Installing LED bulbs

[TMB]

Almost done replacing the bulbs in the house.

Have to figure out what I am going to do in workshop which has 3 banks of Flourescent tubes.

The question though: there a number of light fixtures in the house 9which are going to be replaced, eventually) but for now they are there. Dome style with closed covers. Rated for 40 watt bulbs, which I assume is a recognition of the heat produced by standard incandescent bulbs.

In replacing those with LED I assume I can put 60 watt equivalent bulbs in those fixtures? 40 watt equivalent is about a 5.5 watt LED, 60 watt equivalent would be about a 9 watt LED.

They won't produce the heat so should be OK???

What say the hive??

[spopepro]

They won't produce enough heat to pose a danger to the fixture, but you might be reducing the life of the diode/components if it gets sufficiently warm in there.

[TMB]

They won't produce enough heat to pose a danger to the fixture, but you might be reducing the life of the diode/components if it gets sufficiently warm in there.

Thank you. I don't think it will be an issue as I expect the fixtures will get changed out as soon as Momma gets home.

[Saab2000]

The limitation isn't on the heat, it's on the wattage or amperage load of a circuit or fixture and this will be inherently less with most LED bulbs. Keep a hand on the heat but you're unlikely to run into issues. The wattage of LED bulbs is less, and mostly they're cool to the touch.

I've been a fan for years and will continue to be so. They use less energy and last a long time (plus, the good ones have a natural warm color that is pleasing to the eye). That said, I have a had a couple bulbs not survive a move. The 'bulb' is more glued on rather than a single piece of glass. When moving, remove the bulbs and pack them separately. It's worth the effort.

I am blown away that there are people who still think incandescents are the way to go. But I suppose there are people who think trains, ships and even cars should be powered by steam engines.

[Too Tall]

FWIIW I've been chipping away for a few year. They are really nice. If you are handy, the electric supply houses sell retro-fit ceiling units.

Also, I've looked and and plan to purchase retro-fit LED tube lights to fit my old 8' flourescent shop lights. Basically your disconnect the ballast and re-wire.

[11.4]

There's no thermal issue to deal with. Household LEDs are about the lowest grade of LEDs made for any purpose, but they still have to take ambient temperatures in the 140-160 degree range simply to meet household requirements. That's more for use in outside fixtures in the sun in central Texas. In practice, they aren't going to have problems until they get a lot hotter than that. The difference between a 6 watt and 8 watt consumption is negligible. You may want to try one first, however, just to be sure the light output isn't excessive. LEDs generate light at different wavelengths so they can look brighter than the wattages or even the lumens (which don't address wavelengths as the eye sees them) might indicate.

[bigbill]

My house a shit-tonne of recessed lights. I've been replacing them with LED's as they burn out. The boy's room had six 75 watt floods and was an easy bake oven. I replaced them with dimmable LED's. All of the bulbs combined are less than 75 watts.

[TMB]

I have almost finished replacing everything in the house, I did the ceiling lights in my daughter's room which is where the request for "brighter" comes from.

I am in the stage of wandering around and sort of doing mental inventory to make sure I've replaced/not replaced that fixture. Missed a couple here and there.

I will be replacing the dome fixtures, but as I say, those won't be done until my bride gets home. I'm simply not that brace.

I completely forgot about the tubes in my workshop until I was in there last night pulling the hard drive out of an old laptop, and I went " oh yeah, those ...", I'll get everything else done then go do the ballasts. They are fairly low on the priority scale right now.

[RanOverMyTongue]

Just buy them from a lightbulb company you've heard of: Philips, G.E., Sylvania, Cree. All 3 companies make direct-retro lamps that do not require rewiring at the ballast. Check your color temperatures (2700, 3000, 3500, 4000) and your CRI (color rendition index). For light industrial and shop applications I recommend 3500K and 90+ CRI. The packaging will list wattage equivalents but also check the rated lumens on the new lamps. They will most likely be lower than the fluorescents you have, but the odds are you will perceive them as brighter. Feel free to PM me, I know a few things about lighting.

[thollandpe]

+1 on ROMtongue's comments. When you pick color temp, go "warm", 3500K or lower. The daylight shit looks like alien invasion.

+1 on Sylvania or Philips for screw-ins. Their 11-watt (60W replacement) A-bulbs are fantastic for a dome-type fixture.

Another +1 on replacing 4' tubes with replacements that bypass the ballast and run line voltage. I put in a ton of RemPhos. Great option for shop lights. But honestly, you'll never get the run time for a payback if you already have T8's or T5's and you will probably lose light quality.

Reflector lamps: MR16's, R30's, PAR38's. That's the stuff to jump on. And jump to Sylvania or Cree (Cree brand, not just Cree emitter). And if you live in a cold climate, fix those holes in your ceiling where those recessed cans are. That's costing you more than the incandescent bulbs.

[rec head]

I'm super happy with these for recessed cans. Halo 5 in. and 6 in. 3K Matte White Recessed LED Adjustable Gimbal Module 9 CRI-RA56693WHR - The Home Depot

[TMB]

Ok, "60 watt" soft white.

Dad is a hero again. For now.

[Will Neide]

I'm currently replacing most of my bulbs to LED, and waiting to replace the rest as the old bulbs blow out. I agree on the "skip the daylight" type bulbs. They are white, and sort of institutional. I wasn't aware of that and bought a pair on sale. They quickly got relegated to the corner of the basement.

[rwsaunders]

+1 on ROMtongue's comments. When you pick color temp, go "warm", 3500K or lower. The daylight shit looks like alien invasion.

Definitely pay attention to the color of the bulb (measured in degrees Kelvin) regardless of the type and match the bulb color/temperature to your decor...warm color bulb with warm colors, cool color bulb with cool colors. Your wife will notice this, trust me. Also, if you want a bulb to last long regardless of the light source, add dimmers, that is if the bulb is capable of being dimmed. I have small 45w halogen floods in our main hallway and some are 19 years old. The lighting supplier rep gave me the dimming tip when we were purchasing our lighting package and I think about that woman every time that I have to purchase an $8 replacement bulb...which isn't often.

[RanOverMyTongue]

Also, if you want a bulb to last long regardless of the light source, add dimmers, that is if the bulb is capable of being dimmed.

This applies to halogen and incandescent lamps, not LED, HID, or fluorescent. Dimming will not extend the lamp life of LED, but if the lamp is not dimmable, it will actually shorten the lamp life. Always check the lamp before dimming it, consumer products will be labeled. LED dimming is not as easy as incandescent, and there are at least 3 possible dimming schemes, so read carefully. Even then, I've seen weird, unexplainable stuff happen with LED dimming.

For halogen or incandescent, the rule of thumb has been that dimming 5% will double the lamp life. However, the halogen cycle doesn't occur below 250C, so running halogen lamps for a long time below 50% will actually shorten the lamp life. You need to run them at full for a few hours a week for ideal operation. Also, dimmers are not 100% efficient, so even running at full you are actually dimmed about 3%.

[marley]

I am reading with interest - but damn this stuff is confusing - I am converting to gas lamps and stocking up on candles.

Moved houses this summer and I have at least 8 different size and/or types of recessed lights - nightmare for keeping up with replacements.

Plus I have a few that are buzzing and I am the only one that can hear it in the house. Maybe I should go with headlamps for the family.

[RanOverMyTongue]

Moved houses this summer and I have at least 8 different size and/or types of recessed lights - nightmare for keeping up with replacements.

Plus I have a few that are buzzing and I am the only one that can hear it in the house. Maybe I should go with headlamps for the family.

The buzzing is real, I'd be willing to bet it's either with an R-type or BR lamp (looks like a traditional lightbulb but sort of flattened on the bottom and very lightweight), or a magnetic low voltage transformer. R/BR lamps have huge filaments and are shaped like bullhorns, so any vibration is projected into the space. Halogen PAR lamps usually don't make noise because they have a very small filament in a heavy glass envelope. It's probably really noticeable when dimmed to 50%. Installing dimmable LED will fix it if it's a lamp, but won't if it's a transformer. LEDs should never buzz, but if they are low voltage, the transformer might.