We have been replacing flood lights in our kitchen with CFLs. THe problem is that they don't flood well and the more CFLs we put in, the more dark and shadowy it becomes. Even though those are supposedly the equivalent to what we had. Any suggestion other than buying a couple cases of incandescents before they go away? (Same for the bathroom where the shadows are making harder for Kay to do her makeup.
I assume that you're talking about recessed "can" type downlight fixtures in your kitchen and bath. Are you installing reflector type CFLs or the screw-in "spiral" type that you might also install in a floor or table lamp?
The "can" downlights require a reflector type bulb to project the light out of the fixture; otherwise the light just stays inside the can. Such fixtures were designed for incandescent halogen reflector and "PAR" bulbs which have excellent projection optics.
Reflector CFLs work much better than spiral CFLs, but CFLs are just not a good optical match with the downlight fixture designs.
Take a look at the LED retrofit kits designed for these fixtures. Osram-Sylvania has one called the Ultra RT4 and Cree LED Lighting has what they call the CR6 Downlight. Both are permanent solutions - no more bulbs to replace for 10-20 years although they're both more expensive initially. However, the Cree unit is dimmable and has a 5-year warranty and you'll eventually pay off the higher initial cost via energy savings.
You could also install a screw-in LED PAR bulb. The cost would be less, but there are so many types and sizes now on the market, that it would be a guessing game to find ones that would work best with your fixtures. Maybe you can work a deal with a bulb retailer to get several types and then return what doesn't work in your fixtures.
Tomsic
Floods, heavy duty, and other specialty incandescents aren't going away. Only 100W are going away at beginning of year, 75W and 60W the following year.
AFAIK, the floods aren't under the ban. They may get a little harder to come by as replacement CFLs of the various ilks and other alternatives are more prevalent, who knows...
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First they came for the 100 watt incandescents, I didn't speak up because we had CFL.
I'd be stock piling bulbs, as many as I could afford, and store.
Are you putting in flood cfl's, or just the regular spiral cfl's? Use higher power cfl floodlights to raise the level of brightness.
I am installing the ones that say floodlight on the box. They are encased in a bulb that looks like the older one in size, but you can the swirly inside.
Maybe switch to halogens?
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Don't buy the "equivalent." Buy the highest-rated ones you can.
I use 150W "equivalent" CFLs in all my table lamps. Brighter than the old 100W incandescent bulbs, yet only use 1/2 the energy.
I use 120W "equivalent" bulbs in my flood lights. Again, brighter than 75W incandescent floods by a long shot, and lots cooler.
I would try BR-30 or BR-40 halogen floods. They're a much whiter light than a standard incandescent floodlamp, but you can get them in wattages higher than 65
*I Agree. My standard bulb unless otherwise requested, for recessed lighting installations is a 75 watt BR40 halogen made by a Westinghouse licensee that I get at my local electrical supply company. Home Depot stocks Phillips 70 watt BR40 halogens which are brighter than a 100 watt incandescent flood.
I have seen the compact fluorescent floodlights in many homes. They usually take a long time to reach maximum brightness and the amount of light is disappointing.
Not to mention that many people have existing dimmers on those lighting circuits causing all manner of weirdness
I was thoroughly disappointed and disgusted with the light I got from the 16 can lights I put in our kitchen remodel. I tried different types of bulbs, but at the price they want for one bulb today, I soon tired of that. Then one day, I was at HD, and they had eight packs of those little halogen floods for $2 per package. I bought about twelve years worth of bulbs, and for that price just figured I'd learn to cope. My wife did the lighting before the kitchen, and she thoroughly screwed up royally in placing a light where a task was to be performed. But, knowing her, she'll probably have the electrician, sheetrocker, and painter back to correct it...................
Lighting is not just providing illumination. Lots of other things to consider, and lots of types and spectrums of light. It's just that it is expensive to experiment.
Steve
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