LED lights are one of the stunning options when it comes to interior light decoration. Everyone loves to have LED lights as they are energy-efficient, easily available, and give your room an aesthetic look with various lighting options in multiple colors and shapes.
However, since people don’t know much about it, they keep wondering – are LED lights a fire hazard? Well, due to their advanced technology, LED lights generate very low to medium heat that is not close enough to cause a fire hazard.
Let’s find out more.
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Why LED Lights Are Safer Than Incandescent Bulb?
LED lights are available in various shapes, sizes, and colors. You can even find the firelight bulb, which simulates natural flickers like a flame without generating very low heat around it.
The traditional light sources, such as halogen, CFL, or incandescent bulbs, use all of their power sources to emit light and produce heat simultaneously. There are cases with halogen lights where the heat may rise to 1200 degrees.
As you can see, the traditional light sources produce a dangerous amount of heat if left unchecked. And the accidents happen when you keep the light on for a long time, and a flammable object or gas is present in the room.
What Causes Fire Hazard Incident with Light Bulbs?
The reason behind such an incident can cause either one of the following:
1. Â Â Â Not following the manufacturer’s instructions for fixtures
In every packaging of bulbs, the manufacturers write down voltage and other necessary instructions to install the light bulb. If the wiring is old, the voltage exceeds the bulb’s needs, or any other electrical misconnection can cause a fire hazard.
2. Â Â Â The excessive heat of the light bulb and a flammable object near it:
Excessive overheating is a common issue in traditional bulbs, whereas the LED light bulbs are much cooler when you turn them on for a long time.
Generally, the halogen bulbs give off 216 degrees Celsius or 420 degrees Fahrenheit temperature after lighting up for 3 minutes. Other incandescent bulbs can produce heat up to 572 degrees Fahrenheit.
An incandescent bulb’s heat is enough to ignite a fire if a flammable object is nearby. At festivals, the decorations contain paper/ fabric/ plastic and lighting. And to ignite wool and cotton, the light surface needs to produce 442 degrees and 428 degrees Fahrenheit heat.
As you can see, light bulbs other than LEDs can produce enough heat to initiate fire. However, the LED bulbs only generate 91 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not a significant amount of heat to create fire. So, a contact fire with LED light is relatively low.
Is LED light Strip a Fire hazard?
The LED light strips work with the same mechanism as the light bulb. But since strip lights contain a series of small bulbs and their electrical source is the same circuit, they produce much more heat than a normal bulb.
Usually, LED strips do not pose the threat of a contact fire. All you need to do is check the electric circuit is installed properly.
Safety Precautions You Should Take for LED Lights:
Even though there are fewer incidents regarding fire hazards for LED lights overheating, it is not uncommon. The possibility of the fire remains due to many other related reasons that can catalyst such an accident.
The best practice is to always keep the following guidelines in mind if you want to avoid such an accident.
- Even if it costs you more money, try to purchase high-quality electric parts with ETL or UL standards.
- Try to avoid using LED lights on lamps. If you purchase a lamp with LED light, ensure that the LED light is marked as ‘Enclosed fixture Rated.’
- Keep the surrounding of a light source open so heat distribution is even for all sides of the bulb.
- Purchase LED lights with built-in drivers. The driver regulates the amount of current appropriate for a LED light fixture. In simple words, if an excessive amount of current is flowing in the bulb, unfortunately, the driver minimizes the voltage and passes only the amount of current needed for the bulb to illuminate.
- Before installing the light, read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully to avoid making any mistakes regarding the voltage or warring.
- Turn off the light when you do not need it anymore.
Conclusion:
Hopefully, now you can understand that instead of asking – are LED lights a fire hazard? You should ask if the electric connection is safe to use?
Also, when purchasing the light, try it in the shop once to see if the light is defective or not. Further, try to avoid buying cheaply manufactured bulbs and a power control board.