Placed my order for reefradiance new 360 fusion led setup. From all I have be reading everyone seems very happy with the reefradiance product in general. My concern is how long will led chips last before their lighting quailty starts decline? I read they will last 50,000 hrs. Really? And as far as reefradiance fixtures can anyone testify to how long they have had their reefradiance fixture and how is it holding up. Thank you
led's ordered now scared !
- Thread starter Jerv
- Start date
Hi Jerv,
You are correct, the LED's will last that long! It is one of their main benefits but it does depend on the setup of the fixture as well. You want to make sure they run cool so that they get that long life. The RR fixtures you have are very nice and they should last a while. We have 3 of them over our 180 (different model) at our firehouse and they have been very dependable.
You won't be sorry (or scared!).....Rick is a good guy to.
Good luck and I can't wait to see them on your tank!
You are correct, the LED's will last that long! It is one of their main benefits but it does depend on the setup of the fixture as well. You want to make sure they run cool so that they get that long life. The RR fixtures you have are very nice and they should last a while. We have 3 of them over our 180 (different model) at our firehouse and they have been very dependable.
You won't be sorry (or scared!).....Rick is a good guy to.
Good luck and I can't wait to see them on your tank!
The figure of 50,000 hours is sort of correct, but it's not the whole story. You can have other events which will fry LEDs. For example, many fixtures have a fan for cooling the LEDs, which are mounted on a heat sink. It the fan fails, the LEDs can overheat and fail. You can also have the electronics in the fixture fail. As long as it's still being produced, usually the manufacturer can supply parts, but once it's 4 or 5 years old, it's unlikely that you can find new parts. So you can end up needing to replace the fixture, long before the LEDs get anywhere near close to 50,000 hours.
As a footnote, contrast LEDs to T5 or MH bulbs where you replace them every 12 to 24 months or so.
As a footnote, contrast LEDs to T5 or MH bulbs where you replace them every 12 to 24 months or so.
reefer gladness
Well-Known Member
FWIW, one of the advantages of a DIY project is you can replace parts years later. The individual LED's run a couple bucks apiece, the most expensive component is the driver and that's $25-35. Aside from a cooling fan there are no other parts really to fail in a DIY system.
With regards to cooling, another important factor is how the LED's are attached. It's important to get a good thermal bond between the LED star and the heatsink. This is something I've seen cheaper manufactured units get wrong - they will use screws to attach the LED's but either fail to use thermal grease or apply it incorrectly.
LED's are not supposed to color shift noticeably and shouldn't lose more than 1-2% of intensity per year. Considering most setups will have LED's running at much less than 100% voltage this really shouldn't be a concern. Also bear in mind that the current generation of LED's have not been around that long so the verdict is still out for how long they will really last.
With regards to cooling, another important factor is how the LED's are attached. It's important to get a good thermal bond between the LED star and the heatsink. This is something I've seen cheaper manufactured units get wrong - they will use screws to attach the LED's but either fail to use thermal grease or apply it incorrectly.
LED's are not supposed to color shift noticeably and shouldn't lose more than 1-2% of intensity per year. Considering most setups will have LED's running at much less than 100% voltage this really shouldn't be a concern. Also bear in mind that the current generation of LED's have not been around that long so the verdict is still out for how long they will really last.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my post.it sounds like if the system is properly designed and assembled correctly It should work fine and be cost effective compared to metal halide, Like I said I have ordered the new lumentek 360 from reefradiance based on product reviews and their customer service. Will post pictures and comments when I get them and set them up. Thank you again
outeastreef
Member
If you are going from metal halides or t5 just make sure you acclimate properly led lights are powerful and can bleach coral real fast. I have led lights on 3 tanks and love them less heat and low operating cost. good luck
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
But more importantly, it's been 3 months and no picture update ?????????????
Love my reef radiance fixture I have this one http://reefradiance.com/lumentek-pro-180.html works really well.