hi,
we have an outdoor ceiling fan with a glass globed light kit in our screened in porch. it takes two light bulbs. the owners manual says to use 60w bulbs.
the 60w bulbs don't throw quite enough light for reading out there at night. is there any danger in my using 75w bulbs instead of the 60w bulbs?
thanks,
sammy
It will build up more heat inside the globe, thus heating up the socket and wires more. . Danger? Minimal, but I'm not going to give you permission to use an over rated bulb.
Try 75 watters, if the globe feels too hot then the answer is no. Or you could buy a pole lamp and position it near you just for reading.
maybe try a florescent (spelling?) bulb..
if it fits.. and you don't mind the color.. it will generate far less heat
Hey CT, You really in CO? Me too. High in the rockies.
Practically speaking, no. They do make newer bulbs that put off the same number of lumens as older 75 watt bulbs, but consume less energy. So you really can't use that rating exactly anyway. It's a guide that puts you safely in a zone. But it's not an exact thing.
If the globe is enclosed 100% I won't ever say yes to a third party. If open then speaking from experience and the lack of burning down my house it would be ok. Most if not all lamp fixtures are rated at 60 watts. I have a Hunter fan in my bedroom rated at 60x2 and have 75x2 inside in an enclosed globe. Granted I don't use it at full power all the time I feel quite safe 10 years going.
I've used 75 and 100 watt bulbs in tthe white globes that are sold for kitchen and hall lights, maybe 6?inches. It wasn't clear that they were burning out faster. All the bulbs in my house seemed to burn out fast, but after 20 years of this, 2 of the 3 kitchen sockets were damaged. The outer plastic (brown bakelight or plastic) had broken off 2 of them and 1 of them doesn't have a good connection with the wire. I'm replacing it. The hall lights didn't suffer near as much, partly becasue sometimes I used a 60, or 75, and partly because I don't run those lights near as much.
no
On Sat, 28 Apr 2007 00:09:06 -0400, "sammy" graced this newsgroup with:
try using a non-frosted (e.g. clear) 60w bulb first. They give a a LOT more light at the same wattage.
Be careful ---- excessive heat could cause the wires to degrade. And if by chance a fire starts and they see the different wattage, your insurance could be void.
Then why isn't the fixture rated for 75 W bulbs?
While _probably_ minimal chance, certainly isn't _no_ increased danger of overheating. Remember there are two, not just one, so it's really rating the globe at 120 W vis a vis 150. I suspect the biggest limitation is the globe, but if OP is going to use larger bulb, at least make sure they're of the higher-efficiency type...
Nope. The light output (lumen) rating of clear and frosted bulbs is about the same (within a percent or two). Clear bulbs are more glaring, however, because you can see the bright filament.
TKM
Just use compact flouresent bulbs. They put out greater light with lower power use.
Sammy,
The biggest danger is heat. 75 watt bulbs put off more heat than 60 watt bulbs do. While this "might not" be a problem, it is possible the excessive heat could damage the fixture and/or the wiring. Especially with a fixture that encloses the bulbs within a globe or cover.
Most light fixtures also require your house wiring to be rated for higher temperatures (i.e. the newer NM-B instead of the original NM type). I have seen the insulation on older wiring get brittle from too much heat and break away from the wiring, leaving exposed conductors that could touch and start a fire. However, it's probably not an issue for a ceiling fan which has the bulbs located a fair distance from the house wiring.
In simple terms, you could probably put the 75 watt bulbs in and not have any problems. But is the extra bit of light really worth the risk of burning down your house? It's like putting a larger fuse in a circuit when the correct size blows. You might get by with it for years, but it only takes one time for the wiring to overheat and start a fire. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Follow the manufacturers recommendations.
One option is to replace the 60 watt bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. You can find bulbs rated for the equivalent light output (lumens) as a 75 watt bulb, but they use far less power and put off very little heat. It's a great way to conserve energy, and safely increase your light output at the same time. However, the fluorescent bulbs are even more sensitive to heat, and may burn out prematurely in an enclosed fixture. The only real problem with that is cost. But it probably wouldn't be a big problem for an outdoor fixture that is only used occasionally.
Anthony
Try those 17w or 23w spiral fluorescent lamps. They are getting pretty good -- as long as there's no dimmer.
Bob
Compact fluorescent is the way to go... cooler and last longer, more $$ though, but in the long run probably saves $$.
But may not be as pleasant for reading as incandescent -- one could look at an evaluation here --
It may well be true that I used nothing but 60's for the first 10 years out of 20. It might be that I finally decided I didn't have enough light and started using bigger bulbs.
And it probably didn't take the full 10 or 20 years to damage the sockets. They've been chipping off for years, and finally one is missing all of its plastic on 50% of the circumference. Of course I also used 100 watt bulbs sometimes.
I have a whole new fixture to put in, which is attractive and uses neon bulbs, but before I got it in, I saw the same fixture at a friend's, and he had taken it out saying it didn't give enough light! Dang. My new one has two U-shaped neon bulbs, at least two-feet long, or a totat of 5 feet per bulb. I'm hoping it will be brighter than say 250 watts of incandescent.
But read the label. Some are not to be enclosed. The one I have states "use only in portable lamps that have a lampshade"
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