G4 LED 12v AC safety?

I am looking to replace the kitchen cabinet lights with LED. We are currently using a 12v ac, 10w. It is quite difficult to find these LEDs in department stores. There are so many different varieties from ebay and amazon but I have no clue how safe those are. After all I don’t want risk of fire. What to look for when I buy them online. In addition, would 12v ac running 1 to 2w actually cause fire?

Thanks

It’s unlikely for an LED retrofit to cause a fire if it is in the halogen lamp fixture. The halogen fixture can handle lots of heat from the halogen lamp. LED lamps output much less heat. So you’d actually have a lower fire risk.

I’d strongly suggest replacing that 12VAC transformer with a 12VDC switching power supply. If you put LEDs on AC they will flicker (because they are diodes and only work when the electricity flows in the right direction) and it will give you headaches.

LED retrofits designed for AC usually have bridge rectifiers and maybe even a capacitor to convert the AC to DC and smooth the ripple to minimize the flickering. Choose these lamps if you do not want to replace your power supply.

The cheap retrofits on ebay and Chinese webstores tend to have poor color and/or CRI. The warm white LEDs may have a greenish tint.

Thanks for replying.

What are the usual cause of electric fire? I am currently looking at these ones.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/G4-COB-Filament-LED-Spotlight-Light-Bulb-Car-Boat-Lamp-Warm-White-Pure-White-150LM-AC/32373990388.html
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311420102508?\_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=610486033239&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-High-quality-AC-DC-12V-G4-LED-3W-6W-NEW-COB-Corn-Light-SMD/32412041592.html

Which one do you think is better? They should all take 12v ac.

Fires are caused by electricity when it creates too much heat. The most common cause of electrical fires is when there is a bad connection (loose, corroded, etc). That connection causes resistance which causes heat to build up there. If the connection is bad enough, it can melt the plastic insulators around it, and if it gets really hot (glowing red hot) it would set the plastic on fire, which would then set nearby plastics and woods on fire…

Fires can also be caused from a heat-emmitting device that is improperly mounted or positioned. Devices such as heaters and halogen lamps can cause fires. If you place a space heater facing very close to a combustable material, after a while that material would get so hot that it may catch on fire. As for halogen lamps, you might have a fire happen if you have a halogen bulb touch directly to wood, though as long as you have a halogen bulb in a proper halogen fixture that is mounted correctly.

Another way electricity can cause a fire is by an electrical arc. An arc is extremely hot, but an arc lasts for a very short wile because the circuit breaker would trip almost instantly. But if you have a volatile material or gas (such as gasoline) near the arc, it may burst into flames.

I read something about a LED driver, do I need one? This changing of light bulbs is getting more and more confusing. I just want to plug and play…

fire danger is not the worry.
disappointment from buying crap is.and many of these retrofits are solidly in that league.
i would be looking to see if your lights are metal and roll your own retrofits.
wound up with some that i installed in my motorhome and after a few uses they were already down in brightness.
leds being pushed to get the brightness level needed and no heatsinking=FAIL.

I ended up buying this
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1Pcs-High-End-Silicone-Body-G4-3W-LED-Bulbs-light-DC-12V-AC-12V-AC220V-SMD3014/32353981144.html

I will post review here after I received it. I ordered the 12v AC/DC.

I advise this energy saving LED puck lights,12V DC,safety and easy to ON/OFF by a switch.

Also easy installation

more details pls read http://www.dhgate.com/store/product/3pcs-1-8w-warm-white-under-led-cabinet-light/124166173.html

you can choose ceramic type of led g4 bulbs for AC/DC10-25V, that will be much more safe when the electricity not stable.