My house was built in 2005, I have no dimmer switches, voltage is about +/-4%. I’ve bought very cheap and higher quality LED bulbs. Many of them have been dying in 6 months or less, always starting by flickering (slowly). My refrigerator is 4 years old and the LED that lights the water / ice area is flickering. I’m less well versed in power supplies and 120V design, so I have questions.
1.) Is there any way the refrigerator LED would be related to what is happening in the rest of the house? I believe the answer is no but please correct me if I’m wrong
2.) I don’t have a scope but can get one. Is there any sort of parasitic or anything that could be going through the house causing death much too quickly?
3.) I haven’t started tracking fixtures specifically but it does seem like closet and others always die quick. Will a cheap fixture (literally screw terminal and three wires) have an effect? Everything is properly grounded
I’m going to start tracking individual fixtures and pair them with a better (Philips) / cheap (Costco Feit electric) bulb combo but in the meantime – what am I missing??
**UPDATE: See two pictures attached. Resistor burnt on top side, bottom side shows thermal issues on pads for the FET and the larger inductor and position C3. Note the MLV – doesn't seem like a surge event.
Best Answer
Is there anything in your home, or in your neighborhood, that could be generating high voltage spikes on your power line? Long overhead lines feeding the property can be a problem, as nearby lightning strikes can induce current into the wires.
LED lamps are often cheaply made, with components that cannot cope with even brief high voltages.
A surge protection device might help, but they aren't cheap and would need to be correctly fitted in order to work. A device to protect the entire home needs to be fitted at the incoming supply.