What Can Cause A LED Bulb To Burn Out – Resort Lighting, Inc. (2024)

• December 19, 2019
• 12:37 am

LED light bulbs are great. They seem to be able to last forever and when compared to the incandescent bulbs of your youth they do. Despite that they can burn out and while it may be quite awhile for that to happen there are some factors that can accelerate this process. What are some of those factors and how can you maximize the life of your bulbs?

The Wiring And Wattage

The most common reason that an LED bulb can burn out is what it is connected to the wiring. If you have older wiring it can lower an LED bulb’s lifespan. These bulbs require newer wiring and that will require hiring an electrician to replace the wiring and this can be expensive, probably costing more than the savings that LED bulbs will bring in so if you want an outdoor lighting system installed you might be better off having LED wiring installed right off the bat and if you don’t have the proper lighting you should have it upgraded before installing LED bulbs.

Don’t forget as well that your lighting system will require your bulbs to use a certain wattage. When Resort Lighting installs your system we will tell you what wattage bulbs you will need and if you forget it is marked on the bulb itself. If one is replaced with a lower wattage bulb the system can become overloaded and by replacing it with a higher wattage bulb can cause excessive power drain. By using the correct wattage you will get the most out of a bulb and your lighting system.

Usage

Anytime you turn on a light it creates wear and tear on the bulb as electricity flows through it. Constantly turning your lights on and off will accelerate wear on the bulb, more so than just by turning them on and leaving them on even for hours at a time. An LED bulb will rarely stop working once it is on. For proper usage this may require a bit of training and restraint for yourself and those around you but over time you’ll adapt.

Obviously there are instances where a light will be constantly turned on and off. There are bulbs that are designed for this kind of use, like with a security light on a motion sensor. Make sure that you have the right light bulbs and if you need help Resort Lighting can help.

Dimmer Switches

LED bulbs may work for a time with older dimmer switches, they may not even work at all. Dimmer switches can provide cool effects and the ability to change the ambiance in a matter of seconds but an LED friendly dimmer switch is needed for the best use. Don’t forget as well that LED dimmer bulbs are also needed. Not all LED bulbs will work.

Temperature

In general the outside temperature does not affect LED bulbs much but that does not mean that they are impervious to Mother Nature. Extreme temperatures can cause any bulb to burn out quicker and that is true for LED bulbs as well. Colder temperatures can cause the bulbs to take longer to reach peak brightness and warmer temperatures can cause a bulb to overheat. Extreme temperatures, which we are no stranger to here on Long Island, can take an LED bulb’s lifespan from over a decade to only a year or two.

About the only thing that can be done to mitigate this is to protect the bulbs by putting some sort of enclosure or casing around the bulb. While they will still be exposed to some of the elements this will protect them from the worst of the weather and allow you to get the most out of your bulb.

You want to take as good of care of your lighting system as you can, whether you run a business or it is in your backyard. Your lighting system is much more than just the lights but the most important and visible component is the light bulb. By choosing to use LED lights you are helping to save the environment and you are saving a little bit of money along the way but despite what you may have been told LED bulbs do have a finite lifespan and there are factors that can accelerate the end of that.

Resort Lighting can work with you to help mitigate those factors so that you can get the most out of what you paid for so you can enjoy it for longer, whether you want a new system installed or need to have your existing one upgraded. Give us a call at 631-283-5562 or email us at info@resortlightinginc.com to get started.