Bulbs

Y'know, when I was little, we had 60w bayonets and that was it, unless you decided to go mad and get a 100w bayonet. Now I actually need to have a wr itten bulb inventory with which cap/type/wattage/clear/pearl/candle/halogen /cfl/led etc for each room. Jesus.

Anyway, I have just put up a new six-bulb ceiling lamp on the landing (reas ons of design - I am just the labourer). It has six ses halogen clear cand le 18w bulbs. That's 108w or 138w equivalent. It's a bit too bright. Does anyone know if I can get an ses clear candle filament (pref halogen) bulb with a lower wattage than 18w? I don't want to go down the LED filament ro ute at this point as I'm not rich enough.

In this case Google is not my friend, it is a Moroccan street market trader who ignores what I say and tries to sell me what it has. "Less than 18w? Yes my friend, I have! Look! Yes, is 42w. 42w is better! Look it is good b ulb and very cheap!"

All advice welcome. Even the advice to travel back in time and get a lamp with fewer than six bulbs...

David

Reply to
David
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David laid this down on his screen :

Take a look in the Pound shops, they are selling low wattage SES lamps for a pound each. I have no idea of the ability to last, or quality, just that I noticed they sell what you need.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

Fit a dimmer switch.

According to TLC's catalogue, 3w LEDs are 25% brighter than the halogen ones you have.

Reply to
charles

TLC sell low wattage standard tungsten lamps (25w) for 78p each!

Reply to
charles

Stick a diode in series with the fitting. That will take the edge of the output. LED candle lights are about 5 times the price of halogen. I dunno halogen candle lamps but if anything like the older tungsten variety you'll get very used to fitting new ones.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Thanks. The dimmer switch was mentioned and is a good idea. The only reservation was that I remember them as a knob with push for on and off and turn for brightness. Is there such a thing as a "normal" switch with a variable setting for brightness??

Reply to
David

Thanks - I'll check them out.

Reply to
David

I have installed every light in the house and managed to keep it down to(!!!):

GU10s (3 in hall as night lights, super low power LEDs) GU10s (lots, 2 bedrooms), open fitting, high power LEDs

4 BC lamps. 2 to be replaced with "fancy" fittings. 4 pin 2D fittings (4 off, but upgraded to Kosnic LED panels)

G4 lamps (bathroom), normal tungsten

SES (Table lamps, one bedroom)

One bloody R7s / 88mm (conservatory fan)

(To be installed)

Quite a bit of 24V LED tape in ali profiles - conservatory, bay window lighting, outside lighting.

And that was starting out saying "I'm going to minimise the number of types of lamp!!!!"

It's a nightmare, but as least I do have some common bases.

In reality, the downlights could just as easily be SES but some fool thought GU10 bases were a good idea. Larger downlighters use ES, so why not SES.

The R7s in the fan is a PITA as there are no good LEDs in 88mm format. That could have just as easily been an SES lamp on its side - and indeed some of the fans are. Just not the one SWMBO liked.

The bathroom is a bit special being 12V so I'm prepared to forgive that.

But really, ES and SES should be good enough for most indoor applications.

Reply to
Tim Watts

But can be strange colours of course. I'm not and have never been convinced that Halogen are anything but unreliable current and tend to cook the sockets as well. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Well one thought occurred to me. Hide a patress box with a dimmer in it above the lighting itself, adjust to suit and leave it on and set, using the normal switch for the on and off. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Would this not make them flicker a bit? Not to say it would load one mains half cycle one would assume.

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Yes they do seem to get rather hot and give off a lot of heat they've made a brown/black mark on my ceiling which is another reason to stick to lower wattge or a dimmer. If you're dimming LEDs get dimmable LEDs and a dimmer that can dim LEDs seems simple enough but you'd be suprised.

Reply to
whisky-dave

Might be a bit beyond me, but I'll have a look.

We have six chandelier-style fittings. I am already used to buying bulbs in bulk...

Reply to
David

Arrgghh - too late. Loft insulated and boarded...

Reply to
David

you decided to go mad and get a 100w bayonet. Now I actually need to h

ave a written bulb inventory with which cap/type/wattage/clear/pearl/cand

le/halogen/cfl/led etc for each room. Jesus.

ing (reasons of design - I am

just the labou

rer).

It has six

ses halogen clear candle

18w bulbs. That's 108w or 138w

equivalent. It's a bit too bright. Does anyone

know if I can get an ses clear candle filament

(pref halogen) bulb with a lower wattage than 18w?

I don't want to go down the LED filament route at this

point as I'm not rich enough.

ader who ignores what I say and tries to sell me what it has. "Less than

18w? Yes my f

riend, I have! Look! Yes, is 42w. 42w is better! Look it is good bulb and very cheap!"

Paint some of the bulbs black.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

Now I think about it, the bulb problem and the dimmer switch issue could be related. You could use the same (dimmable) bulb throughout the house with pre-set dimmer switches.

Anyone think there's a market for a normal-looking light switch with a dimmer pre-set adjusted with a small control (screwdriver slot?) on the face of the switch?

David

Reply to
David

Nah wait for the IoT version then you can set it via a phone while in another country :-)

Reply to
whisky-dave

I suspect that will be as popular as my suggestion of replacing a couple with those lovely red flicker flame bulbs.

Reply to
David

I know you said no LED, but these are only £1.99 clearance...

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Cheers

Reply to
Syd Rumpo

Halogen replacements for the older tungsten are common these days. They are easy to see (as it were) as usually contain the halogen capsule within and ordinary glass envelope. Needed as the filament runs much hotter. They consume less current than the equivalent tungsten hence 'allowed'. So no reason they would 'cook' the socket, as being more efficient must produce less heat.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

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