More LED bulb options

[apostolakisl]

I just had another A19 type bulb go out on me after just a few months. Both were in ceiling cans. I suspect that you can't put these things upside down. This one was a Sylvania bulb. The first one was a utilitech. I have another A19 in a regular table lamp for about a year and it is still fine. Neither of the ceiling cans were sealed and both were on first floor ceilings (not against hot attics).

 

[Desert_AIP]

For anyone who thinks their rates are bad, let me remind you:

Baseline <= 511.5 Kwh @ $.12233
101-130% of baseline <= 664.95 Kwh @ $.13907
131-200% of baseline <= 1023.0 Kwh @ $.29385
201-300% of baseline > 1023.0 Kwh @ $.40352

Meaning anything over the first 1,023 kwh is billed at $.40352; and since I'll never be below the 1,000kwh mark, when you average out the tiers, my first 1,023 kwh average out to $.18487

These DO include all the BS charges, like generation, transmission, distribution, etc...

I can get around 1,100 kwh in the winter - but in the summer I hit over 2700kwh trying to cool this place... those bills topped over $800. For me any cost savings efforts can have substantial payback; but since I'm already 80% LED; have no extra computers, stereos, TV's or equipment, my costs are mostly HVAC. And when I get my breaks on electric in the winter, my gas prices seem to make up most of the difference (though if I keep "forgetting" to light the pilot on the gas fireplace, they stay lower ;-).

Wow, when I was there my baseline was something ridiculous like 200kW for a 3000sqft house.

 

[signal15]

Menards has par30 LEDs for $13. I'm not sure about the quality but for that price, I think I'm going to try some.

http://www.menards.c.../led/c-7482.htm

Those are only 360 lumens. An incandescent 40W bulb produces 400-500 lumens. These things are not bright at all. They would only be useful for accent lighting.

 

[fwd03]

Those are only 360 lumens. An incandescent 40W bulb produces 400-500 lumens. These things are not bright at all. They would only be useful for accent lighting.

Par30 uses 9W power, but only output 450 lumens for warm white. LED chip is less effecient at reduced power. Because there is no heatsink to cool those LED chips, they can only run lower wattage than rating. I use this set 10W LED chip and driver (eBAy item # 150701842021 ) on Inel CPU heatsinks, it is brighter than 60W bulb. Kill-A-Watt shows using 11W power. To cool the chip, I actually have three heatsink stacked together (removed fans from them, so there is no sound). The only thing is not dimmable. My other experience with 20W LED also working great. But it must have a tiny fan to cool it. Wife did not like the fan noise at all.

 

[signal15]

Someone should make a LED bulb for a can light that is just a 7" round bare aluminum plate that goes over the opening to the can with the LED in the middle. The plate could have a cool tech-looking design. Then all of the heatsink would be outside of the can and dissipate heat much better.

 

[IndyMike]

I just had another A19 type bulb go out on me after just a few months. Both were in ceiling cans. I suspect that you can't put these things upside down. This one was a Sylvania bulb. The first one was a utilitech. I have another A19 in a regular table lamp for about a year and it is still fine. Neither of the ceiling cans were sealed and both were on first floor ceilings (not against hot attics).

Lou,

I don't think it's the orientation. I've had 7 of the Utillitech running in outdoor coach lamps (upside down) through the summer - 95F. No failures so far. I have all of these on Insteon dimmers.

Any chance you're using relay switches or have insulation in the ceiling?

 

[wuench]

Do any of these bulbs work in an enclosed fixture? I looked at some at Lowes and they all said they couldn't be used in "enclosed lumieries". I was thinking this is exactly where LEDs need to be used. I have taken down two dome lights in my home and in both the wiring insulation had started to discolor/disintegrate due to the heat. I changed out a domed light at my parents and the wiring insulation on that wiring was pretty much gone. I think domed lights can become a real fire hazard/risk of a short over time.

So I wanted to change out the bulbs in all of my lights with something that didn't generate a lot of heat. I thought LEDs translate almost all their power into light not heat, so I assume it is the electronics in these bulbs generating all the heat...

So has anyone found good 40W equivalents, dimmable, that can be used in enclosed fixtures?

 

[gatchel]

This one claims to be able to be used in enclosed fixtures. Whether it will fit or not, that's another story.

http://www.earthtech...m/led-bulb.html


edit: Whoops NOT dimmable.

 

[BLH]

I have a few of the EvoluxS LED bulbs.
They have a small cooling fan in them and after a year or so of use. Mine growl at times and sound like the fans bearings are going bad.
Also take their comparable to a 100 watt bulb sales pitch with a grain of salt.

Mine are a few years old. So I don't if they made improvements since then.

 

[rismoney]

bjr72 - Maybe it's best to just foil wrap your whole house. Then go outside.

 

[mdesmarais]

Or move to Amish country. ;-)

 

[signal15]

For a $45 LED bulb, they payoff for me is roughly 2 years. Electricity cost factors into it a small amount, but the big saving is replacement bulbs (assuming the LED's actually last). I was replacing 2 Ushio bulbs per year, per can. They are $10 each.

For lights that we use all the time (kitchen, living room, bedroom, outdoor spotlights that stay on all night), LED's make total sense.

 

[Westcojack]

You might also add if it's dimmable with a standard dimmer (forward phase dimming) or if it needs an electronic dimmer (reverse phase dimming).

 

[wuench]

Well, according to the bulbs.com website all LEDs shouldn't be used in enclosed fixtures (but that may just be Philips' bulbs). I am pretty disenchanted at this point with LED's. I don't see how consumers are going to use those if the only place you can use them is in indoor, non-enclosed fixtures. That is pretty limiting and makes LEDs a niche product at this point.

And I am sure a lot of people aren't going to read the fine print and will be frying $40 bulbs on a regular basis. On the bulb I bought the statement was on the bulb itself not on any of the packaging. So maybe that's the mfg's plan, they'll sell a lot more bulbs that way.

None of this solves my original concern which was the heat buildup in the fixture. I may just have to go with a lower wattage bulb or a low watt halogen. Or replace them with open fixtures, which would suck. I think this disintegrating insulation problem is real issue, probably in a lot of homes. The wiring may be ok if it isn't touched, but if you intend to ever change out that fixture you may be in for pulling some new wire. I should also mention that the fixture at my parents had electrical tape too, and it had become really brittle.

 

[bjr72]

Well, according to the bulbs.com website all LEDs shouldn't be used in enclosed fixtures (but that may just be Philips' bulbs). I am pretty disenchanted at this point with LED's. I don't see how consumers are going to use those if the only place you can use them is in indoor, non-enclosed fixtures. That is pretty limiting and makes LEDs a niche product at this point.

And I am sure a lot of people aren't going to read the fine print and will be frying $40 bulbs on a regular basis. On the bulb I bought the statement was on the bulb itself not on any of the packaging. So maybe that's the mfg's plan, they'll sell a lot more bulbs that way.

None of this solves my original concern which was the heat buildup in the fixture. I may just have to go with a lower wattage bulb or a low watt halogen. Or replace them with open fixtures, which would suck. I think this disintegrating insulation problem is real issue, probably in a lot of homes. The wiring may be ok if it isn't touched, but if you intend to ever change out that fixture you may be in for pulling some new wire. I should also mention that the fixture at my parents had electrical tape too, and it had become really brittle.

You hit the nail on the head. NICHE market. Open fixtures only. LED's are now very popular with merchandise displays. A row of LED's is manufactured along a custom length of aluminum flat bar. Can't run a row of LED's without the aluminum bar as a heatsink. And when you look at the manufacturers recommendations, they recommend you fasten the bar to metal in the display case to further aid in heat dissipation. Halogen based merchandise displays heat up the product. And if it's cosmetics, that's not good. LED's do not heat up a product, they heat up the display case and dissipate to the outside air.