How hot should Led heat sinks be getting?? *Led experts please reply

[Reef_a_holiks]

Hey guys, so I am wondering how hot Led heat sinks should be getting. I recently purchased a actinic with 3 red bulbs Led strip from china just for supplementation and notice the light gets very hot after being on for a few hours. I pulled out my infrared temperature gun and the heat sink was getting readings of 48-54 degrees Celsius. (118-128 Fahrenheit). What you guys think?

 

[Reef_a_holiks]

Bump. no one has a clue??

 

[Reefing Madness]

WEll, those bulbs do get hot, theres a heat sink but no fan to help dissipate that heat. The units that are 120w, they have fans on them, and you can touch the heat sinks, they feel warm, but are not hot so to speak. As far as temp, I've no idea on the temp.

 

[cope413]

Not enough info... what's the continuous running temp rating on them?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

LEDs if they start getting hot tend to produce less light. In extreme cases a lot less light.

The heat of the the heatsink is not as important as the junction temperature of the LED.

Some fixtures do not use Thermal Paste. Any air gap will not transfer the heat from the LED to the Heatsink.

We like to see the heatsink cool to the touch. With a proper thermal transfer like the use of thermal paste if the heatsink is Hot to the touch its too Hot!

Adding extra airflow helps cool down the heatsink

Older or Knockoff 3 Watt LEDs tend to produce a lot more heat than the latest Cree or Luxion LEDs. They will need a larger heatsink and more airflow.

120 Degrees is way hot! I like to see a heatsink with fans 85-90 Degrees.

Bill

 

[Reef_a_holiks]

LEDs if they start getting hot tend to produce less light. In extreme cases a lot less light.

The heat of the the heatsink is not as important as the junction temperature of the LED.

Some fixtures do not use Thermal Paste. Any air gap will not transfer the heat from the LED to the Heatsink.

We like to see the heatsink cool to the touch. With a proper thermal transfer like the use of thermal paste if the heatsink is Hot to the touch its too Hot!

Adding extra airflow helps cool down the heatsink

Older or Knockoff 3 Watt LEDs tend to produce a lot more heat than the latest Cree or Luxion LEDs. They will need a larger heatsink and more airflow.

120 Degrees is way hot! I like to see a heatsink with fans 85-90 Degrees.

Bill

Thanks for the reply, I will add some fans and see if that helps. Another question. Should an LED fixture have its drivers replaced after a period of time, somewhat like a maintenance ? In other words can an old driver affect the light fixtures performance, as far as brightness, intensity, etc? Thinking of changing the drivers on a 5 year old led fixture for the hell of it just to put fresh drivers. What you think ?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Quality LEDs like Cree are rated for 50,000 then at least 75% of their brightness after that provided they are kept cool. Generic 3 watt LEDs are about 20-30,000 hours but given the amount of knockoffs and the differences between them its hard to judge.

Solid state drivers like the Mean Well LDD have a very long lifespan. Generally with drivers is if its not broke dont try to fix it. That said on less expensive import fixtures drivers are often the first to go. Having a spare is not a bad idea.

Bill

 

[Reef_a_holiks]

Quality LEDs like Cree are rated for 50,000 then at least 75% of their brightness after that provided they are kept cool. Generic 3 watt LEDs are about 20-30,000 hours but given the amount of knockoffs and the differences between them its hard to judge.

Solid state drivers like the Mean Well LDD have a very long lifespan. Generally with drivers is if its not broke dont try to fix it. That said on less expensive import fixtures drivers are often the first to go. Having a spare is not a bad idea.

Bill

Gotcha, so replacing an old driver just to put in a fresh new one is pretty pointless unless the old driver has quit working entirely? I always thought old drivers can get to a point that they will not perform as well as they did like when they were new, resulting in the fixture losing its brightness, intensity, and efficiency. Now how about if your upgrading a driver? Same specs, but going from a cheap driver to a well made, higher quality driver. Will you notice a difference?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Replacing a less efficient driver to a high efficient one like the Meanwell LDD can reduce your heat and energy consumption by 10-15%, but as long as the old driver is maintaining its voltage and current the LED brightness will stay the same.

Switching out dated 3 watt LEDs for the latest 5 watt LEDs can improve brightness by over 30% while using the same energy. This is why I'm a fan of DIY using the BJB solderless connectors. At any time you can easily switch out or upgrade your LEDs.

Bill

 

[Reef_a_holiks]

Replacing a less efficient driver to a high efficient one like the Meanwell LDD can reduce your heat and energy consumption by 10-15%, but as long as the old driver is maintaining its voltage and current the LED brightness will stay the same.

Switching out dated 3 watt LEDs for the latest 5 watt LEDs can improve brightness by over 30% while using the same energy. This is why I'm a fan of DIY using the BJB solderless connectors. At any time you can easily switch out or upgrade your LEDs.

Bill

Got it thanks so much for the info. One more thing can a corroded connection to the driver cause any issues?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Yes

Some constant current drivers can surge when a connection is loose. This loose connection can damage the LEDs.

Any corrosion is not good. If your connection is unaffected you should be fine.

Always keep your hood well ventilated.

Bill