Reverting from LED lighting to Halogen

[Des 56]

I just had a look at some of the evidence about these effects

What I can gather from reading the info is the headaches are a consequence of on/off moments hundreds of times per second by the led
The dimming of the led is 100%, compared to that of 35% for a fluorescent tube
These off moments if too slow are seen unconsciously by the eyes, the more this cycling is increased the less its perceived

It suggests the better quality Led will cycle quicker than the cheap and nasties out there
Perhaps there may then be less chance of the human eye detecting these off periods

Seems to be a problem that has not been catered for when too readily ditching older technology prematurely

 

[NDG Elecs]

The only problem with halogen GU10s is that they are a little prone to blowing more regularly. And obviously they cost a bit to run.
Is it that the lights flicker Jennifer or is it the stroboscopic effect you are getting? Some people are more prone than others to this phenomenon. If they are flickering they shouldn't be and something is wrong. If it's the strobing then more expensive LED lamps will likely be designed better to counter the AC waveform issue Des mentions above. You could try a couple of the more expensive lamps in a bathroom perhaps where you wouldn't need to replace 8 of them.... And see if that helps.

I do feel quite strongly in favour of LED technology, so would encourage you to try out a couple of decent ones before you give up on them..

 

[123]

If the downlights are dedicated LED Units, replacing the bulb (or lamp if you prefer) won't be an option. I agree with @Murdoch in post #2. Get a spark round to take a look.

 

[JD]

Thanks, I've written to an electrician. I do see that testing some others is a good idea, but it takes me a long time to recover after exposure to LEDs. I still have a headache and other trouble since exposure yesterday and don't feel at all enthusiastic about testing more. Yuk.

 

[dmxtothemax]

The scientific reason you don’t like LED bulbs — and the simple way to fix them - http://theconversation.com/the-scientific-reason-you-dont-like-led-bulbs-and-the-simple-way-to-fix-them-81639

 

[telectrix]

think i'm going to need to contact Jack Daniels in Tennessee. his whiskey must be LED as it gives me a headache after every bottle.

 

[FatAlan]

I find paracetamol works quite well

 

[pirate]

Let me know, happy to give those halogens a new home.

 

[JD]

Thanks Pirate. I think your offer is the good option so far.

 

[David M]

Jen,
Personally I wouldn't just dismiss the idea of LED lights. There are (as mentioned) some variables to consider first before you swap back to the halogen lamps.
1. Make sure the dimmer switch is functioning as it should
2. Swap out the dimmer for a better quality or a normal switch
3. Change the lamp colour from cool to warm or day light.
4. Change the lamps for better quality ones (there are many different makes and qualities out there and to be frank some are sh**.

The down side of using halogen lamps is that they are more costly to run, get hot and need replacing more often.

 

[JD]

Hi David,

Thanks for your thoughts on this. The only problem is that LED lights mess me up for days after only an hour's exposure. Doing tests is really very hard for me. I don't really know a way round that.

 

[JD]

If anybody could recommend the best bulb and the perfect setup or something like that, then I could probably do one more test, but knocking myself over repeatedly in a trial and error system is not really an option.

 

[static zap]

American baseball cap (peak right-way round) works wonders , when LEDs are low and hard to avoid having in eyeline.
-- Never staring at them seems to improve things --
....Have heard something about ones with a yellow dot ,not flickering as badly ....
(Cap-Something I discovered when I no longer had a fringe to hide behind)
Also check out Wattages as others have mentioned,too much light will cause that " Maplin Moment "

 

[JD]

Oooo! That's great advice. Thanks. I was in a shop today lit by LEDs and I kept looking at lights to see if they were LEDs and regretting it as the headache dug deeper. The hat sounds an excellent plan.

Thanks for the word about wattages. I feel a DK book on home lighting coming on...

 

[123]

When it comes to LED Lamps - wattages don't mean much in terms of light output.