Intermittent circular LED tubes

[beers.jo...@gmail.com]

Hive Mind/Esteemed Listmates:

The problem: Kitchen ceiling light cycles off and on.

When the circular fluorescent tubes in our kitchen ceiling light burned out, I was pleased to see that drop-in LED replacements were available that didn't require bypassing the existing ballast. However, after a few days, the light would suddenly turn off. Turning the wall switch off and then back on didn't make the light turn back on.

I removed the diffuser so I could return the LEDs to the store (and buy the circular fluorescent tubes that we'd been using for 16+ years). But, I noticed the fixture was cycling on and off, as shown in the 43-second video in this album:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/tQ4QiiTPEwRv2iPQ9

Any suggestions for steps to try before I switch back from LEDs to fluorescents? The LEDs supposedly last 3X longer than fluorescents, use fewer Watts. and are brighter.

Details: I checked to make sure that the existing ballast was on Sylvania's approved list. I don't want to bypass the ballast and rewire the fixture because I want the option of returning to fluorescents if the LEDs are the problem.

In case the ballast was cutting out to prevent overheating, I tried holding a dry reusable cold compress on the ballast. The light still cycled off and on. (The ballast is labeled "INHERENT THERMAL PROTECTION", as shown in the photo album).

Sidebar (I'm a retired energy nerd):

 I wondered why I was no longer seeing the ENERGYSTAR label on lighting products, and found this explanation at:  https://www.energystar.gov/products/light_fixtures

>>>

What happened to the ENERGY STAR label on light bulbs and other light fixtures?

For more than 25 years, the ENERGY STAR label has helped foster widespread adoption of affordable, effective and efficient lighting options for consumers. More than 3 billion ENERGY STAR certified light bulbs have been sold in the United States since the label's introduction in 1997, delivering electric energy savings of over one trillion kWh – equivalent to the annual carbon sequestration of the over 800 million acres of forest.  And now, these light bulbs are the standard.  Using the latest in LED technology, they all save energy.

In recognition of this progress and because it is no longer possible to purchase inefficient light bulbs for the majority of of household applications, the EPA has ended the ENERGY STAR program for the most common light fixtures. Only high performing recessed downlights may continue to earn the label. You may continue to see products packaged with the ENERGY STAR logo on store shelves in early 2025 because the EPA is allowing manufacturers to sell through their remaining stock and minimize waste.<<<<

To which I reply: Yes, but ENERGY STAR certification required testing for long-term performance, not just efficiency. FFI: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-epa-plans-to-terminate-the-energy-star-program-heres-what-that-means/

Thanks for all your help.

Jon

[Chris Meyer]

DLC is what you're after for LEDs:

https://designlights.org/qpl/

it's either the ballast or the LED driver (the ballast is powering another power supply in the light bulb) going into thermal protection.  I'm not sure the cool towel is cooling the electronics in the ballast, they're typically heat sinked to the bottom of the case (light fixture base) and potted in goo.  I'd suggest taking the ballast out and just rewiring the fixture to be direct wire so you don't have to worry about the ballast gain efficiency not powering two power supplies.  

We rewired all of our T8 fixtures to LEDs without ballasts and it's been working well for the last 8 years, we've had some premature bulb failure all in the bulbs that are dished to trap heat so temperature is definitely a defining factor in service life.

Chris

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sector67 Public" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to sector67+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sector67/42a0f74c-34d7-4a07-94bf-d296e196e075n%40googlegroups.com.