Eunozs ...
Isn't the "integral voltage regulator" already part of the circuitry built into each bulb?
Maybe this is something that could be installed at the meter/breaker box for each building? I've got a lot of fixtures that originally held up to 10 incandescent bulbs, not sure of the economy of adding a regulator on each light fixture.

@P-Squared ...
Definitely LED bulbs flickering. It's not super fast. Maybe one to a few seconds/cycle. More like it heats up and turns off, then turns back on when it cools off. (Considering now if this is a summer thing, but I can't imagine that 80F is too hot for lightbulbs to work.)
Dimmer switches were replaced with toggles when we replaced incandescent flood lights with LED flood lights.
Ballasts go away as/when/if I get around to ditching the last fluorescent fixtures b/c each fancy-pants bulb costs $20.

1000bulbs.com has multiple price points - In your experience are the more expensive bulbs better able to handle dirty power?

 

[fdkay]

Would a voltage regulator be feasible?
They aren't cheap, but I'm sure there are other benefits that might make installing one worthwhile.

 

[TheHorta]

Light is for fags. Don’t be a fag. Darkness is your friend.

 

[Marinevet1]

 

[Milf Dots]

 

[Buck Wilde]

Leftists, once again, have pulled the football away as we ran up to kick it.

They forced us to use those horrible curly bulbs which took a full minute to turn on, burned out fast, looked stupid, and contained mercury. I held out for LED bulbs, and then I put them all through my house. I thought finally, something green actually worked.

Now look where we are. And it turns out LED bulbs are failing early because they are designed to. Finally, a class action suit I could get behind.

If you live in Dubai, you can get quality LED bulbs that don't burn out fast. Unless leftists have fooled the king of Dubai. He got Philips to make LED bulbs that last, and they are only sold in Dubai.

 

[Detroit_1]

I want to know about the real world $/sqft costs (and maintenance) on something like this Himawari System.

While it may not be 100% applicable for Office or even Manufacturing, in WH environment - this might be interesting.

 

[BAMCIS]

Well our warehouse just upgraded to florescent led. No ballast,so far all 6500 ft warehouse has gone almost 18 months
No failures,,on almost 12 hrs per day
Our old ballast light were changed at every month .

 

[P-Squared]

Power supply is a regional commercial utility (granted it's pretty much 2nd/3rd world here so I have UPC/conditioners for the computers).

@91Eunozs ...
Isn't the "integral voltage regulator" already part of the circuitry built into each bulb?
Maybe this is something that could be installed at the meter/breaker box for each building? I've got a lot of fixtures that originally held up to 10 incandescent bulbs, not sure of the economy of adding a regulator on each light fixture.

@P-Squared ...
Definitely LED bulbs flickering. It's not super fast. Maybe one to a few seconds/cycle. More like it heats up and turns off, then turns back on when it cools off. (Considering now if this is a summer thing, but I can't imagine that 80F is too hot for lightbulbs to work.)
Dimmer switches were replaced with toggles when we replaced incandescent flood lights with LED flood lights.
Ballasts go away as/when/if I get around to ditching the last fluorescent fixtures b/c each fancy-pants bulb costs $20.

1000bulbs.com has multiple price points - In your experience are the more expensive bulbs better able to handle dirty power?

Well let's just say when I squeeze a nickle, the indian rides the buffalo. (Only really old guys will get that). I usually by mid range. I've used their corn bulb replacements for wall mount exterior. Those have been running for about 7 years without issues, 4 foot in high bays and here around the house. Again, years on those except for one here at the house. And tons of can light replacements. The house has 65 cans, and the garage has 30. I've had a couple in the garage go out in 10 years. The only problem I have is some of the Lutron dimmers freak out from time to time and won't hold the setting. The bulbs have been great.

I've had the same sales rep, Adam, for years. (I think that's his name, but see the nickle comment)

 

[packratt]

We've got a bunch of Light Efficient Design, Satco, Like, and Sanyo in service at work. Very few issues with any. Some of the 54w corncobs are going on 9 years.