Do LED Lights Get Hot?
LED lights are the new, energy-efficient alternative to incandescent bulbs, and they offer a lot of benefits over their predecessors. However, many people wonder whether they suffer from one of the biggest problems with incandescent bulbs: overheating.
In this guide, we’ll explain how LED lights work, whether they get hot, and how to troubleshoot overheating LED lights.
1. How do LED lights work?
Light Emitting Diodes, or LEDs, are a spectacular invention that have changed the lighting industry entirely. They are key components of all screens and many of the lights you see around you in the modern world – from large screens in stadiums to phone screens to many lighting fixtures inside of buildings. But how on earth do they work?
Like their name implies, LEDs are diodes – electrical components that allow current to flow only in one direction. LEDs produce light through this movement of current. As electrons move to different layers around an atom’s nucleus – called an “orbital” – they can release photons. Photons are a kind of energy that we perceive as visible light. Thus, light-emitting diodes.
2. Do LED lights get hot?
Many people believe that LEDs are superior to incandescents partially because they don’t emit any heat. This is half true – the actual LED part of the light emits very little heat. You can touch the bulb and generally not feel anything. However, the metal base of the bulb that powers the LED can become hot to the touch.
LED lights will never get as hot as incandescent lights – except, of course, for LED lights designed to emit heat, like animal warmers – and they will rarely become too hot to touch. Some of the metal elements of LED lights may become warm, but it is nothing compared to the burning and white-hot heat of an incandescent lamp. For this reason, LEDs are sometimes considered a safer option for home lighting, as you can avoid starting fires or getting burns from touching light bulbs.
However, as you might imagine, LED lights do emit some heat. After all, they use energy, and not all of this energy can be efficiently converted into visible light; some of the energy they are supplied is inadvertently turned into heat as a waste product. For regular use, this amount of heat is not an issue. You may want to avoid touching the metal elements of LED lights that have been in use for a long time.
For larger or more powerful LED lights, heat can be a much more significant issue, though not for the reasons you might think. While incandescents produce heat that can be potentially hazardous, LEDs are sensitive to heat and can have their lifespans degraded by extensive exposure to it. Most LED light systems have a heatsink that redirects heat away from the elements that are sensitive to it in order to mitigate any damage caused by it.
3. Why are my LED lights getting hot?
As mentioned above, even LED lights still emit some heat through their metal elements – though not nearly as much as incandescent light bulbs. If your general-purpose LED lighting is getting extremely hot, there may be one or more reasons why this is occurring.
3.1 Poorly constructed or damaged light
Typically, LEDs use heat sinks to pull heat away from the electronic components and prevent them from decaying over time, as heat degrades the materials used to build the LEDs. However, some low-quality or cheap bulbs will have design flaws, like neglecting to include adequate heat sinks for energy produced by the bulb.
Additionally, damaged bulbs can have problems in their circuitry that result in an inefficient conversion of electricity to light, causing an excess of heat.
Avoid using damaged or worn-out LED bulbs, and try to spring for reliably made LED light bulbs to avoid problems with overheating.
3.2 Use in an enclosed fixture
Some LED bulbs are not designed for use in an enclosed fixture, like a ceiling light or some lamp designs. These fixtures prevent air from escaping, which can trap heat in the metal elements of the bulb, causing them to heat up. This can also cause degradation to the bulb over time.
3.3 Dust or ventilation problems
LED lights may also get hotter than normal if they encounter environmental conditions that prevent proper cooling and ventilation. This can include small, enclosed areas, LED lights running underneath heavy materials, high ambient temperatures in the room, and an excess of dust, which can coat the LED and prevent heat from escaping. Make sure you keep your LEDs clear and dust-free, and avoid running LEDs in a super hot environment. Never leave LEDs in a pile of clothing or under a rug, either, as this can cause them to heat up more than the typical amount.
4. Why don’t LED lights get as hot as incandescent bulbs?
LED lights can get warm or hot to the touch, but do not get as hot as incandescent bulbs, which can cause burns or explode upon contact with cold surfaces or substances. But why is this the case?
Have you ever seen a video of a blacksmith heating a piece of metal until it’s white-hot and glowing? Incandescent bulbs do the same thing – they produce light by heating a metal filament until it is so hot that it glows. Heat is an essential part of how they produce light, but as a result, they produce a lot of waste heat that can warm the lightbulb and the area around the lightbulb. This can sometimes cause burns and is often a cause of caution around incandescents, even after they have been turned off.
By contrast, LED light bulbs produce light by sending an electrical signal to the lighting element, called a light-emitting diode, which creates light. LEDs do not rely primarily on heat to create light, unlike incandescents. However, electricity is energy, and any process that relies on electricity is going to create a little bit of heat. That’s why you might feel a bit of warmth when touching the metal elements of your LED lightbulb. Regardless, however, the amount of heat produced by an LED will always be significantly lower than the amount of heat produced by an incandescent producing the same amount of light.
LEDs are also much more energy-efficient than incandescent light bulbs for this reason. It takes a lot more energy to heat something to be white-hot than it does to send an electrical impulse to a diode. Incandescent only use a small fraction of the energy they consume to produce the light we see, and the rest of that energy is given off as heat. By contrast, LEDs use almost all of the energy they consume to produce visible light. LEDs are much more environmentally friendly, and they can produce light at much lower wattages than incandescents.
5. Are LED lights safe to leave on all night?
Many homeowners wonder whether it’s safe to leave LED lights on all night, since it’s generally known that you should turn off incandescent lights when not in use. The short answer is yes – it is generally safe to leave typical household LED lights on all night if you follow proper precautions.
Typical LED lights emit very little external heat and therefore pose very little fire risk on their own. Many fires from lights and lightbulbs are caused by overheating or hot lightbulbs meeting flammable items, which is not as big of an issue for LED bulbs.
However, LED lights are still electrical appliances, so it’s important to follow all of the regular precautions you would follow with other small electrical appliances. Avoid using any LED lamps or light products that have cracked or damaged cords. Avoid overloading any sockets with too many LED light appliances, and don’t overload power strips with LEDs, either.
The overall safety of LED lights makes them a great option for ambient lighting that you might have on all the time in your home. Many people use LED nightlights, LED holiday decorations, and LED strip lights for mood lighting, without having to worry about turning them off before bed. Plus, LED lights can be great for subtle accent lighting, like under-cabinet lighting, lighting behind monitors, and even lighting under furniture.
Some people even opt to leave LED lights on while they go on vacation to give the illusion that they are home, preventing break-ins. How’s that for safe?
Remember that LEDs are still electrical appliances that produce some heat, so there is technically always a risk of fire which can increase when you use low-quality or damaged LED lighting. Additionally, some homeowners opt to turn their LED lights on when they are not in use to preserve their longevity. Light most lights, LEDs lose brightness over time, and running them when it’s not necessary can contribute to their decay. Additionally, leaving LED lights on can cause the metal elements of the light to get hot, which can decrease their longevity.
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