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LED bulbs can fail prematurely when exposed to excessive heat, incompatible dimmer switches, voltage irregularities, or simply due to cheap construction with subpar components.

The allure of LED lights is that they last for tens of thousands of hours. If yours are burning out prematurely, here are some of the likely reasons why.

First: LEDs Don't Actually "Burn Out"

Before we dig into reasons why your LED bulbs aren't making it to that fabled 50,000-hour mark---let alone the 500-hour mark---let's clear up what we mean by "burn out."

Unlike their incandescent cousins, LED bulbs don't actually burn out. The "burn out" failure in an incandescent bulb happens when the filament literally burns itself out or is otherwise damaged. LED bulbs tend to fade away, slowly growing dimmer over tens of thousands of hours of operation.

If your LED bulbs seem to be burning out in the traditional sense, like you flip the switch and, zap, they're done, then the bigger problems we're about to dig into are at play. Let's look at the factors that can contribute to premature LED bulb failure.

You Bought Cheap Bulbs

Even if you buy really cheap incandescent light bulbs, you're not sacrificing much in terms of reliability. After over a century, the technology of basic incandescent bulbs is pretty well dialed in. Further, the design is extremely elementary.

LEDs are a different story. Each LED bulb includes a circuit board and a light-emitting diode in place of the basic metal tab and filament design you find in traditional light bulbs. That circuit board must convert line-level AC voltage into DC voltage and deal with any issues and irregularities your home's electrical system throws at it.

That's much more complex than the basic filament-glows-hot design of incandescent bulbs. If you bought a bunch of bulbs and the price seemed too good to be true, don't be surprised when they fail prematurely.

Your LED Bulbs Overheated

Electronics hate heat, and the little circuit boards inside your LED bulbs are no exception. Aside from the issue we just talked about---cheap components failing prematurely---heat is the number one killer of LED bulbs.

Related: Have Recessed Lights? Here's How to Avoid LED Bulb Burnouts

Usually, you won't run into this issue with bulbs in lamps unless the lamp has a tightly fit solid glass shade. The real LED killer in most homes is recessed lighting fixtures (also called can or pot lights). It's such an issue that we recommend you purchase LED retrofit "pucks" specifically designed for use in existing can fixtures.

41DCUL+6J4L._SL160_
Sunco Lighting 12 Pack 5/6 Inch LED Can Lights Retrofit Recessed Lighting Selectable 2700K/3000K/3500K/4000K/5000K Dimmable, Baffle Trim, 13W=75W, 965 LM, Replacement Conversion Kit, UL Energy Star
$55 $64 Save $9

In addition to ensuring your LED bulbs have good air circulation and aren't entombed in hot recessed lights or fixtures with completely enclosed shades, pay attention to the weight and the design of the bulb when shopping.

Cheap LED bulbs are very lightweight as they lack a sufficient heat sink (more expensive LED bulbs will have a bit of heft to them as the base of the bulb features a lot of aluminum mass to pull heat away from the LED and circuit board). One notable exception to that pattern are Cree's "4Flow" bulbs. The 4Flow design includes vents on the side and top of the bulb that uses natural convection currents to help cool the bulb.

Your Dimmer Switches Aren't Made for LEDs

One big source of frustration among people in older homes who have switched to LED bulbs is how finicky LED bulbs are with dimmer switches. The crux of the issue is that older dimmer switches use a 20th-century design intended for use with, you guessed it, incandescent 20th-century bulbs.

If your LED bulb woes seem to center around a particular room or only the rooms in your home with dimmer switches, it's worth upgrading the dimmer switches.

We'd also recommend reading up on dimmer switch and bulb compatibility, too: It might not be your dimmer switch killing your bulbs, but that you're putting the wrong bulbs in your dimmable fixtures.

Your Fixture (or Home) Has Voltage Issues

Hopefully, voltage issues aren't why you're burning through LED bulbs. Everything else on our list is fairly easy to deal with, like swapping a bulb or upgrading a dimmer switch.

You may have a damaged wire or bad contact when the problem appears only with a single lamp or fixture. Sometimes it can be as simple as the contact tab inside a lamp socket is bent. You may be able to fix it by unplugging the lamp, gently bending the contact tab in the socket upwards, and reseating the light bulb.

But if there seems to be no rhyme or reason why LED bulbs are failing prematurely in your home, there might be a significantly bigger electrical problem. LED bulbs are particularly sensitive to out-of-spec voltage.

If you notice your LED bulbs turn off (while the switch is still turned on) or they flick on and off sporadically, that can indicate voltage sags. If they fail prematurely, especially within days, that can indicate overvoltage in your home. Both issues are best diagnosed by a licensed electrician who can tell you if you need to contact your utility company for a repair on their side of the equation, fix things within your home, or both.