Can I replace 70W incandescent bulbs with 15W (100W equiv) LED bulbs?

[newbury]

That's now my ultimate plan.
What do I do in the barn where I have twelve 300W incandescents twelve ft up on the rafters?

If they are "standard" base (medium or E26) I would just leave them until they no longer function sufficiently for you (or burn out) and then put in what's is best at the time.

I've about 12 fluorescent fixtures with 8' tubes in one shop at 12' high. They are gradually burning out their ballasts. When I bought the place the best bang for the buck replacing them with 4 foot T5 fixtures. (I've a long thread on it somewhere).

But then I started using 8' LED replacements with ballast removal. Now I think 4' linkable LED may be the way to go. But I can't know what will be coming down the line. Next year mechanical fireflies may be the best.

Right now if I was in your situation and they are E26 bases I would put in 5 way splitters and use either a floodlight shape or just A19. You could put in a splitter with 5 A19 100W equivalents for about $30 or less per fixture. And be cranking out 8,000 lumens using 75 watts.

I've tried corn bulbs but they are expensive per lumen compared to the mass produced A19's

 

[sixdogs]

....

Right now if I was in your situation and they are E26 bases I would put in 5 way splitters and use either a floodlight shape or just A19. You could put in a splitter with 5 A19 100W equivalents for about $30 or less per fixture. And be cranking out 8,000 lumens using 75 watts.

Don't know what a splitter is. The bases I put in a barn-shop built 20 years ago are the ceramic ones that I think say 600W max on them. The bulbs I use are standard base like for a lamp, 300W, except with a bigger glass bulb. Florescent fixtures is more than I want to fool with in a pole barn. I'm just going to use the ceramic fixtures already up there.

 

[Diggin It]

Don't know what a splitter is.

 

[sixdogs]

Seems like a good idea but are they safe? How do you determine safety limits?

 

[Diggin It]

Is anything 'safe'? Does anybody really know of safe it is? Does anybody really care ... about time? :anyone::drink:


Like the lamp question .... you're dealing with significantly less current draw and heat output as compared to incandescents which the ratings are usually based on.

 

[EarPlug]

Just changed out my barn light from 300 watt CFL to LED

40W High Output LED Bulb - 5,200 Lumens - E26/E27 Commercial & Residential Retrofit Light - 150W Metal Halide Equivalent - 4000K

Before & after pics

 

[California]

Before & after pics

Looks like you jumped it right into the 21st century with that upgrade!

 

[MossRoad]

Just changed out my barn light from 300 watt CFL to LED

40W High Output LED Bulb - 5,200 Lumens - E26/E27 Commercial & Residential Retrofit Light - 150W Metal Halide Equivalent - 4000K

Before & after pics

View attachment 580700View attachment 580699

I've never seen a 300w CFL bulb.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's some handy charts I use at my job sometimes when we're figuring out what to use when replacing incandescent and CFL bulbs with LEDs. We have specific colors we have to adhere to in public and private areas and we have to consider lumens as well. Also, diffusers and lamp shades, distances from walls, ceilings, windows, colors of walls and furniture, etc.... it all makes a difference.

The first one shows examples of color temperature in the 8 color code. (we use 8 in all our facilities).

This one shows a watts and lumens comparison between the three bulb types. I find this one the most helpful when replacing bulbs of different types.

And the last one is just confusing. :laughing:
It shows the different color codes. There was one white and several vibrant colors.

For my own use at home, I like to stay with 2700k in the living areas, as it's a nice yellow glow. In the kitchen over the sink, I use 4000K, as it's more like a bright white. It's HARSH! But it shows the dirt on the dishes very well.

You can up the brightness in lumens by increasing the wattage while still sticking with the same temperature range of, say, 2700K, and the same color range.

So if you like the color of the lights, stay with that K number, then play with different wattages of that same K number to get the lumens (brightness) that you need in that area.

 

[ning]

I've replaced a number of incandescent bulbs with "higher watt" LEDs - as in, equivalent to a higher watt bulb, but LED, so much brighter. I've done this to great effect in some fixtures which were previously substantially limited by their tolerance of heat, such as stained glass and other art glass lights.

The best thing IMO is to put a dimmer on the circuit, and get really high watt-equivalent bulbs, and then dim to your liking. Over our dinner table there's a large bowl-shaped stained glass fixture (bowl opens upwards) which originally was supposed to have 6 @ 40W bulbs. Early on, I swapped in 60w-equiv LEDs using standard/medium base to candelabra adapters, because I couldn't find 60w-equiv candelabra bulbs. Those worked great and the stained glass never got nearly as warm as it previously did with the 40w incandescents, and I got a lot more light.

I'm now shopping for 100w-equiv candelabra bulbs; there's already a dimmer on the circuit, so I can just blast some light here.

LEDs have such a higher efficiency of emitting light instead of heat. If I recall, incandescents are at best 5% efficient - this means that in a 60W bulb, you get perhaps 3W of light, and 57W of heat (much of it as infrared radiation). LEDs, on the other hand, 30% light and 70% heat, which is why you only need a 10W LED to get a 60W-equivalent - thus producing 3W of light, and 7W of heat (1/8 the heat of the incandescent).

This isn't to say you can pack 8 60w-equivalent LEDs in the space of a single incandescent bulb, because LED lights are less tolerant to high temperatures; LEDs are apt to fail in confined spaces without airflow.