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LEDs' Dirty Little Secrets

May 1, 2010 12:00 PM, By Steven Bellwoar, Colonial Electric Supply and Paul Hammelef, Colonial Major Projects
Despite the obvious bright future of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), this new technology still Share This Article
has many obstacles to overcome
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Although light-emitting diode (LED) technology has been around for several decades, it's only
recently started to become a player in mainstream commercial lighting applications. As the
number of manufacturers offering LED-based luminaires continues to grow, it appears this technology has reached its
potential for almost any lighting application.

LEDs claim many advantages over traditional lamps (i.e.,

incandescent, HID, and fluorescent), namely durability and longevity.
Despite these benefits, the most obvious challenge with LED lighting
is its high initial purchase price tag — a reality that undoubtedly
stems from its newness to the market. Like all new technologies,
however, the cost is expected to eventually decrease to a more
competitive level.

Aside from price, there are several other pros and cons to consider
when it comes to working with LEDs. As an electrical contractor
looking to install LED-based luminaires, you must be aware of the
more important problems/concerns. Following is a discussion of
some of the challenges Colonial Electric Supply has run into on
some recent projects.

Heat
Outdoor LED luminaires today are rated for a number of different
temperature ranges, with the maximum typically running around 120°
F for standard products. However, on some outdoor installations in
the southern United States, especially in alcoves and unprotected areas located in direct sunlight, temperatures can easily
soar past this level.

In fact, on one recent large government project, specifications called for 120°F-rated luminaires, which our firm supplied.
However, following the installation, field tests revealed on-site temperatures exceeding 160°F, leading us to work with the
contractor to remove, retrofit with mil-grade capacitors, and reinstall quite a few of the LED-based luminaires. What's the
lesson to be learned here? Be aware that high heat and humidity levels can lower product life spans, and make sure you
meet all manufacturer specifications as to where products should be installed. If in doubt, contact the manufacturers you're
considering using, and request a site visit prior to purchase or installation.

Moisture
Although moisture can be the enemy of any luminaire, it presents a unique problem for outdoor LED-based luminaires. Similar
to the way moisture affects a cell phone or laptop, as moisture enters the housing of an LED luminaire, it can quickly short it
out. In fact, it's not uncommon for service or repair work on LED luminaires to involve the recaulking of housing openings. In
especially high-humidity applications, moisture creep has been found to be a considerable problem.

This occurs when the outside conditions cause condensation on the inside of the enclosure. While the enclosures may be
sealed very tightly by lighting fixture standards, they are not vacuum sealed or produced like ones made for explosionproof
applications, for example. The electronics do need some ventilation. Newer generation LED enclosures may have better
venting and climate-controlling features that seek to prevent moisture from developing; some are even considering the use of
small fans for ventilation similar to the microprocessor in a computer.

Color matching
Our firm first noticed this problem on a large casino application several years ago. Why do color matching problems still exist
today? Because LED chips are produced in batches and are actually kept organized in separate bins by manufacturing
production runs. The bin is a manufacturer term for the storage location of a certain batch of LED chips that were all produced
in the same manufacturing run on the same day. If the LEDs are supplied from the same bin, then they will have the same
color characteristic.

The challenge has been to exactly reproduce the color from one batch of product to the next. On large outdoor accent lighting
projects, the color differences can be very noticeable to the casual onlooker. Typically, the differences in color shading are
minor. However, depending on the proximity of the application to street level and the quantity of LEDs coming from different
batches, this may or may not be a big problem. Some jobs require a trial and error process in order to find the best match
when applying new LEDs to an existing application. The manufacturers' answer to this is to, whenever possible, equip all
luminaires with LEDs from the same manufacturing batch and bin. Unfortunately, when it's time to replace a luminaire, you're
now faced with installing a non-matching unit.

To combat this problem, some manufacturers recommend using products such as a light sanding agent to dull out the
newer/brighter LEDs so they match the existing units that are well into their useful life. Another solution is to ensure that extra
LEDs from the original batch are dedicated to attic stock for the project. However, our firm has had success using the sanding
technique as described above. Perhaps the best solution — but also the most expensive — is to use color-correcting LEDs.
This type of product measures the Kelvin temperature output and corrects the whiteness or yellowness of the light to a
preprogrammed level. This way, you control the color of the light, not the LED bin.

Installation challenges
At the top of the installation challenges list is the issue of varying voltage levels. Most LEDs do not run on line voltage, so a
stepped-down voltage is needed to power the device. This reduced voltage is typically supplied by remote ballasts.
Contractors have been dealing with low-voltage lighting for years, so this is not the problem. What is new is that LEDs operate
in a variety of low-voltage ranges, depending on the brand and application.

Unlike typical low-voltage lighting products, getting the voltage slightly wrong in an LED-based system is a bigger problem for
the LED. Because LEDs are extremely sensitive to under- or over-voltage, you must calculate voltage drop carefully and
correct for it. Capable transformers may have multiple taps within small differentials, and picking the wrong tap is a common
problem. Because most of the traditional low-voltage products work properly when using any of a number of similar voltages,
installers have sometimes improperly assumed that LED lighting will react the same way. To add to the confusion, many
different wiring connector solutions exist, even within the same brand of product.

Don't take dimming an LED-based luminaire for granted either. Sometimes it works as if the source is an incandescent lamp;
other times, if the voltage is too low, for example, standard dimmers do not work. Therefore, it's important to review the
compatibility of the product prior to installation. There is no rule of thumb, but reputable dimming companies are well aware of
this dynamically changing issue. Contractors who do not have direct experience with a particular dimming application should
contact the dimming manufacturer to ensure compatibility.

Finally, installing LEDs on larger outdoor projects typically requires you to use a computer interface. Many contractors are
fairly competent on the standard DMX interface that has been used for interfacing theatrical lighting with computers for years,
but what was once a niche application used mainly in theatrical lighting has now become mainstream. For our firm, teaming
up with theatrical specialists or system integrators has proven well worth the investment. But even then, the complexity of the
project sometimes cannot be overcome. For example, our company supplied LEDs for a large airport project a few years ago.
Upon a recent visit, the large color-changing LED luminaires were still not operational. Although we can't say for sure what the
problem is, we are confident that the products work as designed — leaving us to suspect that the configuration has just not
been completed yet.

Adhesive issues
On smaller applications, such as those that typically involve retrofitting LED product into incandescent fixtures and are often
found in downlights, one of the common problems with LED indoor luminaires has been that adhesives used in fixture
construction fail or are compromised, which causes them to interact with the LED source and results in light distortion or a
complete failure of the product.

Contractors should be on the lookout for LED products that appear cheaply constructed or those coming from an unknown
source. Because LED technology is so new, there are many low-level (typically offshore) mass producers of these types of
products that sell mainly on price. As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” In these cases, it's a short product life
cycle. Many of the more well-known brands also outsource some production to these companies and have learned the hard
way the need for closely monitoring quality control. As time goes on, the more reputable companies in the lighting industry
have upgraded their sourcing or taken the process in-house.

Application concerns
The biggest problem our firm has encountered with LED luminaires is — as a realtor would say — location, location, location.
The early hype was that LEDs could be put into inaccessible locations because, it was claimed, the light source would last
forever — the luminaire wouldn't even need servicing. Lately, however, the manufacturing community is backing off this claim
— and for good reason. In many cases, these luminaires have not proven to be any more robust than the familiar lamp-based
luminaires they're replacing.

Several large projects in the Gulf Coast region have not gone well, requiring replacing and upgrading of parts such as
capacitors and housings mid project. Based on our research, no single brand is immune from trouble; several are reacting
similarly to the conditions of extreme heat and humidity. Although they do perform well under shock conditions and offer
lengthy life spans of more than 50,000/hr, they are electronic-based products. Therefore, when installed outdoors, they can
act quite finicky, producing far less light output than expected, turning on and off intermittently, turning on at low levels when
they are set to the off position, or just plain failing.

Another issue to make note of is that well-known lumen calculations are lacking when applied to LED light sources. Beam
spectrum most definitely needs to be considered during the design phase of the project. In fact, it's best to double-check
these calculations with a lighting designer who has real-world experience with LEDs.

Lack of standards
Because this technology is so new and rapidly evolving, there are no solid standards to reference at this time. Manufacturers
and suppliers are not bound by a coordinated code of standards or even terminology. For example, broad spectrum, broad-
angle spectrum, full spectrum, and wide spectrum are all used in the LED world and may or may not mean something similar.
Unfortunately, users need to go directly to each manufacturer's literature to understand the specific features and abilities of
the product being supplied.

The future
The LED lighting revolution has and will continue to drastically change the lighting world. While contractors should not believe
all of the hype and claims from LED manufacturers, these products provide many advantages over almost all of the more
established and well-known lamp-based luminaires. Although the problems cited above relating to the newness of the
technology are certainly cause for concern, the biggest disadvantage right now is still the product's high price. Based on its
soaring popularity so far, it looks like the market has decided the pros outweigh the cons.

As a company with firsthand experience in working with these new products, having supplied millions of dollars of LED
lighting since the technology's inception and well over $200 million in commercial lighting projects over the past decade,
Colonial Major Projects would like to remind you of a common phrase — “buyer beware.” Do not make assumptions.
Research existing installations, and talk to the owners and other contractors about their experiences with these products. It's
probably worth paying a little extra to go with a respectable brand and supplier you're confident will be around to support the
product after the sale.

Bellwoar is president of Colonial Electric Supply, headquartered in King of Prussia, Pa. He can be reached
atsteven.bellwoar@colonialelectric.com. Hammelef, executive vice president of Colonial Major Projects, can be reached
atpaul.hammelef@colonialelectric.com.

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