LED Outdoor Flood lights

I am looking for some lighting for my 3/4 acre property.

I was initially looking at the 500w halogen flood lights like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VL05JY/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Then, I started looking at LED flood lights. http://www.opples-led.com/Product.asp?BigClassName=LED and go to Flood Lights.


How do the LEDs compare to the halogens? Obviously they are cheaper to run and theoretically the LED lasts forever. What kind of wattage do I need to be comparable to a 500w halogen in brightness and ability to illuminate a particular area?


Any recommendations on particular LED models or brands or places to purchase?

TIA

500w halogen is 10,000lm+. So, I'd recommend 100w-150w of LED power. Use more wattage if you want warm and less if you want cool. Cool outdoor lighting is not all that great. Go with warm or neutral. Low-CRI overly cool lighting 'washes away' the color off everything, and is eye tiring.

I'd probably look at "opples-led" 120w, 140w, or 160w 'warm-white' LED if that's your chosen supplier for a single mounting location. You can find similar on ebay, satisled, aliexpress, dhgate.....

LEDs tend to be a little directional, even when labelled as a floodlight. So, you might be better off with a couple 70w-80w, or three to four 50w floods aimed or staggered across that ~acre area. With independent switches, you can choose how much light you want and where.

I run 25w and 50w LED floodlights, along several 10w for lighting assistance. The 25-watter lights the parking area really well, and the 50w takes care of about 1/4 acre driveway-end area. The 10w ones spot the address numbers/name.
They're powered by battery, charged by solar, and run dusk:dawn. I also have a wireless remote to shut them down for 'fireworks', the fire-pit.....

I have a couple 72w LED floods that'll be used to hopefully flood the front acre(pretty much pitch black at night). I need about $2.5k of solar and battery to make them work right. Hopefully, I'll get these installed by the end of the year so that I don't accidentally walk into Bigfoot.

The quality is hit or miss if being imported. So, I won't make recommendations on where to buy. My flood LEDs have come from all over. This is another reason why 2-4 lights are a better a choice. Most are made from the same 'heat sink' castings so you can reference the suppliers dimensions and pick a couple. If one burns out, you still have yard lighting from the 'others'. Common failure points are driver (its the power supply) and the LED. LEDs are usually screwed down or epoxied to the heatsink. If the epoxy fails, or they don't use a thermal paste, the LED can actually overheat or fall off the heat sink. Generic LEDs will also fade. Replacement(or upgrade) LEDs and drivers are available. So, you're basically buying a 'housing', and hoping that the LED and driver last long enough to make it worthwhile.

deadrx7conv, thanks for the reply.

I am in no way committed to opple. That was just a www site I happened upon. I understand it is hit and miss with these LEDs, but how about a recommendation (I promise to not come back here and bad mouth you if it turns out to be a bad product - haha). To achieve 150w of LED lighting I will be spending considerably more than for a 500w halogen. Is it worth it? What kind of prices are reasonable for 50w LEDs?

Its worth it since it makes you feel good inside.

For me, I have no choice because 2000-3000w of halogens running 60-100hrs a week would break the utility budget quickly. So, long term savings is there. I've also replaced the neighbors halogen bulbs a dozen times over the years. My LED have been going for a couple years without me touching them. So, lack of any needed maintenance, if you get good ones, is important too.

Where is the halogen going to be mounted? If you can change the bulb easily, keep spares, and don't run it 80hrs a week, then there isn't a benefit to that LED.

Ebay, Satisled, Aliexpress have 50w LED floodlights for $140-150, and you'll need 4.

If you only want a single fixture, you should look at HID/HPS/LPS type lighting. They are just as efficient/expensive as LED. You should be able to match the 500w halogen with a 120-170w HPS/HID setup. HPS bulbs require a 'warm up', and I think last 10x as long as a halogen.

Another expensive and overlooked lighting, LVD/induction lamps are an option. Electrodeless bulbs light up quickly, last a very long time, and have pretty good efficiency too.

You either pay now or you pay later. Avoid the 500w halogen. Get LED, LVD, or HID.
You should check your local electrical supply(or electrician) to see what is available and common in your area.

Thanks for the guidance. I have a batting cage for my kids in the backyard - it is (over)lit with two 1000 w lights (I cant remember if they are HPS or Metal Halide). They require warmup but do a great job of lighting a large area.

I dont want any warmup period so I am staying away from those types of light. Some lights may be mounted on motion sensors.

deadrx7conv, I am looking at http://www.satisled.com/50w-led-floodlight-purewarm-whiteredgreenblueyellow-wide-angle_p8.html they look to be reasonably piced.

You talk earlier about 'warm" and "cool". On satisled, the choice is warm or pure. Is warm the LEDs which have a blue tinge to it? And I suspect pure is the very white lights?

Also with regards to the above light it looks like there is a 12v option. Is the 12v bulbs just as efficient and bright as the 120v versions? What type of transformer is recommended for use with a light of this size? Is there a transformer that will allow multiple floods on one circuit.

Satisled's pure is pretty 'cool'. I have the exact one. If I buy more, I'm going to sacrifice the extra 'lumen' for reduced glare warm-white.
Warm has a hint more yellow/orange-ish. Pure white is pushing cool-blue. It wouldn't be a problem if the LED were high CRI. But, they are low CRI so the cool/neutral can be annoying. Don't forget that most 'import' generics will brag and overrate the quality of their products.

http://www.illuminationgear.com/85243.html
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?242062-Cool-White-vs-Neutral-white
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?255553-Quark-MiNi-123-Warm-vs.-Cool-Comparo
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?309938-90-CRI-XP-G-Emitter-Swaps
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?257789-quot-Neutral-quot-vs-Cool-light

When backing 100yds out of the driveway(one of these days i'll get a u-turn and a double-wide driveway), I get too much glare from my car's dirty rear glass window with the cool LED.

50w LED(33v DC 1500mah) is the same whether its powered by AC or DC. The difference is that AC and DC have different drivers(power supplies) built in the housing. If you want to run it off your house power, pick the AC one. If you want to run it off your car battery, pick the 12v DC one. There is no transformer, just run your power wires to it. I tested mine by simply plugging it into a wall outlet(broken extension cord and a couple wire nuts). 12v floodlight wasn't available at the time. So, I removed the AC driver and installed a DC driver to power my floodlight by a battery.

The housing comes apart at the front to remove/replace/clean the glass or replace the LED. The housing comes apart at the rear to remove/replace the LED's driver.

If/when I get tired of the cool LED, or if it ever breaks/fades, I'll just replace it with something from LedEngine, Bridgelux, Edison, Sharp, or Citizen. Plenty of 30w-100w LED arrays available from online electronic suppliers. In 5 years, I should be able to replace my obsolete 50w LEDs with something in the 25-35w area with more light output. Every year LED efficiency improves. We went from 25lm/w a decade ago, to over 100lm/w now. This is one reason why I like the simplicity of the housing. A 50w LED in 5 years could be double in output to the LED that we're using now. Sasquatch avoids well lit yards.

deadrx7conv, thanks again for your guidance. I received two 50w floods from satisled today. They are what I expected in terms of the housing and appearance. I attached a cord to one of them and plugged it in to an extension cord. I was impressed with the amount of light it produced as well as how wide a light pattern it produced. If it lasts for a reasonable amount of time I will definitely feel as if I got my money worth. Hopefully it lasts a long time.

superduty said:

Hopefully it lasts a long time.

Click to expand...

Reflecting on what deadrx7conv said, you might open up the housing and check if the connection between the LED and the heatsink is satisfactory.

Ken_McE said:

Reflecting on what deadrx7conv said, you might open up the housing and check if the connection between the LED and the heatsink is satisfactory.

Click to expand...

Good idea to check. I know little to nothing about LEDs. What exactly would I do? Photos are always helpful.

I wouldn't worry about it. If you want to check the LEDs epoxy, you can unscrew the 4 screws, remove front frame surround glass gasket reflector, and you'll see how the LED is mounted.

Just have your electrician bolt them up to your house/pole/wall..., wire in some wall switches, and enjoy the lighting.

If they fail, you can go from there with a rebuild. For now, just use the floods as they are.

For a carport security light, I'm trying out PAR38 Feit LED bulbs with Cree emitters. IMHO, a reasonable spec for the price point (at Costco with PG&E instant rebate):

http://www.feit.com/feit_led_hiperformance.html

75 Watt PAR38 Equivalent
• 885 Lumens
• 18 Watts
• 25000 Hours
• 3000K Color Temp
• 38º Beam Spread
• ENERGY STAR ® Approved

One caveat is that these are _not_ exterior rated bulbs, and made in China.

I think I'm becoming a LEDfoot. I was driving by big orange y'day, and I had the impulse to stop by to check out the PAR30 bulbs, and saw several exterior rated ecosmart and philips PAR38 (lighting science manufactured, AFAIK) bulbs as well. The 3000k 850 lumen bulbs had $15 PG&E instant rebate, which made them a good deal. The build quality appears better than the Feit, e.g., cooling fins are not bent, no loose assembly screws. There were some 1000+ lumen PAR38 bulbs on the shelf too, 5000K, IIRC.

superduty said:

I am looking for some lighting for my 3/4 acre property.

I was initially looking at the 500w halogen flood lights like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VL05JY/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Then, I started looking at LED flood lights. http://www.opples-led.com/Product.asp?BigClassName=LED and go to Flood Lights.


How do the LEDs compare to the halogens? Obviously they are cheaper to run and theoretically the LED lasts forever. What kind of wattage do I need to be comparable to a 500w halogen in brightness and ability to illuminate a particular area?


Any recommendations on particular LED models or brands or places to purchase?

TIA

Click to expand...

I normally use 20 or 30watt floodlights, Try this website: www.msblite.co.uk the fittings have been great and prices seem best on net with good service/ delivery

superduty said:

I am looking for some lighting for my 3/4 acre property.

I was initially looking at the 500w halogen flood lights like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VL05JY/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Then, I started looking at LED flood lights. http://www.opples-led.com/Product.asp?BigClassName=LED and go to Flood Lights.


How do the LEDs compare to the halogens? Obviously they are cheaper to run and theoretically the LED lasts forever. What kind of wattage do I need to be comparable to a 500w halogen in brightness and ability to illuminate a particular area?


Any recommendations on particular LED models or brands or places to purchase?

TIA

Click to expand...

It depends on how well the manufacturer makes the LED. If they're cheap they will pack a bunch of low grade LEDs to get the same lightout put out of it as opposed to just a few high grade LEDs. So you want more light out of less LEDs to be most efficient (least watts). You should look for comparisons based on lux (the amount of light hitting a surface) or lumens (amount of light emitted at the source). That way you can compare directly to halogen 500w (at what lumen) directly to an LED (at what lumen).

I currently have 8 of the 50 watt led floodlights from ebay. If I could do it again I would not use them. After one month 2 were out. Fast forward one year and now 6 are out.

moosefps said:

I currently have 8 of the 50 watt led floodlights from ebay. If I could do it again I would not use them. After one month 2 were out. Fast forward one year and now 6 are out.

Click to expand...

moosefps said:

I live in Georgia and have a 30x40 shop. It has 18ft rafters. I installed 10-10watt led flood lights and they are terrible. Not enough light output to see squat and in 6 months 2 are out. They were cheap from eBay. Stay away I will be doing tubes.

Click to expand...

Are these in two different areas?

I used 4 ~1100 lumen PAR38s for my back yard. I'd have to measure the distance but I can see my dog all the way at the back. I have 1/2 acre with the house situated closer to the front of the property. I've been plenty happy with the setup I went with.

Yes one is outdoors and one is inside of a shop. I think I bought all the lights from the same company.

hard to find a reputable company in the UK that does warm white LED floodlights.
anyone?.
thanks.