RFI from Cree LED bulbs?

[dragoneggs]

This was one of the old original Cree 60 watt bulbs with the heatsink around the base.

I love LEDs and have been converting all over the place... especially now that they are dimmable but something just doesn't sit right with me on having to make them look like incandescent bulbs. Absolutely loving my Costco shop lights and what I really like is they don't seem to be bothering my AM reception right next to it. Wife still likes the hot floods in recessed cans in her kitchen. I swapped out all the cans with LED except for over the sink and her 'prep' counter. Good compromise, eh?

 

[KubotainNH]

Cree bulb number 1 in my household is now about 2 years old with 5 or 6 hours a day, was working fine now it is flakey after a couple of recent power outages where it was on. it is just as bright as it ever was, but it is intermittent in operation now. Something has "puked" in its power supply. It may be heat sensitive now, as it seems to come on when cool, but will go off after being on for a while. Well dadgummit, i thought these things would would outlast me... Guess not.

Isn't that the one with the ten year warranty? It would be nice to see what Cree will do for you.

 

[Sysop]

Isn't that the one with the ten year warranty? It would be nice to see what Cree will do for you.

That'd sorta be like asking Kubota (not KTAC insurance) to repair/replace your tractor under warranty because it was hit and ruined by lightning... Lights suffer "power outages" every time you turn off the switch. It's more likely it experienced a surge or brownout than a simple outage. I've never seen electronics of any type covered by warranty over any environmental or power issues.

 

[k0ua]

Below is the warranty. However, the postage to send the bulb is a significant portion of the cost of just going to Home Depot and buying a new bulb.


USA Limited Warranty: Cree® LED Bulb Standard Warranty (All Cree LED Bulbs, except TW Series & 4FLOW™ Filament Design)
Limited Warranty: If this bulb does not operate for 10 years (based on 6 hours per day / 7 days per week of normal consumer use) from date of purchase when used as directed, return the bulb with proof of purchase, register receipt and your name and address to Cree, Inc. (Consumer Warranty), 4600 Silicon Drive, Durham, NC 27703 USA. Cree will send you a replacement or at Cree’s option refund the original purchase price. For warranty or other questions please call 1-866-924-3645. REPLACEMENT OR REFUND IS CREE’S SOLE WARRANTY OBLIGATION. INCIDENTAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARE EXCLUDED. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

Effective Date: March 5, 2013

 

[Sysop]

Yea, I'm sure if they spelled it all out, the incidental and consequential damages are stuff like surges, brownouts, dropping them, etc... Same sort of wording used on most electronics.

 

[KubotainNH]

My lights flicker all the time so I should never claim warranty on a bulb that cost close to $15 when new? What's the use of a warranty? Yeah if it smoked after a lightning strike that also burned your TV out then I understand but I would send this one in if for no other reason but to see how it works out. My 2 cents.

 

[Redneck in training]

My lights flicker all the time so I should never claim warranty on a bulb that cost close to $15 when new? What's the use of a warranty? Yeah if it smoked after a lightning strike that also burned your TV out then I understand but I would send this one in if for no other reason but to see how it works out. My 2 cents.

If your light flicker you have a bad connection somewhere. You have better to find it before it causes fire.

 

[dmccarty]

We finally got a Costco that is sorta near us and on our first visit I bought a package of LED bulbs. I have been waiting for the price and brightness to get to the right point and the bulbs at Costco flicked my switch so I bought them. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

I thought the LEDs were less bright than the CFLs I have been using but after putting the LED's in service next to a CFL, the LED is brighter. I need to check the packaging and compare the specifications. In any case, the LEDs were bright enough that I bought another package. :thumbsup:

How long the LEDs last will be interesting....

We have 85ish can fixtures and flood lights. :shocked: When we built the house, we put in R30/R40 bulbs we bought at HD and those worked for years. The store brand/cheap brand at Lowes were/are awful and would burn out quickly so I would only buy named brand R30/R40 bulbs at Lowes. Having said that, the cost was so high that I started to buy just plane old CFLs for the cans. These have mostly worked well but some of died quickly but those were an exception.

Last week I replaced a bunch of burnt out bulbs. I write the date I install the bulbs on the bulb so I know how long they last. Most of the bulbs were 4-5 years old and given they are in rooms where the lights are on 12-16 hours a day that seems a reasonable lifetime. However, I had one bulb that was installed in 2010 and another in 2009. :thumbsup: Kinda amazing the different lifetimes you will get on a bulb installed on the same circuit and used for the same amount of time as other bulbs.

Will be interesting to see how long the LEDs last.

Later,
Dan

 

[KubotainNH]

If your light flicker you have a bad connection somewhere. You have better to find it before it causes fire.

No, it's only when there's lotsa wind. It happens to the whole neighborhood.

DM, good idea on the dating of the bulbs. Time goes by faster than we think. I recently lost a recessed bulb that I think is a CFL. Any advice on LED bulbs of this type and the cost? They used to be quite expensive.

 

[k0ua]

No, it's only when there's lotsa wind. It happens to the whole neighborhood.

DM, good idea on the dating of the bulbs. Time goes by faster than we think. I recently lost a recessed bulb that I think is a CFL. Any advice on LED bulbs of this type and the cost? They used to be quite expensive.

I have a LOT of the Cree BR30's in both soft white and bright white.. So far so good, no failures and they are dimmable. As much as any LED. Of course they won't go down as low as an incandescent, but I don't thing any of them will. About 10 bucks at Home Depot.. i can get them for a little less than half of that in Arkansas where they are subsidized by the power company.