Can I use 75 watt LED bulbs in a light fixture rated for 40 watt max?


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Old 11-12-15, 10:12 AM
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Can I use 75 watt LED bulbs in a light fixture rated for 40 watt max?

Can I use 75 watt LED bulbs in a light fixture rated for 40 watt max? I assume that the light manufacturer is saying that a 40 watt incandescent light is the max light, but I am not sure. Anyway, doesn't a 75 watt halogen equal about a 15 watt incandescent in terms of equivalency?
 
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Old 11-12-15, 10:27 AM
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Anyway, doesn't a 75 watt halogen equal about a 15 watt incandescent in terms of equivalency?
What ?????

Did you mean does the LED use 15 watts of power..... the answer is yes if that's what is spec'ed.

You can use an LED bulb "rated" at higher wattage then the fixture recommends but you need to be careful if it's a sealed fixture. Some of the LED lamps specify not to use in a sealed fixture due to the heat generated by it's self contained power supply.
 
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Old 11-12-15, 10:48 AM
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Oh. Good point about the heat generated by LED bulbs. I always thought that since LED bulbs save so much energy, then they must run cooler than regular incandescent bulbs. I didn't factor into consideration that they may actually run quite hot, which would be problematic.

To clarify, I found a nice light fixture at IKEA that I like. The box says that the fixture uses a max wattage of 40watts for the bulb. However, it doesn't say what kid of bulb (incandescent, halogen, or LED). So, I assume that maybe the light fixture takes a max 40 watt incandescent bulb.

So, I am really wanting to know if it is ok to use a 75 watt LED in this light fixture rated for a max of 40 watt possibly incandescent bulb?
 
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Old 11-12-15, 10:51 AM
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You didn't say if it's an enclosed fixture.... if it is.... you need to look at the LED bulb specs. in reference to an enclosed fixture.
 
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Old 11-12-15, 12:46 PM
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Please check that LED bulb. I really doubt that it is a 75w LED. I think what you are seeing is that it produces light equivalent to a 75w incandescent bulb. It probably uses about 15w.

- Peter
 
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Old 11-12-15, 02:00 PM
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General rules and a bit of a rant!

Wattage is the power you pay the power company to light up the light bulb. Lumens is the brightness of the light. Warm light (what we're use to for incandescent bulbs) have a temp of 2700K while cool white or daylight use about 5700K.

We should not equate wattage with bulb brightness or amount of light given off by a light bulb. Use lumens and temperature (K=Kalvin) to determine what kind of bulb to buy.

As far as if a LED or CFL can be used outdoors or in an enclosed fixture, always check the printed material on the ballast (not the box) to be sure. The newer bubs are becoming more flexible as to where they can be used.

With the new generation of light bulbs and the mandate to make more energizer efficient bulbs we should abolish the use of wattage in buying bulbs of a certain brightness. This idea of equivalent wattage is just stupid. Lumens tells brightness and wattage tells you the cost to run it.

I blame the industry and government for the confusion. Just like the metric system and temperature indication, if we just switched cold turkey there would be just a little confusion at first but then everybody would be on the same page in a short period of time. But the industry (GE in particular) continues to label light bulbs with so called lower wattage to equal bulbs of what we use to know at a higher wattage.

To get back to the original question. Typically any bulb rated at a lower wattage than what the fixtures' maximum is rated for is OK to use. But as stated before by others and myself, certain CFL's and LED's may not be rated for outdoor use or enclosed fixtures.

BTW...those long lasting bulbs (be it incandescent, CFL or LED) that have a extended guaranteed life span? BS... Read the fine print. They are rated at continuous use for only so many hours per day. The worst enemy of light bulbs is the constant turning on and off by consumers who think they are saving power and money every time they turn off the light. Leave it on for at least 20 minutes if you're going in and out of the room. Theoretically a light bulb will burn indefinitely if a continuous power is applied and never turned off.

The current run of LED light bulbs are not going to return your investment in power saving at a cost of $14 per bulb. The light is great but don't expect to save money. Not gong to happen.
 
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Old 11-13-15, 03:22 PM
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This is kinda confusing. And, it's like Norm says, that the industry and government has implements the use of wattage from the old incandescent of light bulbs, and many people like myself still really on using wattage to describe bulb brightness. I know now that lumens and K rating is a better way to describe bulb brightness, but still a bit confused. Here's why...

If a light fixture says that the max wattage of bulb to use is 50 watts... What does this refer to? An incandescent 50 watt bulb? Or any bulb in general? And if an 850lumen LED bulb is rated as an equivalent 75 watt incandescent bulb, but states that it only uses 15 watts of energy... Can you use this 850lumen LED bulb in that fixture?
 
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Old 11-13-15, 04:33 PM
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Yes! The fixture refers to the old incandescent rating. Or any bulb that meets 50 watts. Remember, wattage is the power draw (similar to amperage) that the fixture will handle. The fixture does not know if you're using a CFL or an LED or a filament bulb. It only sees the wattage being used or the heat being generated.
The use of equivalent wattage is a convenience to those who can't or won't understand the lumens rating. So you're good to go as long as the bulb can be used in your type of fixture (size, enclosed, outside use, damp or wet areas?).
 
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Old 11-14-15, 10:18 AM
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Wattage is a measure of power consumed. You are not, repeat not, using a 75 watt LED. What you are using is an LED which supposedly puts out as much light (lumens) as a 75 watt incandescent bulb. Check the actual wattage on your LED bulb and you will find it is much lower, like 15-20, maybe.
 
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Old 11-15-15, 04:05 PM
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Most likely the LED lamp with actual wattage (power consumption) well under 40 watts will work fine if it is mounted horizontally or with the base down.

Even though the total power consumption is less than that of an incandescent lamp of the rated wattage, the temperature near the top of the fixture can rise to in excess of that needed to fry the electronics of an LED or CFL lamp.
 
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Old 11-19-15, 03:21 PM
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What difference does it make if the light bulb is upside down or not? I actually have a can light, and hence the light bulb would be installed upside down (i.e., base on top, bulb on bottom).

The can is rated for 40 watts incandescent.
The LED light bulb is a 75 watt equivalent to incandescent, in lumens I suppose.
The LED light bulb packaging states that it consumes 15 watts of energy.

...so reading the many replies, I gathered that I could indeed use this 800 lumen LED bulb in my can light. But now, based on Allan's post, I am not so sure anymore.
 
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Old 11-20-15, 04:01 AM
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Supposedly he means that heat rises and it will be concentrated at the base of the bulb. That heat may be too much for for the ballast. I doubt that will be a problem. If it were me I would try it and see if the bulb holds up for a reasonable amount of time.
 
 

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