How to tell if the LED optics are going bad

[Jyetman]

I have a Maxspect Razor 160 Watt I bought almost a year ago. For about 8 months I've ran them at A:75 B:90 but for the last several months bumped it up to A:85 B:98 and am worried the optics might go bad sooner. Is this a myth or do the razors have improved optics? What are the warning signs to look for?

[mixedreefjunky]

I am no expert but why would your optics go bad at all other then from salt buildup (which would be your own fault). If their burning up, well then that's just poor manufacturing of your optics. Optics are very cheap from a multitude of websites. If you are experiencing one of these problems I would just buy all new optics, maybe even try different degree optics i.e. 40, 60, 80, 90, 120, or none at all if your fixture is high enough. Take one of your optics off and check if it is crystal clear, if not you do have an issue.

[Wmich2008]

Optics won't go bad unless you somehow melt them. Are you asking if your leds may burn out sooner?

[Jyetman]

Yes all the optics are in good shape there just hot to touch. I've read some 3 watt versions go bad earlier especially in the older Maxspect models but Razors use the newest Cree brand which are suppose to be better?

[Wmich2008]

It seems like you are mixing optics with the actual leds. I may be just misunderstanding the question though. Leds will be warm to the touch but they will not burn out all that fast. No one really knows how long they will last.

[Jyetman]

What about the LEDs themselves will running them near 100 percent reduce the life? I've read many who warn not to run them at 100 percent because they eventually blow out which concerns me. I've had a large fan from day one blowing across the unit to help reduce heat hoping this will extend the life. The two built in fans have never turned on.

[mixedreefjunky]

Your leds shouldn't be hot to the touch either, if they are your fixture is doing a very poor job cooling. perhaps a fan or fans are bad. Your thermal clue could also be bad which would stop your leds from dissipating heat into the heatsink. This will cause your fixture to fail very, very quickly. This usually happens from cheap manufacturing. I would call maxspect and ask what thermal glue they use. If its not that arctic stuff then that's probably your issue. A well made led fixture is cool to the touch even at 100% power. Just saw your update, your fans not turning on is without a doubt your problem. call maxspect

[Jyetman]

If I put my finger on the blues they are very hot but been that way for nearly a year now. The whites are just warm. I also have a temperature probe wedged onto the heat sink it reads 104 to 106 F degrees. From what I understand the internal fans come on only when the heat sink reaches 125 F degrees which is why they never turned on.

[mixedreefjunky]

They should turn on at a much lower temp, you could slowly cook an egg in death valley at a lower temp then that. For electronics, just to hot for long term.

[mixedreefjunky]

My fixture with two 250w halides with two 96w pc, and 4 leds doesnt get anywhere near that hot, maybe 85 tops. the point of going leds is to be cooler with less electricity consumption not to be hotter.