What happens if you put 75 watt bulb in a 60 watt fixture

[Joe Mastroianni]

Makes sense.

Doesn't make sense.

How did removing bulb choices increase bulb choices?

[Joe Mastroianni]

It 'is' a halogen, and it 'does' get very hot.

And, I guess, lumens are all I want (and compact size so it doesn't stick out of the housing) - so that's a good idea if it works.

[Joe Mastroianni]

Makes sense. But doesn't answer the question.

Seems to me bridges are designed to hold twice what they say they can hold. Elevators are the same. A room placard that says a ballroom can legally hold 100 people can 'fit' twice that easily. Speed limits are set but we routinely go twice the speed limit safely (maybe not twice - but the point is the same). A rope rated for 100 pounds can handle ten times that. etc.

It seems, to me, a lamp rated at 60 watts must have been tested at twice that (or some large number like that) in order to get the rating.

At least that's how 'other' ratings seem to be done.

[Art Harris]

I'd say it's 25% over the recommended maximun. But probably not a good idea.

Art Harris

[Gordon Shumway]

This is just a guess but I bet LED's are cheaper than rebuilding your house after it burns down.

[Joe Mastroianni]

You are correct. I phrased it incorrectly.

75 Watts is 25% over the maximum of 60 Watts, or, 125% of the maximum.

Seems to me, 25% is within the safety zone of ???? (what is the safety zone).

I find it hard to believe the safety zone is zero.

I suspect it's more like double the rating (i.e., it's probably more like 60 x 2 = 120 Watts) but I'm just guessing.

That's why I asked.

[Sjouke Burry]

Joe Mastroianni wrote in news:kdt6qn$t60$1@dont- email.me:

Whats the price of a burned down house? Those limit rules are there for a reason, you know......

[Sjouke Burry]

Joe Mastroianni wrote in news:kdtto1$39b$2@dont- email.me:

"special" or "artistic" lights are perfectly legal. Its just the ordinairy frosted bulb which is illegal(to sell). Jou can use them for as long as your stockpile lasts. Just dont try to sell them.

[EXT]

If you (she) insists on using an oversized bulb, be sure the socket is ceramic. If it is plastic, it will have a very short life as it will deteriorate quickly. Also, you may want to change the wire cord to a high temperature wire at least inside the lamp where the heat is. If the switch is part of the bulb socket, the heat may destroy it, it may be wiser to add a line switch on the cord to protect it.

If you don't want to start modifying the lamp, you may want to consider purchasing a new one that has the ceramic socket and switch located away from the bulb.

[clare]

Only if they are used for a significant amount of time. If the light is only used an average of an hour a day or less, the power savings will take the rest of your life to pay for the LED bulb.

I still like the LED option - regardless.

[Gordon Shumway]

You're not the brightest light on the tree are you?

[Dan Espen]

A couple of posters shared their experience.

I find fixtures even with the correct bulb age over time, parts get brittle and start to fall apart.

I definitely would not put a 75W incandescent in a 60W fixture. The risk is no where near the gain. The risk is that your house burns down and the insurance company denies your claim.

Find a CFL that doesn't stick out so much or go for the LED.

[krw]

No. The filament evaporates.

No. There are a few wearout mechanisms but the worst seems to be crappy capacitors. Fluorescents also have filaments (you can see the ends get dark from the deposited metal).

Heat. The junctions are pushing the limits of the material for any useful amount of light. Cheap knock-offs are worse.

[trader4]

Oh, good grief, here we go again. The insurance scare stories at it again. Every time this comes up, I've asked where all the examples of this kind of thing happening are. Where are those denied claims? There are what 100 million homes in the USA? If insurance companies were actually denying claims for things like that, it should be easy to come up with examples. I mean if they are gonna deny that, then they might as well deny a claim for the house burning down because you left a pot burning on the stove. Or because you smoked in bed.

So, example please?

[krw]

Obamanomics.

[krw]

Bullshit called.

Citation needed.

As others have

[Dan Espen]

Right, so trader says the insurance company won't deny your claim.

Nothing to worry about except the fire then...

[=]

Well in the case of the 100 watt bulb during 2012, the 100 watt was replaced by the 72 watt. It's more efficient and gives about the same amount of light, costs about the same and is rated to last for 1,000 hours, so that's one choice.

Another choice is the so-called "2X" bulb that a company called ADLT announced. It gives the same light output as the old 100 watt, but draws only 50 watts and is rated for 1500 hours. That's an additional choice that we didn't have before.

Then there are the screw-in CFLs, usually rated for about 26 watts. The prices have come down significantly on those and some are also rated for more light output than the old 100 watt. But it's a 3rd. choice because the types shaped like the old standard bulbs just appeared last year.

Finally, about mid-2012, the major lamp companies introduced LED equivalents to the 100 watt also rated about 26 watts. That's a 4th. choice.

So, what I see on retailer shelves is that the old 100 watt bulb can now be replaced by 3 or 4 alternatives depending upon what you want -- long life, low initial cost, efficiency, color, dimability, etc. The "2X" isn't in wide distribution yet; but the others are.

One bulb disappeared and 3-4 alternatives with various performance options are now on the shelves with the same thing already happening for the 75 watt that's being phased out now except that the alternatives are cheaper and more available.

What doesn't seem to make sense is why some people bought stocks of the old

100 watt bulbs and are hoarding them.

Tomsic

[=]

It isn't that a slightly higher wattage bulb will immediately cause a fire or electrical hazard. That will happen over time due to deteriorated wiring, insulation or structural parts. There are tolerances and variations that are considered in the UL/CSA tests; but it's a pass/fail system so electrical inspectors and fire safety people know what to do.

Tomsic

[=]

Likely it was in the "Residential Electrical System Aging Research Report" published by UL a few years ago. I think it's on line.

Tomsic