We use 15W and 25W incandescents in a number of small table lamps. Last time I checked a while back, I couldn't find LED equivalents for those lower wattage bulbs. I thought about popping over to Menards or Home Depot to stock up on the smaller incandescents before August 1st, but I checked again and it looks like the LED manufacturers have caught up and there are quite a few alternatives available...
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Posts: 38221 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010
I get most of my bulbs at IKEA now, but I don’t recall seeing a standard-base bulb there less than 4W which is roughly equivalent to a 40W incandescent.
I have a few 4W bulbs where I need a little bit of light… there’s a floor lamp standing innocuously in the corner of the living room that we just keep on all the time. It has an early Phillips 4W LED bulb. It’s been on for at least ten years now. The only time it’s ever been off is when the power goes out and when I replaced the outlet.
The light bulb in the fridge died a couple months ago. I replaced it with a 5W LED labeled for ceiling fans. It’s working fine.
We have been using almost all LED bulbs for a long time, but when I was at my mother's house and changing bulbs in one of her ceiling fans, I couldn't find an LED replacement that worked. They were specialty bulbs and didn't have the standard base, and the ceiling fan bulbs I could find in LED had a slightly longer base that just didn't work. We found some incandescent options, but eventually I assume the whole fixture will need to be replaced if the LED option isn't sized right.
This reminds me of a question I've always had but never actually tried to get an answer for.
If you have a lamp (made for incandescent) that says to only use 40 watt bulbs in, can you use an LED that's a 60w replacement? Since the 60w replacement LED is something like 10w, I always thought it was probably ok, but I ended up using a 40w replacement.
Originally posted by ShiroKuro: This reminds me of a question I've always had but never actually tried to get an answer for.
If you have a lamp (made for incandescent) that says to only use 40 watt bulbs in, can you use an LED that's a 60w replacement? Since the 60w replacement LED is something like 10w, I always thought it was probably ok, but I ended up using a 40w replacement.
Wattage limitations are due to heat emitted from the bulb. So, something that allows 40W incandescent bulb will also allow 40W LED bulb. So check the actual wattage of the LED bulb, and if it's less than the fixture rating (40W in your example) it's fine to use.
Posts: 1534 | Location: Colorado | Registered: 20 April 2005
A 17 watt LED is usually rated as a 150 watt incandescent replacement. Because it actually draws only 17 watts you can use it in a 40 watt rated socket.
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Too many LED bulbs seem to be over rated. A 60 watt incandescent bulb can be plenty for reading. An LED rated at 60 watts is inadequate. I finally found an LED reading lamp that has enough light. Cannot find a Lumens rating for the lamp.
-------------------------------- Several people have eaten my cooking and survived.
Posts: 25850 | Location: Still living at 9000 feet in the High Rockies of Colorado | Registered: 20 April 2005
Happy to see they excluded some incandescent bulbs. Appliance bulbs for one. We had what is probably a 50 year old oven bulb go out the other day. An LED would just melt in an oven.
Posts: 13645 | Location: Wisconsin | Registered: 20 April 2005
