diy Top @Kew Drive

[tomasulu 2]

The problem of LEDs is with the drivers. And drivers are not readily available nor are they easily replaced like bulbs. My experience is that drivers will die right around the 2 year mark. Moreover LED lights throw out in beams. So while they may be bright you don't feel they are so because the lights don't fill up the space.

If I've to do it over again id go with more energy saving and T5.

Edited January 23, 2014 by tomasulu

[Ks Toh 74]

The problem of LEDs is with the drivers. And drivers are not readily available nor are they easily replaced like bulbs. My experience is that drivers will die right around the 2 year mark. Moreover LED lights throw out in beams. So while they may be bright you don't feel they are so because the lights don't fill up the space.

If I've to do it over again id go with more energy saving and T5.

I agree that the drivers are not readily available like normal bulbs. My house is still new, so I don't know how long they will last. If they die around 2 years (whether driver or bulb), this will be a gross misrepresentation as we are always told they last much longer than normal lights. So far, out of the many LED lights I installed, I have only two cases of failure, both drivers. One was due to water ingress damaging the driver, the other unknown cause.

As for the "throw" not filling up the space, I have no such problem. Maybe because I have sufficient lights all round, and the type of lights I chose (if you look at the pictures), they have a much wider beam?

[tomasulu 2]

I agree that the drivers are not readily available like normal bulbs. My house is still new, so I don't know how long they will last. If they die around 2 years (whether driver or bulb), this will be a gross misrepresentation as we are always told they last much longer than normal lights. So far, out of the many LED lights I installed, I have only two cases of failure, both drivers. One was due to water ingress damaging the driver, the other unknown cause.

As for the "throw" not filling up the space, I have no such problem. Maybe because I have sufficient lights all round, and the type of lights I chose (if you look at the pictures), they have a much wider beam?

The LEDs do last longer than say energy saving bulbs but the drivers are a different story. The analogy I like is that of a seiko kinetic watch. While you don't have to change the battery, the capacitor will break down as often as battery needs to be replaced. And of course capacitors are harder to find and more expensive to replace.

I should've said the drivers will start to break down after two years. Out of the 80 odd no-brand LED down lights we've, 5-6 have gone down at around the two year mark. You may think that's not so bad until you realized you don't know where to buy the drivers and you can't change the drivers yourself. Our contractor had to visit quite a few lighting shops before one would agree to source for recon drivers (whatever that means) for us. We also had some Philips LEDs that broke down and Philips don't keep the drivers in stock. So we ended up buying the entire led light which is not cheap.

As for the throw, perhaps it's not apparent in your case because of the orientation they're positioned. For my down lights the beams are like spot lights. In our dining area we've a 18w energy saving which appears brighter then the 4 x 7w LEDs around it. That's because with LEDs you've dim areas in between the beams.

Edited January 23, 2014 by tomasulu

[francisg 2]

The LEDs do last longer than say energy saving bulbs but the drivers are a different story. The analogy I like is that of a seiko kinetic watch. While you don't have to change the battery, the capacitor will break down as often as battery needs to be replaced. And of course capacitors are harder to find and more expensive to replace.

I should've said the drivers will start to break down after two years. Out of the 80 odd no-brand LED down lights we've, 5-6 have gone down at around the two year mark. You may think that's not so bad until you realized you don't know where to buy the drivers and you can't change the drivers yourself. Our contractor had to visit quite a few lighting shops before one would agree to source for recon drivers (whatever that means) for us. We also had some Philips LEDs that broke down and Philips don't keep the drivers in stock. So we ended up buying the entire led light which is not cheap.

As for the throw, perhaps it's not apparent in your case because of the orientation they're positioned. For my down lights the beams are like spot lights. In our dining area we've a 18w energy saving which appears brighter then the 4 x 7w LEDs around it. That's because with LEDs you've dim areas in between the beams.

Your worries are unfound, most LED run on 12VDC, even those cheapo AC/DC convertor can run LED light, you just need know the polarity and handy with wire stripper and scewdriver.

[tomasulu 2]

Your worries are unfound, most LED run on 12VDC, even those cheapo AC/DC convertor can run LED light, you just need know the polarity and handy with wire stripper and scewdriver.

I don't know what you mean by worries that are unfounded. I'm sharing my experience not imagining them. Two different electricians have said they've to come to my place to take out the existing driver in order to check with the shops to see if they've the right drivers. My contractor did just that but had to visit several shops before they found one that has recon ones that matched what I've. The Philips LEDs have proprietary built in drivers that have to be ordered from Philips and no they don't keep stock locally.

[Ks Toh 74]

I am confused by the LED driver issue. My LED lights were supplied by two shops: Shop A supplied all the downlights and staircase ceiling lights. Shop B supplied the more expensive ceiling, wall and flood lights. All are LED.

Shop B told me as long as the specifications are the same (voltage and ampere), the driver should work. This seems to make sense.

However, Shop A told me that this is not the case and I have to get back to the original supplier. He tells me that he has tried to use drivers with the same specifications and the lights will flicker. He does not know the reason why.

Below are two of my LED lights. When the driver for the round light was damaged by water, I tried to use the driver from the square down light (I have several spares) but the round light would not light up. I went back to the shop and was given a replacement driver, which worked. I try to look at the specs but I cannot figure out if they are the same or not.

Edited January 24, 2014 by kstoh

[xaleysan 2]

I am not renovating my home but I drop in once in a while to read T-blogs. I spent more than an hour to read all the pages in this thread.

This thread is exactly the spirit of an online forum, for information sharing and discussion.

Thank you to kstoh for sharing all the information and experiences. Your place is really pleasing to the eyes, not over the top and practical in use too.

I also appreciate that you write with proper grammar, it makes reading easier. I have nothing against people who do not, except that it's actually pretty rare these days, not with the prevalent texting culture!

Here's a good weekend to all.

[Ks Toh 74]

HI xaleysan

Thanks for your compliments. By the way, you have a pretty cool baking blog.I noticed that you have your own domain name. I have my own too! So, instead of using your old yahoo email address, why not me@[yourdomain].com?

[Ks Toh 74]

After reading that many of you found the top of your doors unpainted, I just had to take out my ladder and check out mine. And this is what I found:

My door has been repainted. From what I can see, it seems that the top was never painted at all, not even on the first occasion.

Somehow I feel much better knowing that all of us are in the same boat. Perhaps there is a good reason why the top is unpainted.

[Ks Toh 74]

Ladders

I don't know how many of you have a ladder in your house, such that you can check the top of your doors.

A ladder is very useful to have in the house. You need it to reach places that are otherwise out of reach, such as your ceiling lights, highest shelves in your kitchen cabinet or wardrobe. And it last a very, very long time. My 6 step ladder has been with me from my first home. Worth every cent. Although it is a simple piece of equipment, I actually did some research on it.

I read that falling from heights is the number one cause of workplace fatalities, and falling from roofs and ladders is the number one reason for that. So, the next time you attempt to reach that high shelf by standing on your study chair with wheels, even with someone holding on to the chair, think again. Maybe you should just buy a ladder?

Here are some safety tips:

Edited April 4, 2015 by Ks Toh

[xaleysan 2]

Thanks for dropping in by blog, kstoh!

The email has address has been with me for very long, so I just stick with it.

Actually now that you have mentioned it, I'll give it more thought.

Will do it one day, when I'm feeling less lazy!

[Ks Toh 74]

In Singapore, the hardware shops sell two main types of ladders.

A-Frame Ladder

This is the ladder of choice for almost all contractors. I am not sure why this is the case. Most likely, it is due to the fact that you can extract maximum height from this ladder. Almost all the workers I see stand up to the highest level, the last step. But this is also the reason why many accidents happen, as you are not supposed to stand on the last two steps of this type of ladder (see the chart above). This ladder is heavier and more stable but cheaper than the Family Ladder.

Family Ladder

For our homes, the family ladder is more suitable. It is lighter and slimmer, being made of aluminium alloy. More importantly, it has a safety platform for you to stand at the top, and a safety handrail for you to hold. Unfortunately, this means that you cannot extract maximum height from this ladder. The highest platform is typically about 0.5 m lower than the top of the ladder, the handrail.

[Asking4Help 1]

Thanks kstoh for providing information again, going to get 1 of these ladder as well...

[Ks Toh 74]

If you are getting a ladder for your home, I recommend that you get either a 5 to 6 step Family Ladder. It should be as high as possible to allow you to reach the highest point of your house, possibly your cove or ceiling lights. But it should also not be so tall that you cannot fit it into your bomb shelter, store or tall cupboard. In my case, the 6 step ladder was the first ladder I bought. One ladder should be sufficient for most homes though in my case, i accumulated two more ladders over the years.

My baby 3 step ladder was bought for the sole purpose of allowing my helper (do you notice they are normally not so tall?) to reach the top of my kitchen cabinets and wardrobes easily. I did not want her to lug around my 6 step ladder, and accidentally hit something. Originally, I wanted to buy one of those stools but in the end, I thought s baby ladder was more versatile. Most of the time, we find ourselves using this ladder.

My giant 10 step ladder was bought recently for my new place. I use it when I need to clean my hall fan, trim the plants on my vertical garden or reach various high places to apply silicon to stop water leaks etc. When I step on the last step, I can just about touch the fan blades. I have to tip-toe slightly just to clean the blades, one hand on the blade and the other holding the cloth. It is very unsatisfactory. Due to its length, the ladder flexes as I climb up. It does not feel stable, and I do not feel secure, even with my helper below holding onto the ladder.

If I have to buy a tall ladder again, I think I will go for the Little Giant Ladder.

http://youtu.be/N0J2KG7GG5o

P.s. Could not resist it. I eventually bought the Little Giant Ladder. Read about it here.

Edited August 9, 2014 by kstoh

[Ks Toh 74]

You should buy your ladder only after the renovations have completed. If you buy it during renovations, make sure you do not leave your ladder on site.

I actually had two other ladders, a small A-frame ladder and a 5 step ladder. I left both thinking that it would help the workers. Both disappeared during the initial renovation works. After that, I made sure I brought home my 6 step ladder every time I bring to site.