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-   -   Rant about LED floodlights (https://www.diybanter.com/uk-diy/628957-rant-about-led-floodlights.html)

[email protected] January 6th 19 11:14 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
I used to use halogen floodlights with either 300 W or 500 W tubes.

Dead simple to install and maintain.

The cable entry point was always at the bottom so rain ingress was *never* a problem.

Tube replacement was simple, unscrew just one screw, open metal framed door and use cotton gloves to swap out the halogen tube......

Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole* unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!

A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED floodlight is 30 quid upwards and its not an easy job as you have to undo the wiring, undo the wall bracket, remove the old light fitting entirely and work in reverse.

Even when I use self amalgamating tape to solve the "filling with rainwater" issue, the LED floodlight barely lasts more than a year before the whole thing has to be replaced.....

So much for minimising WEEE waste!

Rant over!

Tim+[_5_] January 7th 19 12:03 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
wrote:
I used to use halogen floodlights with either 300 W or 500 W tubes.

Dead simple to install and maintain.

The cable entry point was always at the bottom so rain ingress was *never* a problem.

Tube replacement was simple, unscrew just one screw, open metal framed
door and use cotton gloves to swap out the halogen tube......

Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest
mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole*
unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently
find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!


Maybe youre mounting them the wrong way up?


A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED
floodlight is 30 quid upwards


How much light do you *really* need? Plenty of much cheaper ones available.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

[email protected] January 7th 19 12:13 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On Sunday, 6 January 2019 22:14:49 UTC, wrote:
I used to use halogen floodlights with either 300 W or 500 W tubes.

Dead simple to install and maintain.

The cable entry point was always at the bottom so rain ingress was *never* a problem.

Tube replacement was simple, unscrew just one screw, open metal framed door and use cotton gloves to swap out the halogen tube......

Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole* unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!

A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED floodlight is 30 quid upwards and its not an easy job as you have to undo the wiring, undo the wall bracket, remove the old light fitting entirely and work in reverse.

Even when I use self amalgamating tape to solve the "filling with rainwater" issue, the LED floodlight barely lasts more than a year before the whole thing has to be replaced.....

So much for minimising WEEE waste!

Rant over!


I've advised people against them but they're more inclined to follow fashion. Use a traditional fitting + led bulb.


NT

F[_2_] January 7th 19 12:24 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On 06/01/2019 22:14, wrote:

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top


All of mine are mounted with the cable entry at the bottom. They could
have been mounted the other way up but that didn't make sense.

--
F

[email protected] January 7th 19 12:36 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On Sunday, 6 January 2019 23:03:28 UTC, Tim+ wrote:
wrote:
I used to use halogen floodlights with either 300 W or 500 W tubes.

Dead simple to install and maintain.

The cable entry point was always at the bottom so rain ingress was *never* a problem.

Tube replacement was simple, unscrew just one screw, open metal framed
door and use cotton gloves to swap out the halogen tube......

Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest
mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole*
unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently
find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!


Maybe youre mounting them the wrong way up?


A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED
floodlight is 30 quid upwards


How much light do you *really* need? Plenty of much cheaper ones available.


the 500 Watt halogens were replaced with 30 watt LEDs.


Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls



[email protected] January 7th 19 12:40 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest
mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole*
unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently
find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!


Maybe youre mounting them the wrong way up?


hardly, there is a single metal casing where the LED array is on the underside and the cable entry hole is on the top side.

If I make the cable entry hole at the bottom, the LED array would be pointing up to Heaven!

see the following:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-led-f...daylight/665cc

You can see the cable entry gland... I have my LED floods pointing downwards to avoid annoying the neighbours but that makes the cable gland face the rains from heaven!


A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED
floodlight is 30 quid upwards


How much light do you *really* need? Plenty of much cheaper ones available.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls



Rod Speed January 7th 19 01:20 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 


wrote in message
...
Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest
mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the
*whole*
unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now
frequently
find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!


Maybe youre mounting them the wrong way up?


hardly, there is a single metal casing where the LED array is
on the underside and the cable entry hole is on the top side.


Then its ****ed by design and you should
be buying a better designed one.

If I make the cable entry hole at the bottom, the LED array would be
pointing up to Heaven!

see the following:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-led-f...daylight/665cc

You can see the cable entry gland... I have my LED floods pointing
downwards to avoid annoying the neighbours but that makes the cable gland
face the rains from heaven!


A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED
floodlight is 30 quid upwards


How much light do you *really* need? Plenty of much cheaper ones
available.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls



Jim K.. January 7th 19 01:41 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
Wrote in message:
Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest
mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole*
unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently
find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!


Maybe you?re mounting them the wrong way up?


hardly, there is a single metal casing where the LED array is on the underside and the cable entry hole is on the top side.

If I make the cable entry hole at the bottom, the LED array would be pointing up to Heaven!

see the following:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-led-f...daylight/665cc

"Can be installed at a garage door, on a fence or on a front door
to light an entrance."

On a front door? Kin ell Vot a Velcome! Hande hoch!


--
Jim K


----Android NewsGroup Reader----
http://usenet.sinaapp.com/

Peeler[_3_] January 7th 19 10:04 AM

Lonely Psychotic Senile Ozzie Troll Alert! LOL
 
On Mon, 7 Jan 2019 11:20:16 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rot Speed,
the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

hardly, there is a single metal casing where the LED array is
on the underside and the cable entry hole is on the top side.


Then its ****ed by design


....as much as you are? Unlikely!

--
dennis@home to know-it-all Rot Speed:
"You really should stop commenting on things you know nothing about."
Message-ID:

charles January 7th 19 11:48 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
In article ,
wrote:
I used to use halogen floodlights with either 300 W or 500 W tubes.


Dead simple to install and maintain.


The cable entry point was always at the bottom so rain ingress was
*never* a problem.


Tube replacement was simple, unscrew just one screw, open metal framed
door and use cotton gloves to swap out the halogen tube......


Unscrew it it's not corroded in place .

Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest
mistake I ever made!


Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole*
unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.


I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently
find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!


perhasp you'rv mounted it upside down. All the LED floods I've fitted have
tehn cable entry ay tehn bottom

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

Dave Plowman (News) January 7th 19 12:14 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
In article ,
wrote:
Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest
mistake I ever made!


Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the
*whole* unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.


But have you actually had one fail? My tungsten floodlights needed regular
lamp changes. The LED replacements none, so far.

And the old ones got so hot the bodies could be damaged, so not always
possible to open them up to fit a new bulb. So had to replace the entire
fitting.

--
*Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) January 7th 19 12:15 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
In article ,
wrote:
How much light do you *really* need? Plenty of much cheaper ones available.


the 500 Watt halogens were replaced with 30 watt LEDs.


Good you're happy with *a lot* less light. ;-)

--
*If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Harry Bloomfield[_3_] January 7th 19 01:02 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
presented the following explanation :
https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-led-f...daylight/665cc

You can see the cable entry gland... I have my LED floods pointing downwards
to avoid annoying the neighbours but that makes the cable gland face the
rains from heaven!


Have you used a suitable sized round section flex, to allow the gland
to properly seal against it? Did you grease the gland seal to stop
ingress?

For a fitting outdoors, I always advise to do your best to prevent rain
getting in, but to drill a hole in the base of a unit, to ensure any
which does get in can drain out. Though I doubt this would be possible
with these fittings.

George Miles January 7th 19 02:26 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
Shouldnt there be a weep hole at the bottom of the light so that condensation water can escape?

BigClive strips a cheap LED floodlight at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFi2dpLmhKI

[george]

On Sunday, January 6, 2019 at 10:14:49 PM UTC, wrote:
I used to use halogen floodlights with either 300 W or 500 W tubes.

Dead simple to install and maintain.

The cable entry point was always at the bottom so rain ingress was *never* a problem.

Tube replacement was simple, unscrew just one screw, open metal framed door and use cotton gloves to swap out the halogen tube......

Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole* unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!

A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED floodlight is 30 quid upwards and its not an easy job as you have to undo the wiring, undo the wall bracket, remove the old light fitting entirely and work in reverse.

Even when I use self amalgamating tape to solve the "filling with rainwater" issue, the LED floodlight barely lasts more than a year before the whole thing has to be replaced.....

So much for minimising WEEE waste!

Rant over!



[email protected] January 7th 19 02:45 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
I have 8 of the things scattered around the sides of the house.

Already I have had to replace four due to filling with rain water and replaced four when they either started flashing repeatedly or have gone candlelight dim.

You have to replace the whole thing when it's gone dim or starts flashing, it's not possible to replace either the LED driver PSU or the led light array.

I now use self amalgamating tape at where the cable enters the cable gland so that particular issue has stopped.

But no solution yet to having to replace the whole fitting when they start flashing or go dim.

Dave Plowman (News) January 7th 19 03:24 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
In article ,
wrote:
I have 8 of the things scattered around the sides of the house.


Already I have had to replace four due to filling with rain water and
replaced four when they either started flashing repeatedly or have gone
candlelight dim.


You have to replace the whole thing when it's gone dim or starts
flashing, it's not possible to replace either the LED driver PSU or the
led light array.


I now use self amalgamating tape at where the cable enters the cable
gland so that particular issue has stopped.


But no solution yet to having to replace the whole fitting when they
start flashing or go dim.


Chances are - like so many such things - the cost of providing spares
would exceed that of a complete replacement.

If they are filling with rain water, you need to look at how you've
installed them.

--
*Reality? Is that where the pizza delivery guy comes from?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

FMurtz January 7th 19 04:21 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
How much light do you *really* need? Plenty of much cheaper ones available.


the 500 Watt halogens were replaced with 30 watt LEDs.


Good you're happy with *a lot* less light. ;-)

A bit less, 50 watts should be not far off 500 halogen

Peter Johnson[_4_] January 7th 19 05:03 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On Mon, 07 Jan 2019 11:14:59 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:


And the old ones got so hot the bodies could be damaged, so not always
possible to open them up to fit a new bulb. So had to replace the entire
fitting.


The 'bulbs' in the £20 lamps that I used to get from B&Q would fail
after about ten years, by which time the steel screw that held the
unit together had rusted, so they had to be replaced. About 10 years
ago I replaced them with decent units from TLC, compact florescents
though but not on enough to justify replacement.

Dave Plowman (News) January 7th 19 05:14 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
In article ,
FMurtz wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
How much light do you *really* need? Plenty of much cheaper ones available.


the 500 Watt halogens were replaced with 30 watt LEDs.


Good you're happy with *a lot* less light. ;-)

A bit less, 50 watts should be not far off 500 halogen


Hmm. Doesn't equate with any LEDs here, I'm afraid.

--
*Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Jonathan January 7th 19 06:26 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On Sunday, 6 January 2019 22:14:49 UTC, wrote:
I used to use halogen floodlights with either 300 W or 500 W tubes.

Dead simple to install and maintain.

The cable entry point was always at the bottom so rain ingress was *never* a problem.

Tube replacement was simple, unscrew just one screw, open metal framed door and use cotton gloves to swap out the halogen tube......

Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole* unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!

A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED floodlight is 30 quid upwards and its not an easy job as you have to undo the wiring, undo the wall bracket, remove the old light fitting entirely and work in reverse.

Even when I use self amalgamating tape to solve the "filling with rainwater" issue, the LED floodlight barely lasts more than a year before the whole thing has to be replaced.....

So much for minimising WEEE waste!

Rant over!


I bought on in B&Q for about £12 about six months ago. The cable goes in the bottom and the motion sensor is much better than my old halogen one. At that price, I don't mind replacing it when the bulb goes.

Jonathan

ARW January 7th 19 09:31 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On 06/01/2019 23:40, wrote:
Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest
mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole*
unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently
find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!


Maybe youre mounting them the wrong way up?


hardly, there is a single metal casing where the LED array is on the underside and the cable entry hole is on the top side.

If I make the cable entry hole at the bottom, the LED array would be pointing up to Heaven!

see the following:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-led-f...daylight/665cc

Screwfix cheap ****.

If you pay for a turd you get a turd.


--
Adam

Andy Burns[_13_] January 7th 19 09:45 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
ARW wrote:

wrote:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-led-f...daylight/665cc

Screwfix cheap ****.
If you pay for a turd you get a turd.


I'm happy with this one, much better than the chinese crap it replaced

http://www.discount-electrical.co.uk/section.php/110785/1/brackenheath-ispotc-led-floodlights-ip65

Screwfix have stopped selling them ...

Dave Liquorice[_2_] January 8th 19 09:38 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On Mon, 07 Jan 2019 12:02:50 GMT, Harry Bloomfield wrote:

For a fitting outdoors, I always advise to do your best to prevent rain
getting in, but to drill a hole in the base of a unit, to ensure any
which does get in can drain out. Though I doubt this would be possible
with these fittings.


The fitting in question is supposed to be IP65...


--
Cheers
Dave.




Cynic[_2_] January 8th 19 09:44 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
Boyes store in Goole were selling complete halogen pir floodlights including lamp for a fiver last week.
I bought two at that price and fitted them with led conversion lamps which my son gets from an eBay shop.

Tim+[_5_] January 9th 19 08:39 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Mon, 07 Jan 2019 12:02:50 GMT, Harry Bloomfield wrote:

For a fitting outdoors, I always advise to do your best to prevent rain
getting in, but to drill a hole in the base of a unit, to ensure any
which does get in can drain out. Though I doubt this would be possible
with these fittings.


The fitting in question is supposed to be IP65...


Which doesnt negate the need for venting to prevent large pressure
changes.

The lamps may well have IP65 rated seals, but theyre feck all use when the
cooling lamp is actively trying to suck in water sitting above a seal
(which is very different to resisting a gentle spray from a hose).

Tim




--
Please don't feed the trolls

[email protected] February 11th 19 11:28 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
UPDATE:

Today I received a letter from Screwfix regarding these LED floodlights.

Apparently they are an electrocution risk if oval cable such as T+E is used and that this should be swapped for ROUND cable or the rubber O ring fails to seal.

apparently the manufacturers (LAP) omitted to put this information into the installation leaflet.

So that means that people will have to put a water proof junction box on the wall, put a short length of flexible round cable on the light fitting and then use the junction box to connect the ends of the T+E and the round cable together.

This could have all been avoided if LAP had put the cable entry point at the bottom of the light fitting, not at the top...

Grrrrr

Andrew Gabriel February 12th 19 10:01 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
In article ,
writes:
UPDATE:

Today I received a letter from Screwfix regarding these LED floodlights.

Apparently they are an electrocution risk if oval cable such as T+E is used and that this should be swapped for ROUND cable or the rubber O ring fails to seal.

apparently the manufacturers (LAP) omitted to put this information into the installation leaflet.

So that means that people will have to put a water proof junction box on the wall, put a short length of flexible round cable on the light fitting and then use the junction box to connect the ends of the T+E and the round cable together.

This could have all been avoided if LAP had put the cable entry point at the bottom of the light fitting, not at the top...

Grrrrr


You can get cable glands for T&E - see tlc-direct.
20mm glands vailable in a 1.0-1.5mm T&E size, and 2.5mm size
(also fits triple&earth).

I don't know your light, but you might be able to swap the
gland, or to steal the rubber seal with the T&E shaped hole
and move it into your lamp.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

polygonum_on_google[_2_] February 12th 19 07:18 PM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On Sunday, 6 January 2019 22:14:49 UTC, wrote:
I used to use halogen floodlights with either 300 W or 500 W tubes.

Dead simple to install and maintain.

The cable entry point was always at the bottom so rain ingress was *never* a problem.

Tube replacement was simple, unscrew just one screw, open metal framed door and use cotton gloves to swap out the halogen tube......

Then I decided to replace the whole units with LED floodlights. biggest mistake I ever made!

Now when the LED floodlight fails, I find I *have* to replace the *whole* unit, I cannot replace the PSU part or the LED array only.

I also find that the cable entry point is at the top so I now frequently find that they fill up with rain water and pop the circuit breaker!

A new halogen Tube can be had for around a pound, a whole new LED floodlight is 30 quid upwards and its not an easy job as you have to undo the wiring, undo the wall bracket, remove the old light fitting entirely and work in reverse.

Even when I use self amalgamating tape to solve the "filling with rainwater" issue, the LED floodlight barely lasts more than a year before the whole thing has to be replaced.....

So much for minimising WEEE waste!

Rant over!



For our house, we bought some wall-mounted lanterns with IR sensors. And fitted BC-based LEDs with a rating of around 3W. The LEDs are replacable, of course. Cable through wall with no likelihood of water ingress even with our heavy rain and strong wind. Used car wax over the outside to help shuck rain and keep clean.

Very happy. Perfectly adequate light for the cat, doing the bins, the gate, visitors at front door.

PeterC February 13th 19 09:55 AM

Rant about LED floodlights
 
On Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:18:53 -0800 (PST), polygonum_on_google wrote:

For our house, we bought some wall-mounted lanterns with IR sensors. And fitted BC-based LEDs with a rating of around 3W. The LEDs are replacable, of course. Cable through wall with no likelihood of water ingress even with our heavy rain and strong wind. Used car wax over the outside to help shuck rain and keep clean.

Very happy. Perfectly adequate light for the cat, doing the bins, the gate, visitors at front door.


Mine are lanterns with the socket at the top, so the lamp points downwards.
Used E27 R63 lamps, 120 deg angle to avoid more than 60 deg throw. (W, 700
lm.
They can be seen from level or above, but only as a light on, not as a
glare. When the R63s go phut I'll perhaps use 120 deg. GU10s and they'll
have even less overspill.
It's also very easy to put a 'skirt' on the lamp - or even black marker - to
limit direction if needed.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway


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