LED PIR Floodlights

[Andrew Mawson]

I'm sure this has been covered before but doesn't come to hand in a search:

Can anyone recommend from personal experience a modestly priced LED PIR floodlight. I have many of the conventional 150 watt (78mm lamp) and 500 watt (117mm lamp) scattered around the various outbuildings of the farm, and today's job was (yet again) to replace the bulbs. The first two 150 watt one thwarted me due to rusted screws seizing solid, then the rain defeated me with the four 500 watt ones that need changing but they are quite likely in the same condition - they only last a year or so before the corrosion gets to them. I have been down sizing bulbs on changing them to 130 and 400 watts but perhaps the time is right to change to LEDs ? Usually the high brightness of an incandescent light is not needed when it is pitch black all around.

AWEM

[Andy Cap]

I bought one of these 10W ones from Homebase, earlier year to replace a tubed one and it's been fine. Can't vouch for the life though.

It's gives soft white light, rather than the bright light of a tube, but perfectly adequate for a small area behind a house for example.

Andy C

[Steve Firth]

After discovering prowlers around my barn I put up solar PIR LED floodlights these are relatively low powered but to my mind that is better than a glaring 500W halogen light. I got them from ToolSatan 35236 @ £20 ea.

Aluminium bodied LED with PIR from Amazon are £19 each. They are 10W so should be more than bright enough.

[Brian Gaff]

I wonder why they don't make such things of a durable plastic? Having screws that rust does seem a little short sighted. Where are these screws? Maybe the next one you get you need to get the screws plated en masse and then see what happens.

Gone are the days when outside things were made with galvanised bits that one could unscrew after ten years with little problems it seems. Brian

[Andy Cap]

They're actually really nice quality aa described in the only review - not mine !

[Jim K]

or one can dump the screws completely on installation and replace with a cable tie, cut it to replace bulbs etc & fit a new one...

Jim K

[cl]

Given that stainless steel nuts/bolts/screws are dirt cheap nowadays it's a great pity that this sort of thing doesn't have all stainless scrws/

[PeterC]

Well, yes. I tend to replace most of the fasteners with st. st. and grease them as well. One outside light was taken from a bathroom nearly 50 years ago (and it was ancient then) and is still easy to get into.

[Andrew Mawson]

Excellent lateral thinking Jim, but I fear that a normal tywrap won't take the not inconsiderable heat for long - maybe a twist of wire through the hole (though not copper or there will be more galvanic corrosion). The screw clamps the glass onto its seal so whatever makes the closure needs to be able to be pretty tight.

AWEM

[alan]

With the LED floodlights the metal case acts as a substantial heat sink. The LED is screwed directly to the casing. With many LED products sold for main lighting use heat is the main killer. This is overcome in these cheap LED floodights where the led is a single 10/30W array.

[alan]

Why not buy a 20W LED floodlight from Ebay and check that its bright enough? I have a 10W version and it adequately lights the area where I previously had an (over-powering) 150W conventional light.

Many of the UK Ebay sellers have warm white and cool white. I suspect that for your usage the cool white (daylight/6500K) would work better.

Go for the ones with a single led rather than the ones with multiple LEDs.

Example taken at random from Ebay (possibly up to £10 cheaper from other UK suppliers)

[alan]

Additional info

There is one gotcha with the cheap LED floodlights

They come pre-wired with around 1 foot of 3 core mains cable

The mains wire is relatively thin (outside diameter 5 to 6mm - it only has to supply 30W) and therefore the bush into the back of the unit only accepts cable of this diameter if you wish to replace the short length of supplied cable.

The units can be easily dismantled and they have waterproof caskets between mating halfs.

The back box on these lamps is relatively full of the mains to DC converter and the mains cable is crimped to the input wires of the converter. There may not be enough room to use a chock block if you want to remake this connection. Soldering with heat shrink or re-crimping may be necessary.

Alternatively you may need a waterproof connector or box of some kind to join your exiting wiring to the pre-wired floodlight.

[spuorgelgoog]

I was quite impressed that I was able to unscrew the black enanamelled conduit that had been buried in my plaster for 40+ years with just a tap from a spanner.

Owain

[Andrew Mawson]

That indeed may be a 'gotcha' . All my PIRs (14 at a quick mental count) have an external waterproof switch across the PIR so that they can be turned 'permanently on' which involves a three core and earth cable entering the back of the unit. Saves waving your arms around to keep the light on while trying to hitch a stock trailer full of pigs :)

AWEM

[alan]

Many PIR floodlights with just a 3 core mains inlet have a similar built in function. Switch on - switch off - switch on again within a certain short period (within 10 seconds) and the light stays on.

To revert back to PIR operation switch off - wait a while and switch back on. The light will then usually come on for the timer period then switch off - to be controlled by the PIR/timer afterwards

I don't know if the LED PIR floodlights on Ebay have the same functionality - my LED floodlight doesn't have a PIR.

[alan]

Edit: For instance see

(check manual mode of operation)

[Dave Liquorice]

HOW MUCH!

EBay/Amazon/CPC are more or less half that price!

[Dave Liquorice]

Heat sink for the LED and/or power supply.

The cheapo halogen floods are not much more than a bit of painted pressed steel, they are made down to a price...

The 10 W single chip IP65 800 lumen LED floods that CPC sell have stainless steel screws and 1 m of lead. LA04484 £15.45 + VAT.

[Andy Cap]

It a shame when poor people have to worry about every penny ! ;-)

[alan]

Some of us rich people stay rich by shopping at Aldi/Lidl.