# Are leds an inductive load?



## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

sicilianiggy said:


> How do you guys approach calculating a load wich contains leds? Are they an inductive load?


You gotta be better at looking up things on the internet than asking guys on the electrician talk forum.its the World Wide Web. Man this is exciting. Expand your mind to see how dc power is derived from ac. Let me know how it goes.


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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

Don't forget the continuous load multiplyer. Multiplier . Yep.


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## Stickshaker (Jun 29, 2012)

Cl906um said:


> You gotta be better at looking up things on the internet than asking guys on the electrician talk forum.its the World Wide Web. Man this is exciting. Expand your mind to see how dc power is derived from ac. Let me know how it goes.


Weird, I would have thought this was the perfect place to ask that question.


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## PlugsAndLights (Jan 19, 2016)

I consider them true watts and just add'm up.
I've put more than 50 lotus lights on a cct without problems.
P&L


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## triden (Jun 13, 2012)

Led's are about 0.85 and CFL's can be bad at 0.5 or so. That said, most drivers have PF correction built into them, so use real power (watts) for sizing.


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## mpoulton (Jul 17, 2009)

They are a capacitive load, the opposite of an inductive load. They are also non-linear. Newer ones with advanced power factor correction act almost like a pure resistive load, though.


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## Semi-Ret Electrician (Nov 10, 2011)

This sounds like a homework question,
so, theoretically all loads contain some amount of resistance, capacitance & inductance.

In the real world, they can be treated as resistive loads.


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## ElectricalArtist (Jul 2, 2014)

This is not a homework question


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

PlugsAndLights said:


> I consider them true watts and just add'm up.
> I've put more than 50 lotus lights on a cct without problems.
> P&L


*This is the most direct definitive answer here!*


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## ElectricalArtist (Jul 2, 2014)

So besides motors generators and transformers when do you guys adjust the load with Pf?


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## triden (Jun 13, 2012)

sicilianiggy said:


> So besides motors generators and transformers when do you guys adjust the load with Pf?


When it matters. Can you imagine how a 7watt led will affect your pf at the pcc?


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## Tonedeaf (Nov 26, 2012)

LED are semiconductors that are are resistive and slightly capacitive at the junction. They produce light when a forward DC voltage is applied to them. 

The Driver that create the DC voltage is a no linear load. The drivers are essentially electronic DC switching power supplies.

When calculating load i treat them as resistive ( in watts) but when you have many of them you need to account for the fact that they are nonlinear loads.


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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

Yeah, well. Just thought you could have researched this topic for a few minutes before throwing the topic out there


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

So this is basically a non issue in residential, but what about a led conversion in an office building? I haven't heard any complaints.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Office buildings don't often get gigged for PF.

Biggest problem I see in heavy commercial is that electronic ballasts and drivers create a stupid amount of current harmonics.

Even if they don't cause interference, they create literal noise: The transformers sound like electric pencil sharpeners which, in quiet spaces, leads to bitching.


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

Big John said:


> Office buildings don't often get gigged for PF.
> 
> Biggest problem I see in heavy commercial is that electronic ballasts and drivers create a stupid amount of current harmonics.
> 
> Even if they don't cause interference, they create literal noise: * The transformers sound like electric pencil sharpeners which, in quiet spaces, leads to bitching, which leads to change orders and upsells.*


Fixed it for ya!


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## Semi-Ret Electrician (Nov 10, 2011)

Big John said:


> Office buildings don't often get gigged for PF.
> 
> Biggest problem I see in heavy commercial is that electronic ballasts and drivers create a stupid amount of current harmonics.
> 
> Even if they don't cause interference, they create literal noise: The transformers sound like electric pencil sharpeners which, in quiet spaces, leads to bitching.


True, we had a Russian designer claim it was driving him nuts...or maybe he was already nuts.


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## dmxtothemax (Jun 15, 2010)

Not so much the LED !
But the driver would be for sure.


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