Shop Dangerous shop lights

[Arbutus]

I purchased three of these LED garage lights.
They get left on for long periods and get hot enough to cause a fire.

Yesterday I was busy making chips when the ceiling light failed. I heard a fizzing noise, followed by the smell of smoke. The light fitting had dropped out of the ceiling and was dangling from the power wires.

Inside, the AC wiring had melted at the driver board, the heat was sufficient to melt the plastic and the whole gadget fell out of the fitting.

I opened up the other two and I found the same thing - melted wiring.

If you use these lights I strongly suggest that you inspect them ASAP. Better yet, throw them away.

 

[140mower]

Yikes! glad you were there to deal with the problem right away. I often turn the lights on, then at some point get distracted for hours at a time. I never considered having to babysit my light bulbs.

 

[Tom O]

Where did you buy them from? I’m wondering if you could take them to the firehouse they would probably do the rest of the paperwork.

 

[slow-poke]

There are so many non compliant (read dangerous) products flooding the market it's simply crazy. I was foolish enough to plug a device that I purchased from Amazon into a very expensive laptop and it applied full MAINS voltage to the port destroying the PC. Amazon did nothing except remove it from their listings. I spoke to a lawyer and they said your sweet out of luck, your not the first one.

Be very careful what you purchase, don't assume it's probably safe because it's being sold by some large company located here. Don't get fooled by all the icons like CE on the product sticker, in many cases they are entirely meaningless.

Someone needs to start a class action law suit.

 

[Susquatch]

I was foolish enough to plug a device that I purchased from Amazon into a very expensive laptop and it applied full MAINS voltage to the port destroying the PC.

That REALLY SUCKS! I really feel for you.

What was the device?

 

[Jswain]

Honestly I've been running them for awhile and have found very similar results, deformed plastic, burning smell.

They get so damn hot they self destruct, and that panel then shuts down.

When one panel goes out I throw them out, they are so damn bright I keep running them, but the lights are only on when I'm in the shop.

Problem is after running them, when you try to put a regular bulb in its like turning the lights off and I can't see sh*t

 

[6.5 Fan]

I had 2 similar lights melt the socket out of it, no burning thankfully. That light isn't left on for very long either. I do like the amount of lumens they throw, but.....

 

[YotaBota]

Glad you were there to deal with them.

 

[slow-poke]

That REALLY SUCKS! I really feel for you.

What was the device?

MAINS powered camera with USB port for picture download.

Brand was Lexpert.

They continue to sell what appears to be an identical version with (of course) another brand name. Buyer beware, if it plugs into MAINS and isn't specifically advertised as CSA/UL compliant 90% are not, it's very likely dangerous and a fire hazard.

Further many of the products advertised as CSA/UL compliant are not actually compliant. There is no bar too low for these guys.

 

[jcdammeyer]

I purchased three of these LED garage lights.
They get left on for long periods and get hot enough to cause a fire.

Yesterday I was busy making chips when the ceiling light failed. I heard a fizzing noise, followed by the smell of smoke. The light fitting had dropped out of the ceiling and was dangling from the power wires.

Inside, the AC wiring had melted at the driver board, the heat was sufficient to melt the plastic and the whole gadget fell out of the fitting.

I opened up the other two and I found the same thing - melted wiring.

If you use these lights I strongly suggest that you inspect them ASAP. Better yet, throw them away.


View attachment 63769View attachment 63767
View attachment 63765View attachment 63766View attachment 63768

That's awful.

 

[DPittman]

Eeeks that scary with those lights. I'm not saying any of them are any different in terms of safety but I have boughten several versions of them and they vary in output and can be 3, 4 or 5 panel and with or without the centre light.
I haven't had any problems yet with my lights but haven't really checked either. I'll be doing that now. I have one of those lights in a storage shed with no door and the dang swallows built a nest on top of the panels!!! Even tho the nest is mostly made of mud, I imagine it just ups the fire hazard of the light by a factor of 10. I need to take care of that asap.

 

[MashingMetal]

That is scary stuff, I am going to stick to the standard 4ft style.

 

[Art M]

Darn! now I'm scared to turn the lights on and in the dark again

 

[djberta]

Non certified and counterfeit's are pretty much everywhere. We have very poor inspections and enforcement of products coming in to Canada. This has been a growing problem. I have seen these products in Walmart and CT. Basically anything electrical bought at a consumer level is impacted. There was an alert out awhile ago about counterfeit wall chargers starting cell and tablet batteries on fire.

Having dealt with purchasing from overseas vendors, it’s hit or miss. Just one example of many. We got some circuit breakers from an Asian supplier, listed as nos brand name. When I ran the UL numbers on the breakers they came back as the number for a clock radio.

Diligence and keeping an eye on products is basically all we can do right now.

 

[philipFROM-PNW]

That's awful.

As an >>>Electronics Oriented<<< member, I STUDY LED's.

As a Solid State device, there #1 REQUIREMENT, after electricity is HEAT SINKING, they MUST have a means to dispose of (SOMETIMES) massive thermal energy, which is:

1. a matter of power consumption
.2. a fairly easy formula for Aluminum (or COPPER) heat sink "mass".

I recently bought surplus from Electric Goldmine down here and there was a BIG WARNING LABEL: Do NOT run with out heat sinking this device ! ! !

NOW, one would >>>Think<<< that companies would supply Adequate Heat Sinking, but then some could say a LOT of things, and it may not be "ENOUGH" from their provisions to ACTUAL NEEDS.

Example, that heat, if open to Atmosphere, has an escape route, which "could be planned for", but then the device is ENCLOSED, stopping air disisipation . . .

I have personally felt motivated, to stop holding POORLY Heat Sinked LED'S, ala the kid picking up the hot horse shoe, It simply does NOT take >>>that<<< LONG, to look at a Hot Horse Shoe!

Now the questions are numerous:

beyond melted insolation (Never a GOOD Sign), is there visible damage at any of: Capacitors, resistor OR even LEDS?

What does, (if any) Heat sinking look like, it could be just plain sheet aluminum, VERSUS a more robust "ribbed extruded" object d'Metal?

FINALLY! LED'S in multiple Series circuits One can BLOW and ALL will fail, YOU can solder a "bridge" cathode to anode, and correct AFTER, any transformers that let out Magic Smoke are replaced!

All the above CAN be found online (my sources are from an Android Electronics App, whic unkindly does NOT allow screen captures).

REPAIR is doable, for any one who has a VOM, a soldering iron and for disipating heat, trys evacuating same via an old Computer Power Source fan, 12 DC !!!

Hope that helps,

philip, from the Great Pacific NorthWET, Oregon, USA
AKA Trouble Shooter ONE FIVE, I fix your Shorts, No Sparks included

 

[philipFROM-PNW]

POST SCRIPT,

the chances of repair are good, with dedicated enthusiasm.

I forgot to ADD: were these Housed in a factory made enclosure, AND at properly SPACED distance,

I simply have NOT had my coffee before reading my email !!!
philip, from the Great Pacific NorthWET, Oregon, USA

 

[philipFROM-PNW]

Non certified and counterfeit's are pretty much everywhere. We have very poor inspections and enforcement of products coming in to Canada. This has been a growing problem. I have seen these products in Walmart and CT. Basically anything electrical bought at a consumer level is impacted. There was an alert out awhile ago about counterfeit wall chargers starting cell and tablet batteries on fire.

Having dealt with purchasing from overseas vendors, it’s hit or miss. Just one example of many. We got some circuit breakers from an Asian supplier, listed as nos brand name. When I ran the UL numbers on the breakers they came back as the number for a clock radio.

Diligence and keeping an eye on products is basically all we can do right now.

I worked for a "Boss man", who informed me, that I MUST read EVERY instalation manual, before mounting (mostly cealing fans, in Manufactured Homes).

that was Three Decades ago, AND that I can quote First verse, Chinese translated to Engl'ese:

"please to read instructions BEFORE you electricute yourself", so Obviously, it is perfectly PROPER to Electricute yourself, IF you read the instructions!!!

philip, from the Great Pacific NorthWET, Oregon, USA who simply MUST have coffee, before my Thinker QUITS !!!

 

[Tom Kitta]

The problem is rampant consumerism and race to the bottom.

Cheapest product sells! So manufacturers cut more and more corners.

Products are designed to last for long enough to not be returnable.

Wire gages are dam scary - there is just enough copper there to run at 50% duty!

Princess Auto crane rated at 2t cracked at ... 2t. We have safety devices that fail!

I get a lot of consumer goods and fix some stuff as I get it near free. Once you open especially the cheap stuff its like super cheap inside Heck some manufacturers even skip bearings!

 

[jcdammeyer]

POST SCRIPT,

the chances of repair are good, with dedicated enthusiasm.

I forgot to ADD: were these Housed in a factory made enclosure, AND at properly SPACED distance,

I simply have NOT had my coffee before reading my email !!!
philip, from the Great Pacific NorthWET, Oregon, USA

I might add that LED light assemblies can last longer than 15 years with an average of probably 12 hours per day or around 65,000 hours. Each fixture has 192 LEDs in sets of 6x32 in series. There may well be some strips burned out.

 

[slow-poke]

The part I can't wrap my head around is that if I design say a new luminary that is well designed to all applicable standards hence is safe, not only can I not sell it, I can't even power it up at a trade show without a CSA inspection or I'm breaking the law and am fully liable, yet big box stores are selling countless unapproved unsafe products by the thousands. I have inspected these devices and they are not marginally defective they are defective typically in multiple ways; fusing, conductor ampacity, inadequate creepage, isolation barriers, transformer construction, plastics and PCB flammability, IC/FCC etc.