Forum Discussion

abby323's avatar
abby323
Explorer
Aug 15, 2015

LED Light Conversion

Has anyone had a problem with the led's getting hot and melting the shades in your RV, Just wondering if that was something to look out for. give me your feedback, Thanks N5LUI
  • What type of LED bulbs are you using that melt your shades?

    LED's usually run cooler.
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    I recently bought some 5630 G4 leds to compare to the 5050 I usually buy. I was surprised how hot they got (210 degrees) and you can read my comparison here.
  • abby323 wrote:
    Has anyone had a problem with the led's getting hot and melting the shades in your RV, Just wondering if that was something to look out for. give me your feedback, Thanks N5LUI


    Yes....kind of.

    The "plug and play" LED assemblies tend to be larger than the bulbs they are replacing but NOT hotter unless you REALLY get carried away with the amount of light output.

    So it should not be a problem unless the new LEDs actually touch the shade or come a LOT closer than the old bulb did.

    The only place I've had a problem is replacing the bulb in a "night light" type of fixture. The replacement LED touched the small plastic strip cover to the point of bowing it out a bit. The cover wasn't suffering but the LED got hot enough to quit working. I just removed the cover and problem solved.
  • We have led replacements for both fluorescent and incandescent bulbs and they don't get hot. They were pretty expensive so that might be a factor.
  • I have noticed that LED fixtures are much cooler than the the standard lights they replaced. At my work, we replaced a bunch of spotlights that are pointed at pictures. The old lamps where about 50 watts, while 13 watt LED's replaced them. Before we had problems with the ceramic base cracking and becoming brittle. While the fixture was rated to run 200F, they where really hot before making the change. We also got a rebate to help pay for the new LED bulbs, but the 37 watts per fixture X 8700 hours a year they stayed on saved enough to cover their costs too! It is in a retirement center, so we never shut off these light at night, and yes they run all day too.

    Fred.