LED Lighting

[shark2k]

Are there any good R40 replacement LED bulbs?

dsm, I got my parents to buy these: Lighting Science Definity BR40 - 120 Degree - 2700K - LED Bulb (DFN BR40 W27 120) | The EarthLED Store - LED Light Bulbs Direct. They are used in our kitchen in recessed fixtures and have been working well for about 6 months (got them in December). They might be in stock here: Lighting Science Definity - 18 Watt - Dimmable LED - BR40 - 2700K Warm White - 875 Lumens - 120 Volt. Anyway, the color is good and they are warm white and look really close, if not just like incadscent bulbs. Also, they are dimmable if you use that functionality, which is nice. They are 90 watt equivalent and are plenty bright.

-Shark2k

[neroden]

@SByer, I suspect the # of standard socket bulbs in a house is strongly correlated to when it was (re)built. My 1820 house has nothing but standard bulbs except in the kitchen and a few specialty fixtures we've installed over the years. My big gripe in shifting to non-incandescent bulbs is finding something that works in enclosed fixtures.

I replaced all my fully enclosed fixtures first. LEDs are happy with partially enclosed fixtures as long as there's some airflow.

Honestly, incandescents don't really like fully enclosed fixtures either; there's a lot to be said for getting rid of fully enclosed fixtures entirely. I'm surprised you have any fully enclosed fixtures in an 1820s house, as they didn't generally make them then...

[neroden]

My difficulty is the number of closed fixtures embedded in my house -- those glass domes that seal up a couple of bulbs. They are a deathtrap for anything other than incandescents, so they'll require replacement with something out-of-period that supports modern bulbs.

Consider the sort of fixture which has a glass plate under the bulbs, but not on the sides; you should be able to find something which looks decently "retro". I couldn't find suitable ones on short notice and ended up with the "neck and shade" type of fixture, which also can look decently retro, but stick down further into the room. You can also go with chandelier-style (bulbs pointing up), which are currently very easy to find for some reason (fads I guess).

Of course, the fixtures in your house are already retrofits in any case, as your 1820s house predates electrification. Probably fairly late retrofits at that, I'd guess post-1900. Though if they're in from the 1900-1950 period, you may need to redo your wiring before installing LEDs; LEDs don't like "dirty waveform" electrical wiring.

[Robert.Boston]

As you guessed, the wiring in my house is modern (~1990, replacing the dangerously old previous wiring). Very low ceilings limit options. In hindsight, I should have used wall sconces rather than ceiling mounts.

[smorgasbord]

I've been happy with these for replacing the bulbs in the ceiling cans. Lumens are good, the warm white color is excellent, the 60° beam is only slightly narrower than I'd like, and at the sale price they're better than anything else I've found, but they're indoor only, and not every lighting situation could deal with the slightly narrower beam.

Getting close. My current PAR38's are rated at 1800 lumens (these are under 1000), but most important to me is dimmability.

[TEG]

When you just can't get enough:

[dpeilow]

[TEG]

http://www.molalla.net/members/leepe...ize%20bulb.htm
Remote Phosphors: Philips LED bulb, Tear-down Part II | EDN