LED in question??

dirk_brijs

dirk_brijs

Member
any truth to this or just a doubter trying to make everybody doubt??
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/greenbuild2010_richman_ledtech.pdf
 
cam78

cam78

Active Member
I think they are harping on small facts. LED's produce "NO HEAT". No obviously not true. They produce SOME heat. Not like a metal Halide. A lot cooler than most lights. But produce some heat obviously.
"Last forever" all I say about that is, NOTHING lasts forever.
As for what is your electric bill gonna be? They produce less wattage then your typical electric bulbs and lights. I cannot elaborate on that much because it requires a lot of statistics I don't have.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
What truth is it that you're looking for excactly?
The diodes do get hot and need to be cooled or else they will burn out. They don't radiat heat like halide bulbs do so there is virtually no heat transfered to the tank like there is with halide though.
Life of the bulbs depends on many things. Typically the 3watt bulbs that most people are using over their reefs will range from around 7,000 hours to 50,000 hours life expectancy. But that really depends on how high they are being drivin and how efficiently they are being cooled.
On average I think you can get roughly the same amount of light with the led's as you can with the halides while only using half the wattage. So yes they do have the potential to reduce energy cost vs some of the other lighting options available to reefers.
 
dirk_brijs

dirk_brijs

Member
as everything in this report is true it is not as much on how long they last but how fast the also loose there efficiency and color thus making them ineffective for the aquarium setup?
Meaning they wont have to be changed every 5 years as most say but almost every year? Which looking at the price willbecme a costly affair? Almost as costly as changing MH and T5 every 6 months?
Again I am not a doubter yet but this seem to be stuff to look at no?
I am considering using a full LED fixture on my next system?
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by dirk_brijs http:///forum/thread/383413/led-in-question#post_3353133
as everything in this report is true it is not as much on how long they last but how fast the also loose there efficiency and color thus making them ineffective for the aquarium setup?
Meaning they wont have to be changed every 5 years as most say but almost every year? Which looking at the price willbecme a costly affair? Almost as costly as changing MH and T5 every 6 months?
Again I am not a doubter yet but this seem to be stuff to look at no?
I am considering using a full LED fixture on my next system?
Off of the top of my head I don't have any info to share with you for proof but if you do enough reading on them I believe you will find that they do not drop in efficiency over the life of the bulb as do halides and fluorsecents. That's what makes them so efficient in the long run is the fact that you don't have costly bulb replacement to have to deal with. You'll pay a little more money upfront but it's well worth it in the long run because they last so much longer and the output doesn't drop nor does the spectrum shift like with other bulbs which is why we have to replace them so often.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Snapple http:///forum/thread/383413/led-in-question#post_3353141
Okay, after 50,000 hours a LED will decrease its output from 100% to about 75%
That's around 12 years if you ran them 12 hours a day. But it all depends on how hard the led's are being pushed and cooled whether they'll last that long on our systems or not. Nobody has really been using them on our tanks for that long yet.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Agree.....Can't say for sure on life expectancy, but compared to what you will save on electrical cost, cooling, and bulb changes they are definitely more efficient than MH's. Josh I don't know if we will honestly get 12 years out of them, but even 1/2 that would be sweet IMHO......Even with their drop off to 75% isn't bad as well. Depending how hard you drive them which most people aren't I would imagine the life will be pretty good as long as the rigs are constructed properly....
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/383413/led-in-question#post_3353130
What truth is it that you're looking for excactly?
The diodes do get hot and need to be cooled or else they will burn out. They don't radiat heat like halide bulbs do so there is virtually no heat transfered to the tank like there is with halide though.
Life of the bulbs depends on many things. Typically the 3watt bulbs that most people are using over their reefs will range from around 7,000 hours to 50,000 hours life expectancy. But that really depends on how high they are being drivin and how efficiently they are being cooled.
On average I think you can get roughly the same amount of light with the led's as you can with the halides while only using half the wattage. So yes they do have the potential to reduce energy cost vs some of the other lighting options available to reefers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/383413/led-in-question#post_3353146
That's around 12 years if you ran them 12 hours a day. But it all depends on how hard the led's are being pushed and cooled whether they'll last that long on our systems or not. Nobody has really been using them on our tanks for that long yet.
 
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