LEDs...a fire danger if they are not US made?

[tadd5181]

I recently bought 6 LED light bulbs to replace what I call "regular" bulbs on the ceiling of my 200 420 Passage Hunter. The bulbs have two very thin prongs, are tubular in shape, one-quarter inch diameter, and are about an inch long. The LEDs cost $6.50 each. My Hunter has about 35 such interior lights. It is an expensive outlay to replace them all. I am interested in the immense saving on power by using LEDs. Hunting for a cheaper price than $6.50 each, I came across an ad for what appeared to me the identical bulb for $1 apiece. An electrician replacing our kitchen fluorescent lights with LEDs, warned against using ones that were not US manufactured, saying the cheaper ones could cause a fire., especially if they are from China. The cheaper ones I ordered have now arrived and they are from Singapore, not China. From an appearance standpoint, they are identical, color, shape, and interior design in my inexperienced opinion.

Anyone have experience with such LEDs? Any fires or other dire warnings?

 

[Terry Cox]

Sorry, but I have no experience with the LEDs that you refer. What I do have experience with is https://store.marinebeam.com/about/. I have replaced all our interior and exterior lights with their products and have gotten excellent results. Yes, they cost more, but I want a safe and effective product, FWIW.

 

[Rich Stidger]

I bought some foreign made LEDs a couple years ago from Amazon that are current regulated and have an operating voltage range from 10-30V AC or DC so they are not polarized. They have been working very well and I am more than satisfied. BTW, nearly all LED computer screens and TVs are made overseas. FWIW, I have never heard of any hazard with LEDs from any source.

 

[Sailgunner]

I did a lot of research on this and have gone through 3 replacement to 1) assure correct voltage and 2) obtain maximum light output. I have China bulbs with voltage rating of 10-30V. That is extremely important. Do not buy bulbs just rated for 12V because they can overheat with charging. These are the last bulbs I purchased and produce more light than I ever had before.
G4 Led - 12 pcs 5050 leds
Color: Pure White
Voltage: Wide Volt AC/DC10-30V
They cost $2.86 each one year ago. Some like the warm light but I found the white provides more light.

 

[bawlmer]

Your electrician was probably referring to the household LEDs that run on 115 VAC. I bet his concern (probably valid) is the step down power supply on those bulbs. The marine LEDs are 12-24 VDC and are fine. I have been using those cheap LED bulbs from Singapore for cabin and Nav lights since 2013 and never had an issue except one random failure. Also you must use the warm white for nav lights to conform to Coast Guard regulations. If you are brave enough to change out your anchor light you can use cool white which is brighter.

 

[uncledom]

I'm very happy with marinebeam products. The lamps and their customer service are both excellent.

 

[Benny17441]

I agree that cheap light bulbs can cause fires but I do not think the country where the bulbs are manufactured defines whether they are dangerous or not. I see that the major light bulb manufacturers here in the US manufacture a lot of their bulbs overseas and even in China. I guess the best protection is to go with a product from a company that has a good reputation and presence in the US and avoid those real inexpensive items.

 

[uncledom]

I believe alot of the safety of an LED device is the driver board. It is basically a variable voltage transformer that keeps the output steady to the lamp even though the input voltage may vary within a predetermined range. The range on the Marine Beam lamps are 9v DC to 32v DC. I work routinely with LED replacement lamps for Higher voltage AC systems and they routinely manufacture drivers that accept 120v thru 277v inputs.

 

[Maine Sail]

I have found LED emitters that have physically melted their solder and fallen out of the PC board on three different vessels now. In each case the LED's were purchased off eBay as "12V LED's" but they had nothing or only a resistor as regulation.

A proper 12V LED, suitable for use on boats with varying DC voltages, will always have a usable voltage range of 10-30V. If it does not state 10-30V walk away. Marine Beam in an excellent supplier of good quality "constant current 10-30V LED's". Marine Beam is also the supplier to other OEM marine lighting manufacturers. Some of their LED's come from China, some from Germany and some from Taiwan and Japan. China is not the issue it is construction and regulation of the LED that matters.