LED bulbs

[northgeorgia]

OK, I never really thought of this. But I saw this comment posted on Facebook today to Clark Howard's advice column on how to reduce utility bill costs:

I found LEDs leak RF noise and block out my TV and radio signals. So I sill have normal bulbs. I have yet to find a CFL that works outside in winter here so my spot lights are still halogen.

So, can anyone verify this? I would assume this would only affect indoor rabbit ear and radio whip antennas, and not outdoor OTA antennas or satellite dishes, right?

 

[77TA]

I don’t know about led bulbs, but every bulb in my house is compact fluorescent and have never noticed any problems with satellite reception.

 

[mike123abc]

LED bulbs (and CFLs) have transformers in them, possibly causing some issues on a weak signal. I have a lot of LED bulbs and have never noticed any interference issues.

 

[andy_horton]

Don't know if this helps, but everytime I turn on my kitchen lights, which are fluorescent, I used to see a signal drop on hi VHF using an indoor antenna. I had to adjust the antenna for better results. Keep in mind this is an indoor antenna. That being said, my floor lamp has 3 of the spiral bulbs and is closer than the kitchen to the antenna and I never noticed any problems using the closer floor lamp. Weird, huh?!

 

[TNGTony]

The RF noise emmitted from a well-constructed LED bulb will pail in comparison to a regular desktop/laptop computer, refrigerator, printer, TV set (especially CRT), or any outlet in use with a bad ground. I think that person has other issues with LED bulbs or perhaps what they stand for in his mind.

 

[primestar31]

I just installed a lot of Cree brand led bulbs ( homedepot.com ) , and I haven't seen any issues. Much better light then the crappy cfl's, and there's no warm up time. The 75w 5000k bulbs I use outside in the sensor security lights, are so freaking bright that if you are looking at them when they come on, they can dazzle you.

The downside is that the 75w bulbs are about $16 each, or a hair cheaper if you buy the 6-pack. The 60w versions are 1/2 that price, but at 2700k are too yellow for me.

 

[. Raine]

The RF noise emmitted from a well-constructed LED bulb will pail in comparison to a regular desktop/laptop computer, refrigerator, printer, TV set (especially CRT), or any outlet in use with a bad ground. I think that person has other issues with LED bulbs or perhaps what they stand for in his mind.

Hit the nail right on the head there, I think. Maybe that person owns a company that manufactures incandescent bulbs.

 

[TNGTony]

Here is a pretty good article on the issue along with graphs of RF noise with the LED bulbs on and off:
http://www.ledbenchmark.com/faq/LED-interference-issues.html

 

[waylew]

The RF noise emmitted from a well-constructed LED bulb will pail in comparison to a regular desktop/laptop computer, refrigerator, printer, TV set (especially CRT), or any outlet in use with a bad ground. I think that person has other issues with LED bulbs or perhaps what they stand for in his mind.

You might want to add pail and pale to your sig.Yes,I'm just being a smart ass .

 

[jorgek]

Don't have a problem with CFLs outside in the cold. Takes a bit longer to get to full output.

 

[Trip]

It depends on the bulb, really. I've heard of LED or CFL bulbs with bad or noisy transformers causing a lot of interference, but there are plenty out there which don't cause any.

- Trip

 

[andy_horton]

The RF noise emmitted from a well-constructed LED bulb will pail in comparison to a regular desktop/laptop computer, refrigerator, printer, TV set (especially CRT), or any outlet in use with a bad ground. I think that person has other issues with LED bulbs or perhaps what they stand for in his mind.

Lol. .true

 

[navychop]

No probs with LEDs here. Love 'em. And we prefer the warmer 2700 and 3000 K bulbs. And the latest ones even seem to dim better, when matched with dimmers made for LEDs.

We have a couple of lighted fans with dimmer switches bought a year or two ago. When the first incandescent bulb burned out, we put in LEDs. BAD dimming. And left on full, after an hour or so would start to cycle on and off. Replaced dimmers with new, made for LED types and they never cycle on and off and they dim quite well. Not as well as incandescents, but more than good enough.


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[jorgek]

The only hurdle with LEDs is the cost. But in time the cost will come down. CFLs are much cheaper and use about the same energy as LEDs.
And I agree with Navychop, the 2700k is much more pleasing than the 5000k cool (stark) white.

The LEDs sold here are advertised to work with regular dimmers, good to know that they don't.

 

[mike123abc]

The cost of LEDs has dropped quite a bit. The A19 60 watt replacement at Home Depot is $10. Considering the 25k hours, far longer than a CFL, they are getting reasonable.

 

[primestar31]

This morning on my way home from work, I stopped into Home Depot and picked up 6 'Cree 60w 5000k bulbs'. $10.97 each. I have a Cree 60w 2700k bulb ($6.97) from a couple weeks ago, and it's so yellow I do NOT like it. I wish they made some 3000k or so type, but they don't in Cree brand as far as I know.

I'm going to install them later. I expect them to be quite bright.

 

[jorgek]

I guess not all 2700k are created equal and the end result is a matter of personal taste.

 

[Foxbat]

The only reason I would agree with this is my own experience after replacing one high-vibration incandescent bulb in our garage door opener with a 40W LED two years ago.

With the light out (coming home, say), I can trigger the garage door from 100+ feet away. With the garage light on (leaving the house), my range to reliably operate the door is maybe 20'. If I get to the end of my driveway and the door is still up, I have to reverse direction and return to midway or closer.

I have thought about replacing this LED bulb with a newer 40W equivalent, but I haven't done so. Since this website gets me to do so many things, maybe I'll put this on the weekend's agenda...

 

[primestar31]

This morning on my way home from work, I stopped into Home Depot and picked up 6 'Cree 60w 5000k bulbs'. $10.97 each. I have a Cree 60w 2700k bulb ($6.97) from a couple weeks ago, and it's so yellow I do NOT like it. I wish they made some 3000k or so type, but they don't in Cree brand as far as I know.

I'm going to install them later. I expect them to be quite bright.

Ok, I've installed the Cree 60w 5000k bulbs in some of my inside fixtures. They are definitely a whiter light than the CFL's they are replacing. They are not as bright as the 75w 5000k Cree's I installed two weeks ago in my outside security lights.

I am going to buy some more of them (60w 5000k), but I'm also going to buy some more 75w 5000k's to put in the ceiling lighting cans, and to use for the bathroom vanity lights. Those need a bit more output.

I really like the Cree's. They are fairly heavy, actual glass bulbs, and they are coated with that rubbery like stuff like used on the old-school incandescent safety bulbs. You have to make sure that your fixture can handle a bulb this heavy, and make sure it's screwed in tight before you let go of it!

I just wish they were less costly, but it's time to get some and try them out.

 

[harshness]

Maybe that person owns a company that manufactures incandescent bulbs.

This would be bitterness and resentment because the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 dictated that they're no longer allowed to manufacture conventional incandescent A19 bulbs anymore (unless they could figure out how to get 100W worth of light out of a 75W bulb).