LED Dimmable eBay units wear

[Animal-Chin]

So I have 3 led units from eBay. The 3w dimmable kind. Lately I've notice my tank looking way more yellow and way less blue even though my blue lights are running at 100%. So I bought 20 new bulbs and thought I'd replace a few.

Well I was shocked to see what condition my blue bulbs were in when I took the unit apart. Every blue bulb had blown the little bulb around the led chip and melted the lense. The bulbs still lit but they were now sitting in brown lenses that blocked a lot of light. I pulled out the ruined 90 degree lenses and replaced the blue bulbs! Now my blue spectrum is back.

If you have eBay LED's take a look at the lenses while the unit is off, if they look brown you may have the same issue...

[warriorcookie]

did you measure how much current each LED was drawing?

LED lifespan is rated at a specific current draw. I've always run LEDs at 80% of their rating or less to get the maximum life from them. Once you exceed their current rating by even a tiny amount, the lifespan drops fast. And yes, the color shifts as they burn out. This problem gets even worse if the heatsink is inadequate or poor thermal paste/pad, etc.

Was this a pre-made unit or diy?

[mike31154]

The 3w dimmable kind? Really? It would be of great help if you were a bit more specific as to which light or fixture you are referring to before sounding alarm bells about issues with a particular LED.