You all may have been using LED strip lights for a long time. And you must have been satisfied with the LED strip light’s performance. In fact, if we compare it to other lights, LED strip lights may seem like the best option.
But, regardless of this fact, LED strip lights to have some insurmountable shortcomings. The possible reason behind this could be that LEDs strip lights have gotten famous because of their unique features. But, you have to acknowledge that LED strip lights also lack in several aspects.
It may seem very efficient at first, but it might disappoint you in later stages.
So let’s go through all the disadvantages so that you know how to overcome those and continue using your favorite LED strip lights.
Disadvantages Of LED Strip Lights
You may be sitting with your friends or family, enjoying the well-lit atmosphere. But suddenly, the LED strip lights stop working. It starts emitting smoke, starts flickering, or other problems may occur.
And you start thinking, what could be the possible reason behind it? Is there something wrong with your electrical connections?
This is because you did not pay much attention to the disadvantages of the LED strip lights, and now it is malfunctioning.
However, there could be many reasons behind it, but some of the disadvantages of LED strip lights are briefly explained below:
1. Temperature Dependence
The performance of LED strip lights gets affected by the ambient temperature of the surrounding area. Therefore, in case of rapid temperature rise, it may overheat the LED package. As a consequence, the device might get damaged or fail.
To maintain the long life of LED strip lights, sufficient heat-sinking must take place. Therefore, it’s usually applied to those areas where the LED lights must operate for a more extended period. For example, in the military, automotive, or medical applications.
Therefore, if you want these lights to work longer, they have to work at a moderate temperature.
2. Blue Pollution
Blue light, also known as “high-energy short-wave blue light,” is a reasonably high-intensity beam. It has a wavelength between 400nm and 480nm. The radiation in this range harms the eye’s macula, putting it at risk of damage.
Blue light is found in sunlight and digital electronics displays such as cell phones, televisions, automobile headlights, and neon signs. Therefore, people are exposed to a lot of blue light from these electronic devices for an extended amount of time. This results in an eye disease known as “blue light pollution.”
Some of the LED strip lights possess high color temperature, and these are primarily cool-white LEDs. No doubt, they emit substantially more blue light as compared to any conventional outside light source. This blue light naturally occurs in bright sunlight, and anything too bright can affect your health badly.
Blue light might be the reason for photochemical damage of the retina. And it may cause macular degeneration of the skin.
It affects your body’s biological clock. Its long-term use will not only damage your eyes but will also affect your sleep. As a result, circadian clock disorders may occur, which reduces human immunity.
Therefore, normalize the bad effect of LED strip lights on health. And starting to avoid excessive blue light can save you from severe health problems.
How to specifically avoid blue light pollution?
The main reason for blue light hazards is that blue light varies with color temperature. It’s directly proportional to color temperature. If the color temperature increases, the blue light hazard also gets high.
Therefore, controlling the color temperature is one of the suitable ways to reduce blue light hazards.
For this purpose, you can use blue light reduction lamp belts, anti-blue light glasses, etc.
3. LED Flickering And Health Risks
Just like conventional fluorescent lighting, LED systems are also vulnerable to rapid flickering and stroboscopic effects. No wonder this is significantly considerable when it comes to health and LED strip lighting.
Even if flickering can’t be perceived immediately by your eyes, your body can subconsciously respond to such a kind of speedy strobe light. But, unfortunately, flicker can also cause eye strain, headaches, fatigue, etc.
Ironically, the flickering feature is a bit difficult to measure and observe in LED lighting. According to preliminary research, it’s not noticeable, but it can affect your health and safety.
That is why you need to be very careful while selecting LEDs, as it puts your health at risk!
4. Power Fluctuation Problem In LED Strip Lights
Another disadvantage of LED strip lights is power fluctuation. If you have a fan heater or boilers at home, then you must have experienced this problem.
These devices need substantial voltage to function. Because fluctuation tends to happen when you switch them off. Unfortunately, it can also cause your lights to flicker for a brief moment. Or some of your appliances may lose their performance.
But have you ever wondered why these fluctuations happen in the first place?
This is because most of the electrical connections that you have in your homes are incorrectly installed. One may install it without measuring the correct dimensions, which could hinder the current flow.
In either situation, if you are experiencing fluctuation issues, consulting an electrician would be a better idea!
5. LED Strip Light Attracts Bugs
Another thing that makes LEDs less convincing is that LED strip lights attract bugs. If you want to illuminate the outdoors, LEDs might interrupt your pleasing environment. It brings in a lot of bugs.
Insects are attracted towards certain types of wavelengths, and it is also possible in LED strip lights.
Therefore don’t buy LEDS strip lights above or below the range of 2000k-5500k. Otherwise, LED strip lights might not work as per your expectations.
All the reasons mentioned above that hinder the working of LED lights don’t mean that you shouldn’t use them. You just have to find the correct supplier who can provide you with high-quality lights. And also guarantee that the problems mentioned above won’t occur.
In What Conditions Does LED Strip Light Fail To Work?
In many cases, people turn a blind eye towards the poor working quality of LED strip lights. As a result, they don’t bother to pay attention to fixing and applying LED strip lights.
Such conditions might involve:
Randomly Using LED Strip Light In An Incandescent Light Fixture
At times, LED strip lights to get along with incandescent light fixtures. But in the case of restricted air supply, LED strip lights may warm up and eventually turn off.
Another problem is that its dimming quality may not work correctly if installed in a different or incompatible light fixture.
If you want your LED strip lights to function well, you should use a compatible light fixture.
How To Make Your LED Strip Lights Workable?
Let’s assume you have fixed everything correctly and checked all the connections. But, when you switch on the light, nothing lightens your space, and you become perplexed!
Did something go wrong? Did you miss anything that had to be fixed?
Let’s make sure to check the following list to make your LEDs workable:
1. Check Rating Compatibility
Usually, there is a chance of fair error in interfacing some incompatible power supply to the LED strips. Verify whether the power value is viable with what the strip needs.
For example, associating a 12V DC with a 24V LED strip won’t work.
2. Check On Power Supply
You need to be very confident that your power supply is functioning well. Give a brief look to see if everything is in place.
For this, you can take the help of a multimeter to analyze voltage differential. If its value is lesser than the power rate, it’s apparent that you have a power supply breakdown.
3. Check On Loose Connections
Thoroughly check the whole system to see if there are any loose connections. Since electricity connections are very delicate, one loose connection might lead to the failure of the entire setup.
Therefore you need to scrutinize each and every wire. If you find any wire unplugged or plugged wrongfully, fix it immediately.
4. Check On Electrical Resistance
Another hurdle in producing convenient LED strip lights could be electrical resistance. It mainly occurs due to poor quality electrical connection going through eroded copper.
So, make sure that your LED wires are clean.
If you come across any dusty or rusty wire, cut that rusty part off. Now, start using a cleaner feature for electrical connection.
With the checklist clearly mentioned above, ensure that you tick all of them. The lack of even a single one can have a negative impact on the functioning of LED strip lights.
Conclusion
No wonder LED strip lights have gained popularity within no time. But, it’s time to acknowledge the issues related to them.
It’s time for the industry to make LED strip lights more feasible for people. And many manufacturers are doing that. If you are paying for the better quality of light, then you must get what you deserve. Rather than incorporating advanced features, fixing the current ones might work better.
Either way, make this a habit of yours and carefully check every aspect of LED strip lights before investing your money. Of course, picking the right LED supplier for better quality must be on top of your checklist.
