What Are The Common Warehouse LED Lighting Problems, And How To Fix Them?

Upon performing a simple google search that says ‘warehouse LED lights,’ you are likely to get many results. Some will take you to shopping websites. Others will try and entice you with several benefits of LED lighting products. (LED bulbs, tubes, high bays, and what not!) While there is no harm in these practices, you will notice that sellers do not point out the problems that come along with LED lights.

Here, we will discuss the most common LED lighting complications and figure out handy solutions to mitigate them. These solutions will be useful for salvaging expensive lighting fixtures such as high bay LED lights. Doing so, you will ensure that no money or working LED light fixture goes into vain because of a minor glitch in the installation or maintenance process.

Albeit, know that if your LED warehouse light fixtures starting start malfunctioning before the suggested time, there might be three possibilities:

First, problems with the Electrical Circuitry and ConnectionsSecond, Something might be wrong with the light fitting (fixture)Third, the LED light bulb itself might be at fault.

Now, let’s break-down the problems into individual points and note down the solutions. (You can take notes!)

Faulty Electrical Circuitry and Connections

Defective Wall Socket

The wall socket is the point where your warehouse LED lighting fixtures to receive power supply. Any fault here will lead to non-functioning, flickering, or even burnt-out LED lights. To check whether a wall socket is working correctly, use a multimeter, and check its ‘power continuity.’ If nothing’s wrong with the socket, move on to other areas that might be an obstruction.

Loose Fitted LED Bulb

Ensure that the connections between your LED lighting product (bulbs, tubes, high bays, etc.) are in proper alignment with the lamp holder or fixture. Improper contact will cause a flickering or complete shut down of the light.

Short-circuited Wires

The electrical wires are subject to constant wear and tear. Therefore, before you start blaming an electrical outlet or LED light, let an experienced electrician figure out if there’s a wiring problem.

Incompatible Electrical switches

Electrical switches from the yesteryears were for conventional light bulbs. Therefore, most LED lights may not be compatible with them. Furthermore, the traditional light switches are prone to leak some current (even when turned off). The small amount of leaked current is not significant for a high-energy-consuming metal halide. Nevertheless, it can cause an LED bulb to glow, even when it is off.

Other Heavy Load(s) on the Same Circuit

Connecting heavy loads on the circuit that supplies power to your warehouse light fixtures can cause a voltage drop or surge. The LED lights respond to the voltage drop by flickering or shutting down. Whereas, an electrical surge can blow out your precious high bay LED lights!

Faulty Light Fixture

Malfunctioning Lamp Holder

If you have multiple LED bulb installations across a warehouse, it is always a sound practice to make frequent lamp holder checks. A dent in the lamp holder’s metal teeth may be the reason that keeps your LED light bulb from receiving current. Fix the dent and check if it works. If it doesn’t, consider replacing the holder.

Damaged LED Diver

LED lights work on direct current voltages (VDC). Therefore, the LED driver converts the AC voltage into usable DC voltage. It would help if you were quick to spot any malfunction shown by the LED driver. Hire an electrician, and he will check if the ‘driver parts’ (capacitor, relaxation oscillator, etc.) are still in function. Damaged LED drivers can lead you to either flickering or burnt-out of LED lights.

Incompatible LED Driver

There are two types of ED drivers: constant-current drivers and Constant-Voltage Drivers. Since most heavy-duty high bay LED lights work on a set range of voltage but need a specific voltage, you must choose the constant-current driver. Doing so will help avoid ‘thermal runaway’ or ‘burn-out.’

A fixture in the Wrong Spot

Although LED lights dissipate little heat, it is better not to install the fixtures in confined spaces prone to extreme heat. There’s a simple reason behind this: In comparison with high temperatures, LED lights to provide better outputs at lower temperatures.

Using an Odd Dimmer

Even before you even blame the LED driver, make sure to check whether or not your LED lighting fixtures are dimmable. Then, choose a compatible dimmer. Between a Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) and Constant Current Reduction (CCR) type dimmers, choose the CCR-type dimmers for wavy-duty commercial lighting projects.

Problems With The LED Lighting Product

Blue Light Pollution

You may have known LD lights as the ‘purveyors of blue lighting,’ which is quite right. The ‘blueish’ light of LED lighting products helps promote a happy mood and increases employees’ reaction time in the vicinity. Nevertheless, the same ‘blue-light’ can cause ‘light-pollution of the night sky.’ In the worst-case scenario, blue light can have adverse effects on the circadian rhythm. Thus disrupting the sleep cycle of those exposed to the blue light for long hours. Using LED lights that offer a ‘warm’ color appearance is an easy fix to this problem. Whenever possible, choose LED lights in a range of 3000–4500K.

Aging Of An LED lighting Product

Like everything in this world, LED lights are not everlasting. After several years of constant use, your LED lights may not be as bright as they once were. Therefore, the best thing you can do is check the life span ratings on your LED lighting product. For example, A product rated for 5,00,00 operational hours at L70 will provide 70% of its initial light output after 50K hours of use.

Unwanted Glaring

You must have heard the phrase, ‘too much of a good thing is bad.’ The same goes for LED lights. Installing more lights will cause unwanted glaring and white spots on reflective surfaces like monitors and screens. The best way to tackle this situation is to install sufficient lights but don’t overdo it!

Inconsistent Light Output

Before you blame it on Something else, check if your warehouse LED lighting fixtures’ beam angle is ideal for the indoor space in concern. Lights with small beam angles often lead to dark spots in a large warehouse. On the other hand, choosing various light fixtures that do not fall under the same lumen output ranges can cause patchy lighting. So, be aware!

Pricing Of LED Lighting Products

Okay, so we are reaching towards the end of this list. We have had a word about various trials and tribulations that come along with LED light installations. Let’s address the elephant in the room now. LED lights have numerous benefits, but about the insane prices?

Is paying two, three, and even four times the conventional lighting products (HIDs Fluorescents, Metal Halides, CFLs, etc.) worth your money. The answer is a resounding yes. See, nothing is perfect, especially when it comes to energy transfer and conversion. Therefore, it is safe to say that warehouse lights such as high bay LED lights are the closest to what we call ‘energy-saving lights.’