Do LED grow lights require special maintenance?

To maximize the benefits of your LED grow lights and ensure your efforts are rewarded, regular maintenance is essential. This will prevent output degradation and extend your lights' life by quite a bit. My fixtures lasted five additional years because I cleaned them every month. Most importantly, by performing preventative maintenance, you are saving yourself from expensive and unnecessary replacements. A dirty light will fail prematurely sooner or later, while neglecting maintenance of your lights will reduce yield.

Dust that accumulates from exposure to air causes transmission of light to be impeded or lost substantially. A thin film of dust can cause a 20% loss in output. After cleaning the lenses on my PAR meter, I was able to significantly improve my readings by fifteen percent. I suggest doing a monthly wipe-down to help maintain intensity. Using a lint-free cloth and a cleaner that matches your lens material is ideal.

The majority of drive failures are related to overheating and its cause. Inspect fans four times a year under normal load. My drive reached 140 degrees before it failed. You can mitigate overheating by ensuring sufficient clearance between the drive and other objects as well as by regularly removing dust from the drive. Replacing the thermal paste every two years is also advantageous.

PAR testing sheds light on step degradation. Diodes will fade slowly in time. After three years, I found a 15% loss. You don't have to wait until you see plant stress to catch problems. Record the readings to support warranty claims and replacement decisions.

Proper thermal management prolongs the life of the diode, especially when you replace the paste on the heatsinks above the diodes. Following this replacement, my fixtures run a full fifteen degrees cooler. By replacing the paste, you also avoid color shifts, and the fixture runs with more efficiency. This is an easily preventative measure that will extend the life of the fixture for many years.

To ensure warranty compliance, documentation is required. Therefore, please keep all receipts of purchases and maintenance documents. With proper documentation, my manufacturer replaced two drivers. Managing and maintaining your purchase records and receipts is another way to protect your investment. Take time to write down cleaning dates or axis PAR measurements and/or keep aging records.

Read the full article: Ultimate Guide to LED Grow Lights for Plants