Bulbs

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In which case would make a lot of sense to go LED. They should last a lot longer as well as using less power.

[charles]

I have one of those, made by MK and fitted by me some 38 years ago - we've been in this house 39 years. But not made these days.

What you could do is to use the MK Grid system and fit a standard switch in one location and a dimmer in the other. You could always remove the dimmer know and cut the spindel down to "nearly flush" and cut a screwriver slot in the bit that's left.

[David]

Well at that price, you might as well buy 'em as not!

David

[charles]

but, according to the TLC catalogue they are 25% brighter the smallest halogen. I might buy some myself next time round - I've 2 fittings, each with 6 lamps. I've replaced 3 in the last month!

[DerbyBorn]

What is your problem with a dimmer switch?

[Andy Burns]

Thought they weren't good for dimmers, 1) you might not make much power saving by dimming them and 2) if you run them too cool the halogens will "coat" the inside of the capsule with silvery deposits?

[Andy Burns]

Perhaps

I think the grid can cope!

[Andy Burns]

SF have some 1.7W SES LEDs 136 lumens each, so half a dozen should be equivalent to about a 75W incandescent

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , David escribió:

Try thinking outside the box. Oven lamps? Cooker hood lamps? Pygmy bulbs? All available in SES. Do they /have/ to be candle shaped?

Change the switch for a dimmer?

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

This was a fairly well known approach years back, there was a flicker but I would guess that the type of filament used in halogens may reduce the flicker to negligble levels.

Assuming you take the positive half cycle in one room, stick the same arrangement in another room and stick the diode in the other way so the current is passed on the negative swing.

Peace happiness and much serenity back in the power station :-)

Incidentally another trick was a "wattless dropper" . I doubt that the capacitor would fit in the switch box though. One could of course bung it in a jam jar on a small shelf by the side of the switch.

AB

[polygonum]

I did = for outside lamps.

[tabbypurr]

We have our witless dripper here, Mr Rodney. If only he fitted in a jamjar.

Another option not mentioned is to switch only 3 of the bulbs on at once. One seldom seems such a setup now.

NT

[alan_m]

You can get G9 to SES adapters with a candle cover You can get G9 halogen 5W bulbs

I've used this arrangement in the past but the life of the G9 bulb is around 1000 to 5000 hours.

Factor in the cost for the adapters + G9 halogen bulb you may as well go for LED

Screwfix have 5W LED candle (35W/40W equivalent) for under £2 Toolsatan have 3W/3.5W LED candle (20W equivalent) for around £2.70 Ebay sellers have 3W LED candle for around £1 if you buy 6

[John Rumm]

Include a single rectifier diode in the switched live. That will run the filament lamps half wave rectified - much lower brightness.

[John Rumm]

Something like:

(£3.39 - may cost a bit more than a filament, but each one will be paid for in saved electricity in a month)

[John Rumm]

The halogen cycle requires the envelope run hot enough to work, but a small amount of (visible) dimming does not drop the power dissipation that much.

[charles]

In theatres halogen lamps have been used for many years and are regularly dimmed.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I've often heard that one. I have halogens in the kitchen which are frequently on for long periods dimmed, and never had a problem.

They are fairly unusual lamps - R80 - which are like a smaller PAP38. With the usual halogen capsule within a large glass envelope.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

No. The filament doesn't cool quickly enough.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Because to most it looks like half of them have failed. ;-)

You don't buy a chandelier for the light it gives, but for the looks.