# My LED Bulbs Keep Burning Out? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 7, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196 "2015-01-07T04:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/21 "2015-01-07T12:09:26Z")
> [@Doughbag](#): > > ALL bulbs are rated in lumen and the wattage they use. In the United States, the incandescent equivalent rating has become the de facto standard standard for labeling consumer light bulbs. Most bulbs display the equivalent incandescent wattage [prominently on their packaging](http://creebulb.com/Images/75W-Package_FRONT.jpg) with a footnote or small print disclaimer like “replacement” or “equivalent” and then less prominently feature the actual watt-rating of the bulb. Like it or not, their marketing departments have determined that most consumers prefer this information. And quite a few use dubious equivalent ratings. Lumen ratings mean nothing to the average consumer. Maybe that will change someday. They are usually mentioned on the side or back of the box often in the voluntary [“lighting facts” label](http://images.philips.com/is/image/PhilipsConsumer/046677424381-A1P-global-001?wid=960&hei=500&fit=fit&$jpgsmall$) that mimics the “nutrition facts” label found on food packages. But there is no requirement to list the lumen rating. I have a cheap package of 20-watt chandelier bulbs that has no mention of lumens on it and doesn’t have a “lighting facts” label. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/22 "2015-01-07T13:24:38Z")
IIRC, and perhaps someone can correct this if it’s wrong, halogens for longer life should not be used on a dimmer. They are made to run hot all the time. It has to do with the halogen gas redepositing the ‘vaporized’ filament back onto the filament. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/23 "2015-01-07T19:03:14Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > It originally belonged to a Jewish couple, call them the B’s. > [@TSBG](#): > > I’m gonna go ahead and blame the Jews. Yeah I fail to see the point of the OP’s reference to the race of the original homeowner’s or even to calling them the B’s, as he never referred to them again. 😕 Does the OP think that there might be some sort of specific electrical wiring done for Jewish families in the 1940’s? ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/24 "2015-01-07T21:38:19Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > as you know, you can still buy incandescent bulbs Not really. The US Federal Government has outlawed all incandescent bulbs [above 40W](http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/31/end-road-for-incandescent-light-bulb/) since Jan. 1, 2014. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/25 "2015-01-07T21:57:44Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > Not really. The US Federal Government has outlawed all incandescent bulbs [above 40W](http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/31/end-road-for-incandescent-light-bulb/) since Jan. 1, 2014. What people usually refer to as “halogen” bulbs are actually a type of incandescent bulb. These are not banned. Rough service bulbs are not banned, but are generally more inefficient than the traditional incandescent bulbs. Three-way bulbs and some specialty bulbs are not banned. These can all be used to circumvent the ban if you absolutely have to have an incandescent bulb. [Think Incandescent Light Bulbs Are Banned? Here’s a List of Exclusions!](http://www.ryantaylorarchitects.com/think-incandescent-light-bulbs-are-banned-heres-a-list-of-exclusions/) ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/26 "2015-01-07T22:03:45Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Yeah I fail to see the point of the OP’s reference to the race of the original homeowner’s or even to calling them the B’s, as he never referred to them again. 😕 > > Does the OP think that there might be some sort of specific electrical wiring done for Jewish families in the 1940’s? It might be a totally unfair stereotype, but elderly Jewish couples of that era were known for taking meticulous care of their homes. I read the implication as being that he didn’t buy a dilapidated fixer-upper that probably had failing wiring. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/27 "2015-01-07T22:14:38Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > Not really. The US Federal Government has outlawed all incandescent bulbs [above 40W](http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/31/end-road-for-incandescent-light-bulb/) since Jan. 1, 2014. Somebody better tell Home Depot, where I continue to buy incandescent bulbs. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/28 "2015-01-07T22:40:27Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > Not really. The US Federal Government has outlawed all incandescent bulbs [above 40W](http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/31/end-road-for-incandescent-light-bulb/) since Jan. 1, 2014. I hope not because I have some and are using them right now. I do believe they banned manufacture of such bulbs, but not sale, gift or use of them. So existing stock is legal. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/29 "2015-01-08T02:27:09Z")
Halogen bulbs shouldn’t be switched on and off frequently, as the heat they generate internally is part of the way they work. They also, from my experience, really don’t like any kind of vibration, even things you wouldn’t think of, like closing doors or people walking on the floor above the fixture. The ceiling fixtures in my kitchen used MR16 halogen mini-floods, and those damn things ate bulbs like nobody’s business. Other MR16 bulbs, even on the same circuit, lasted a lot longer. I replaced them with fixtures and LED bulbs from Ikea, haven’t had a problem since. I’ve replaced almost all of the bulbs in my house with LED over the past few years, and haven’t had a single failure (did have one DOA bulb, easily returned). ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/30 "2015-01-08T02:45:34Z")
I have a fixture with 3 halogen mini-floods in the bedroom. I’ve only replaced two bulbs in the 8 years we’ve had the house. It is dimmable and the dimmer is used at least twice a day to adjust the light levels. There’s also plenty of vibration (heh). Seriously, there are plenty of small earthquakes in our area and there’s enough traffic on my street to make the house shake sometimes–enough vibration that the pix on the wall go crooked constantly. Plus my daughter and dog running around. ETA, that said I still plan to make the switch to LEDs as my current bulbs go–obviously I’ll have to change the whole fixture for the light I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/31 "2015-01-08T03:44:57Z")
> [@buckgully](#): > > Halogen bulbs shouldn’t be switched on and off frequently, as the heat they generate internally is part of the way they work. They also, from my experience, really don’t like any kind of vibration, even things you wouldn’t think of, like closing doors or people walking on the floor above the fixture. The ceiling fixtures in my kitchen used MR16 halogen mini-floods, and those damn things ate bulbs like nobody’s business. Other MR16 bulbs, even on the same circuit, lasted a lot longer. > > I replaced them with fixtures and LED bulbs from Ikea, haven’t had a problem since. > > I’ve replaced almost all of the bulbs in my house with LED over the past few years, and haven’t had a single failure (did have one DOA bulb, easily returned). That’s been my experience, bumping a lamp is a good way to kill a $1 halogen bulb that a 25 cent incandescent would survive. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/32 "2015-01-08T03:49:01Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > What people usually refer to as “halogen” bulbs are actually a type of incandescent bulb. These are not banned. > > Rough service bulbs are not banned, but are generally more inefficient than the traditional incandescent bulbs. Three-way bulbs and some specialty bulbs are not banned. These can all be used to circumvent the ban if you absolutely have to have an incandescent bulb. > > [Think Incandescent Light Bulbs Are Banned? Here’s a List of Exclusions!](http://www.ryantaylorarchitects.com/think-incandescent-light-bulbs-are-banned-heres-a-list-of-exclusions/) I may have to resort to using rough service bulbs in my nightstand lamps; they operate at 10% brightness all night long which tends to eventually cause halogen lamps to start turning black. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/33 "2015-01-08T04:53:36Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > In the United States, the incandescent equivalent rating has become the de facto standard standard for labeling consumer light bulbs. Most bulbs display the equivalent incandescent wattage [prominently on their packaging](http://creebulb.com/Images/75W-Package_FRONT.jpg) with a footnote or small print disclaimer like “replacement” or “equivalent” and then less prominently feature the actual watt-rating of the bulb. Like it or not, their marketing departments have determined that most consumers prefer this information. And quite a few use dubious equivalent ratings. > > Lumen ratings mean nothing to the average consumer. Maybe that will change someday. They are usually mentioned on the side or back of the box often in the voluntary [“lighting facts” label](http://images.philips.com/is/image/PhilipsConsumer/046677424381-A1P-global-001?wid=960&hei=500&fit=fit&$jpgsmall$) that mimics the “nutrition facts” label found on food packages. But there is no requirement to list the lumen rating. I have a cheap package of 20-watt chandelier bulbs that has no mention of lumens on it and doesn’t have a “lighting facts” label. Not what I have seen. I went looking for bulbs for a new lamp, and _all_ the CFL and LED packages had lumens on the front, in characters typically 3/8ths to half an inch tall. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/34 "2015-01-08T06:16:33Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > All I can say, is I buy whatever they have, be they LED’s, halogen or whatever. Also, since I am a relative newbie (if that’s the right word) when it comes to electronic issues, I use the word “LED” as a very broad (and perhaps inaccurate, I now realize) term. > [@jz78817](#): > > It’s not “perhaps” inaccurate, it’s totally wrong. Being a “newbie” doesn’t excuse it. At any rate, it certainly changes the thread question. Asking “Why do my LED bulbs keep burning out?” when what you really have are halogen bulbs is a little bit like asking “Why does my car keep falling over?” when what you really have is a bicycle. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/35 "2015-01-08T18:07:14Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > I have a fixture with 3 halogen mini-floods in the bedroom. I’ve only replaced two bulbs in the 8 years we’ve had the house. It is dimmable and the dimmer is used at least twice a day to adjust the light levels. There’s also plenty of vibration (heh). Seriously, there are plenty of small earthquakes in our area and there’s enough traffic on my street to make the house shake sometimes–enough vibration that the pix on the wall go crooked constantly. Plus my daughter and dog running around. > > ETA, that said I still plan to make the switch to LEDs as my current bulbs go–obviously I’ll have to change the whole fixture for the light I’m talking about. We had halogen track lights in our living room with a vaulted ceiling, two sets of three lights each. About 5 years ago, one burnt out. A month later, another one bit the dust. Because of the vaulted ceiling, I was a little slow in replacing them. When I went to the store to find a replacement, I found they had LEDs with the same base. They were expensive (about $15 each, $90 or more for all of them). But, I reasoned if I was going to climb up a ladder and risk my life changing them, I wanted some that were going to last. We have since moved, but that is irrelevant. So, I wouldn’t be so quick to assume you would have to change your fixture. In our new house, the stove hood had (burned out) halogen lights in it. I went to buy LED replacements, but the only ones the store had that had the same base would not fit in the fixture, so I bought halogens (about $12 each). I don’t know if it is the vibration of the fan, or the fact that they often get left on for days at a time, but their life was very short (as in less than two months). I did a little searching on eBay and found some that the seller said would fit my base if I bent the prongs a little. I did and I am so happy. Once I bent the little prongs with a needle nosed pliers, they fit like a charm. It’s been over a year and they are still going strong (and they don’t leave nearly as much electricity when we leave them on). I am a bit annoyed that the companies that manufacture the stove hoods don’t make it so that the lights come on automatically when you turn the stove on. That and have the vent fan on a timer so that it will turn off, say, 30 minutes after you turn off the stove, but that is a rant for another day. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/36 "2015-01-08T18:34:48Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > I may have to resort to using rough service bulbs in my nightstand lamps; they operate at 10% brightness all night long which tends to eventually cause halogen lamps to start turning black. You can also use appliance bulbs and should work fine for the purpose you state. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/37 "2015-01-08T18:36:31Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Not what I have seen. I went looking for bulbs for a new lamp, and _all_ the CFL and LED packages had lumens on the front, in characters typically 3/8ths to half an inch tall. I don’t think the point was that lumens are not on the package, but that most people still use the IC equivalent rating and ignore lumens. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/38 "2015-01-08T18:55:13Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > … > > So, I wouldn’t be so quick to assume you would have to change your fixture. … Thanks for the very useful info. My wife hates the thing anyway and wants me to change it, but it’s probably never going to rise to the top of my to-do list, so it’s good to know I can replace the bulbs with LEDs. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196/39 "2015-01-08T19:24:03Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > Not really. The US Federal Government has outlawed all incandescent bulbs [above 40W](http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/31/end-road-for-incandescent-light-bulb/) since Jan. 1, 2014. Not true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-led-bulbs-keep-burning-out/709196.md?page=1)