Old generation LEDLites (TLC Product) unreliable with design flaw?

[eveares]

So I have 5 of These (LT FRD12DL) in my bathroom as one may know, and was just wondering how many others on here have had issues with ones purchased in 2012/2013 failing after two or three years?

Mine were purchased and installed in 2013, and I have had to replace 3 different ones out of the 5 of them already. I am thankful they have a 5 year guarantee.

They were obviously re-designed as the new generation go out straight away when turned off rather than fading out like the old generation.

Regards: Elliott.

 

[Echo the husky]

I've only had one fail out of loads, I was sat below it when it failed, it just went off, no smoke or loud bangs, which was rather disappointing. The 2 above my head fade away when switched off. It was the power supply that failed.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

no smoke or loud bangs, which was rather disappointing.

You have an odd idea of what is gratifying.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I installed about 20 of those about 3 years ago (only because it was then the only one with a brass bezel option).

One did fail after a couple of years, but the others are still going OK.

 

[eveares]

Oh Dear! Another two have failed, 1 last week and 1 yesterday!

Am I doing something wrong/stupid or just have extremely bad luck. Already checked and verified the maintenance free connections to the units.

The map below indicates how many times each lamp has failed. The one with two failures was only replaced about a year ago.

X = 0 Failures X = 1 Failures X = 2 Failures

x..........x
.............
......x.....
.............
x..........x


Maybe it's time to replace them all with some thing else entirely. Anyone got any recommendations? Need to be daylight colour temperature, SELV and fire rated.

Regards: Elliott.

 

[Echo the husky]

The emergency one I have at the top of the stairs now flickers when it's cold, that also started last week!

 

[securespark]

Nothing as straight-forward as overheating, maybe due to insulation?

Take the insulation off the overheating ones and wrap it round the chilly one?

 

[arbitrary]

Have had 2 lights just go dead and then started to get random 6A lighting circuit trips when a string of these was being turned on or off. Finally the string would not come on at all. Traced it to one light whose driver looks a bit worse for wear. Unfortunately they were installed as part of kitchen remodel so would need to go back through him. Underwhelmed at the number of failures and this one in particular could have caused a more serious issue than a tripped breaker.

 

[Echo the husky]

Blimey, I hope that unit gets sent back to the manufacturer for inspection.

I wonder what the fault was in yours, the resistor that looks cooked is in series with the mains supply. In the one I have here it is 249Ω 3W metal oxide film resistor. The other visible resistor is also in series with the mains supply. Unless the heat was from further inside the unit? Did the fuse that is now visible blow? The previous dead ones had shorted main transistor that took out the input fuse. Do you have a photo of the inside of that power supply?

I hate these lights now, I replaced 2 here that went wrong, one standard one emergency converted. Then the emergency gear failed with swollen caps, the caps were replaced then a month later it went bang.