Cheap, Nasty Chinese Floodlights

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

I bought rather a lot of 100W LED lights from Ebay.

Rated as IP65 and very effective for a few weeks.

The body is aluminum, with a glass front held on with a light steel "clamp", this is fixed by four corner screws and as up to 15cm of the clamping plate is not under direct pressure from the mounting screws, water gets in and fogs the glass. The LED plate gives up after a month or so.

Silicone and Hammerite help, but I notice the fog has returned on a few, as well as rust on the steel plate [foil might be a better description].

I,m considering melting glue sticks in a metal bowl and immersing the edges of the lights so that the clamping plate and a small overlap up the glass are immersed. Does this sound feasible? I'm hoping that the molten glue will be a better water repellent than the liberal dollops of Hammerite I have been using. I am also hoping it inhibits rust more readily.

Any thoughts?

AB

[Bob Eager]

A line of Sugru along each edge?

[Andy Burns]

Instead of cheap chinese ones, buy nice Brackenheath ones.

Nice silicone gasket and conformally coated, with PSU on-board the LED 'chip', big heavy heatsink, and the power consumption tallies with what it says on the box, rather than being 50% at best, so the 50W probably as bright as your supposed 100W.

The only negative is if you need to extend the cable without an external junction box, it's fiddly and warranty voiding.

[tabbypurr]

I hope you left the bottom edge unsealed. If not that would explain it.

NT

[Dave Liquorice]

Is that taking the frame and glass off, running a bead of silicone around the body where the glass touches and reassembling? Or just gooping silicone along the external joints?

Something semi sealed like this is not going to be water vapour proof, temperature and/or pressure changes will cause the unit to "breath", drawing water vapour in which will then condense and not be able to get out. A small (

[Graham.]

The PIR ones appear to have the usual deficiency. You can't angle the lamp downwards sufficiently so as not to blind the people opposite, without restricting the range of the PIR.

[Andy Burns]

Which is why I fit separate PIRs and floodlights

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

Thank you, I looked at the Screwfix units and will try a couple.

They seem impressive and the thirty Watt are at around the same price as the 100W units I have installed.

I can afford to lose a little light in two areas, If there is no major reduction I will replace all the lights with Screwfix units as they fail.

Regards

And many thanks.

AB

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

Damn & Blast, I didn't leave any form of vent, In fact I liberally slopped Hammerite over every surface, nook and cranny, glass excluded of course.

I really should have thought that one through!

Thanks.

AB

[Andy Burns]

I fitted the 30W version, specifically this one, where the central metal ring clamps the lens and gasket to the body

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

It was, yes, the full works.

I failed to do this! This will be an easy upgrade though hopefully. A small hole and maybe a bit of WD40 spray tubing siliconed in to act as a breather.

I suspect that my approach of dolloping on vast quantities wasn't the best action then, mind you I should have known anyway!!

I will inspect and vent those that have no rust showing, but I expect the proper way to repaint would be to remove what is already on and go down to metal first. Not a worthwhile pastime!

I will paint the remaining new ones properly and vent them. Any further failiures and I hope to replace them with Screwfix units.

Many thanks for the advice.

Regards

AB

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

Thanks, I saw that, the customer feedback is good, but to be honest I intend to get the more conventional thirty watt that follows below it.

It looks more like the rubbish I'm used to :-(

Regards

AB

[tabbypurr]

And you missed hammeriting all over the glass!

I'm wondering how to fix it, pooled condensation must be able to drip out somewhere. I suppose either make a hole where it collects or re-do the sealing, otherwise your unit will be very short lived.

NT

[tabbypurr]

I can't think of any use for a bit of tube, just make a hole

NT

[Jeff Layman]

Did you read only the first four reviews? If so, have a look at the four on page 2 - reliability seems poor.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Where did you get 100w LEDs from? That would be an extremely bright floodlight. Are you lighting a car park?

[charles]

CPC sell them. I used their 50w ones to light our village hall car park. Mind you, I put a piece of lighting gel under the glass front to tone the "cool white" down a bit.

[Huge]

I assume you have omitted the word "equivalent"? An actual 100W LED is going to be *very* bright!

[charles]

no, I didn't. It would be something like a 1kW halogen - which is why I used a 50w one. It replaced an 80w sodium fitting.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I do wonder about the efficiency of these high power LEDs. They don't appear to have the 10:1 ratio over tungsten as is often claimed for smaller ones.