Putting LED bulb in incandescent fixture?

[stevensks]

I am about to have recessed lighting installed in several bedrooms (standar d size) of my house. 4 lights in each room should do the trick. Here come s the hard part-- incandescent or LED? 4 inch, 5 inch or 6 inch cans? I j ust think 6 inch is too big and ugly (though it seems more standard than 5 inch). I am afraid that 4 inch cans won't supply enough light. LED instal lation is much more expansive than incandescent and I don't think the LED c ans look that good.

Here is my question. Could I get 5 inch incandescent installed, then switc h the bulbs itself to LED bulbs? Is there any electrical problem with doin g it that way? Are there LED bulbs equivelant for a incandescent bulb that would fit a 5 inch can?

Thanks

[philoÂÂ]

A friend of mine converted to LED's and though they of course produce less over-all heat than an incandescent...he was surprised at how hot they got at the base.

I'd think it best to use the fixture specifically designed for the LED. Though you said you do not like the appearance, since it's recessed that's a moot point as you will not be seeing it.

[BenignBodger]

I am re-doing an en-suite and installed three 3-inch LED IC can lights for ambient light. They put out a good bit of light despite only being rated at

8W and, while not cheap, they cost less than I had expected. These particular ones are sold by Lowes as part number 0403098. If there is a real downside, there is no going back -- they are sealed for damp location use and there appears to be no way to replace a bulb.

As for your original question, the answer is sure, you could swap out incandescents for LEDs -- if the fixtures can handle hot bulbs they should be able to handle ones that don't get hot. I've been experimenting with Philips 'SlimStyle' 10.5W 60W replacement bulbs. The light is beautiful -- as good as anything I've seen. The bulbs have been called 'lollipop' shaped and that is pretty apt since they are flattish rather than spherical but they put out even light in all directions. Home Depot sold them online in four-packs but they should have shown up in the stores by now.

[Bob_Villa]

The 6.5W LED's I have only get "hot" (not very) at the metal heat sink...th e base and top are a just little warm.

[Mayayana]

It's a matter of taste to a great extent, but my question would be why you're putting recessed lights in a bedroom in the first place. They're designed for down-lighting; perfect for kitchen counters. For ambient light or general room lighting they're limited and wasteful. And in old houses they can sometimes be risky due to the heat produced. (I'd never leave the house with recessed lights on.)

If it were me and I were forced to use recessed lights, I'd use as many, as small, as possible, so that a "glowing ceiling" effect might be achieved.

Here is my question. Could I get 5 inch incandescent installed, then switch the bulbs itself to LED bulbs? Is there any electrical problem with doing it that way? Are there LED bulbs equivelant for a incandescent bulb that would fit a 5 inch can?

Thanks

[Dan.Espen]

I just put CREE LEDs in my kitchen ceiling cans replacing Sylvania 60W flood lights.

They work great with the dimmer and the quality of the light is much improved.

So, yes, they are interchangeable. More important to me, LEDs produce better looking light.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Our kitchen had 75W flood lamp which got replaced with 40W LED, when I tried 60W wife said too bright. Dimmer works well. Just I had to adjust socket height making it lower. That's it. No problem.

[Scott Lurndal]

I have a bunch of 6" cans with BR-30 LED floods. Work great, produce excellent light and snap on immediately (well, 500ms delay, but full brightness). You may find the lamp selection much more limited with a 5" recessed fixture.