LED Bulbs Offer Users Significantly Low Power Bills And A Much Longer Life
Wednesday September 26, 2012 9:21am

LED Bulbs are rapidly gaining in popularity. LEDs are also available in many other shapes and designs including tubes, recessed lights down lights, and so on. They are used in a variety of settings by commercial, residential, aviation and maritime users. Their main advantages are much lower electricity consumption and a significantly longer operating life.

LEDs offer other benefits including a discreet, small size; good operating performance in high vibration settings (like ships, yachts, planes and trains); and, importantly, they produce minimal heat. LED units all operate at low wattage. This minimizes heat. This is critical since heat damages their performance and shortens their life. Controlling the voltage and consequently the current flowing through the unit is paramount to the life expectancy of an LED unit.

When LEDs were first introduced, they were plagued by various criticisms since they produced a dull light which had an unattractive bluish tinge. Since those early days, LEDs have been improved. Nowadays, the light produced by LEDs is similar in color to halogen lights.

In a technical sense, all LEDs are semiconductor diodes. Theses diodes generate light at the point where the positive-negative fields come together. When electricity is introduced into the LED, electrons are stirred to flow in the unit. This movement of electrons generates light. Adding different materials into the LED as it is manufactured can alter the wavelength at which the electrons move and, in this way, the tone or color of the light.

When purchasing LEDs, there is a wide selection of LED units to match the specific application. For example, there are many designs to fit alternative architectural themes. In maritime settings, like pleasure yachts, LEDs can confront serious challenges because the electrical systems are characterized by significant voltage surges. These surges cause LEDs to undesirably generate excessive heat. If the surge persists, LED performance can be adversely affected since performance deteriorates with heat. LED units for maritime applications are specifically designed to address this issue.

The main electrical system on pleasure yachts is usually a 12V alternating current configuration. It sources power from a series of batteries. The battery bank is charged by the yacht engine or a dedicated generator. Many yachts also have a direct current electrical system that permits the vessel to operate on shore-based electricity. Given both an alternating and direct current systems, some yachts are also equipped with an inverter to convert direct current power to alternating current power.

These differing sources of electricity raise the risk of voltage surges. For instance, when an inverter or generator is activated, the voltage through the electrical system on a yacht can easily surge to over 15 volts. This high voltage stimulates a greater number of electrons to flow in the LED, generating excessive heat. This may cause the LED to malfunction unless it is specifically designed to cope.

LED Bulbs installed on yachts and various other applications, must be designed to withstand voltage surges and other special situations. Specialist LEDs are available to meet these needs. Consumers need to select units that will best fit their particular application or setting.

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