The expert-backed reasons why your LED bulbs fail prematurely

Packages of LED bulbs often promise longevity – which is why it’s so disappointing when you bring them home and the bulbs seem to die out within a year or two, similar to what you’d get with incandescent bulbs. LED lights still save you money on electricity anyway, but there’s something else at play as well.

Don’t worry, you can still buy LEDs and their associated smart bulbs without their premature demise, but it’s important to know why this happens in the first place. We asked manufacturers and installers what’s going on, and here’s everything we learned.

1. The lifespan of LEDs is a broad average and not a promise

The numbers you see on the box don’t always match in real life. LED lights last longer, but those five- to 10-year lifespan claims are estimates based on internal testing – and companies are always looking for ways to show off their lights in the best possible light.

So if the packaging says the lamp lasts seven years, it means that tests have shown an average of seven years, and you don’t always know what calculations were used to get that result. Thomas Grable, van LEDvance’s technical product teamsaid that when the means of LED lamps fall within a normal distribution plot, approximately 95% of the values ​​fall within two standard deviations of the mean. That still means some LED lights will have a short lifespan — and as Grable notes, we’re more likely to remember the lights that flicker and die out immediately than the lights that plod along.

Additionally, companies may use more sneaky language, such as “up to seven years,” which means they’re likely to put a serious emphasis on the very best performers when testing lights, making it more likely that you’ll see lights fall short.

And don’t forget to check the details of the LED lamps to see how the manufacturer defines a single day of use in these annual calculations (if so). Some companies use a fairer usage of six to eight hours for one day. Others can use two to three hours of use to significantly increase their lifespan.

That said, Grable reports that incandescent bulbs last an average of about 800 hours, much shorter than the average of most LED bulbs, so you should still get your money’s worth unless something goes wrong. That’s where other factors come into play.

2. LED drivers overheat and fail

The LED, or light-emitting diode, is very unlikely to fail, and if it does, it will slowly fade over the years. Instead, it’s the other electrical components in LED bulbs that fail and cut off the light from the bulb. LED lights use direct current, which requires an inverter and drivers to switch from standard alternating current in homes.

That means that every LED light contains small circuit components – and their soldered contacts – that are much more fragile than the diode itself. The Lighting Research Center from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reports that research shows that the delicate solder joints are most likely to fail under harsh conditions.

Heat in particular can cause these parts to break quickly. Installing an LED light in a warm corner of your home or in a deep socket with poor ventilation can cause the lights to go out much sooner than expected.

You can help avoid these problems by looking for LED lights with heavy aluminum heat sink material, but ultimately LED lights will not perform the same at high temperatures.

3. The electricity in your home may not be ‘clean’

In grid terms, clean power is stable and reliable, with highly accurate alternating current and few unexpected spikes in amplifiers. But not all electricity is like that. Depending on the electrical infrastructure near your home, your power may be on the dirty side, with minor power spikes and other problems.

LED lamp converters have to accommodate all those small differences that can cause them to quickly wear out and overheat. If you often lose light bulbs in your home for no good reason, the power supply may be contaminated.

4. The sockets may be old or the installation may be poor

Even if your electricity is clean, poor installation can have the same consequences as dirty electricity. Old, dirty electrical outlets cannot transfer electricity as smoothly, causing burnout problems. And screwing an LED lamp on too loosely or too tightly can also cause problems. Aim for a firm but gentle installation process in a clean socket for best results.

5. Your home may have high humidity

Moisture combines with heat, causing the electrical LED components to wear out even faster. If you live in a wet area with high moisture content in the indoor air, LED bulbs are less likely to last their full lifespan. Luckily, CNET has several dehumidifier recommendations to help dry your home.

6. LED lamps and old dimmers do not go together

Lots of LED lights can weak, but that doesn’t mean they work well with older home dimmers. If LED Installer Flashlight mentions that old dimmers were made to work with high wattage light bulbs. They don’t really know what to do with low wattage LEDs, which leads to burnout problems.

You can install an LED dimmer or – my preferred option – choose a smart LED bulb with self-dimming functions that you can control via the app instead of relying on old-fashioned dimmers.

7. Quality control issues can be a factor

Finally, the manufacturing quality of LED lamps will affect all the issues I discussed above. Many manufacturers have serviceable diodes, but try to save money on cheap drivers and converters (and on shoddy mounting techniques), which is a major cause of premature failures.

When choosing an LED lamp, it is best to stick with well-known, reliable brands, even if you have to pay a little more for them. For smart bulbs, our testers found some of the best results from Philips, Wiz, Govee, Nanoleaf and Cree.

To find the best LED bulbs for your home, visit our guides to the best LED bulb for every room in your home, what to look for when switching to LED bulbs, and the best LED floodlight bulbs we have tested.