LED light bulb and ceiling light fixture

[Clarence Martin]

Ok, so the light bulb blew out on the back porch and I want to replace the light bulb. Simple enough.:) Problem is the sticker on the ceiling light says to use nothing bigger than 60 Watts.

Question:

Can I use a LED A19 Light Bulb that is 75 Watts equivalent , but uses around 19 Watts ? It puts out 1100 Lumens.

[Neil Gaskin]

I want to put a big disclaimer on this. I am not an electrian or expert on this.

I have over lamped 60 watt fixtures with 75 watt equivalent LEDs in my own home. I've never had a problem. I've only done this with my own home. Never a clients.

What youre most worried about is heat build up.

[Pat Barry]

Ok, so the light bulb blew out on the back porch and I want to replace the light bulb. Simple enough.:) Problem is the sticker on the ceiling light says to use nothing bigger than 60 Watts.

Question:

Can I use a LED A19 Light Bulb that is 75 Watts equivalent , but uses around 19 Watts ? It puts out 1100 Lumens.Yes - it only uses 19 watts

[Matt Day]

A watt Is a watt, not an equivalent watt. So yes I've been doing it in my home for years with CFL's.

Usual disclaimer, I'm not an EE or electrician, yada yada

[John McClanahan]

The watt limit is due to heat from the incandescent bulb.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Question:

Can I use a LED A19 Light Bulb that is 75 Watts equivalent , but uses around 19 Watts ? It puts out 1100 Lumens.

Light fixture design hasn't caught up with LED technology. An LED bulb uses less energy than an incandescent of the same luminance, so the LED doesn't get as hot. However, an LED might be damaged by lower temperatures than an incandescent bulb. So in addition to the question of whether heat will damage the fixture, we have the question of whether heat will damage the bulb. Some LED bulbs are not supposed to be used in completely enclosed fixtures.

I find this a big nuisance because many overhead fixtures (like "domes") are completely enclosed. Many not-completely-enclosed fixtures hang down so far from the ceiling that they are a hazard to tall people.

[John K Jordan]

I think there are two issues here. One, some fixtures designed for incandescents apparently limit the wattage to avoid overheating the ceiling and starting a fire.

Second, an enclosed fixture with no air circulation can get pretty hot inside, even with an LED or CFL light. These lights have embedded electronics which may not be able to stand up to the heat. (Fixtures made with LEDs often include heat sinks to keep the right things cool enough.)

I have bought some enclosed fixtures for the farm that explicitly warned against using anything but incandescents. I ignored this and put LEDs and CFLs inside. A couple of these failed already.

If the fixture allowed air circulation around the bulb, as many porch fixtures do, I would not hesitate to use either CFLs or LEDs. I have had fixtures like this lighted for many years with no problems, some of them around the barn and shop stay on continuously.

JKJ

[roger wiegand]

Some LED lamps are labeled for use in enclosed fixtures, most, if you read the really tiny print, tell you not to use them in enclosed fixtures because the heat will damage the lamp. Unfortunately none of the cheap LEDs I've found are labeled for use in enclosed fixtures.

I let the dome hang down a bit so that there is a ~3/16-1/4" gap at the top for ventilation. This is working so far for bulb life.