Floodlights - led or tungsten?

[Nick]

I want to install some security lighting externally around my workshop.

5x 150W tungstens with standalone but linked PIR's would do the job. All lamps lit if one PIR is triggered. I think most will cope with 750W load, if not I'll include a relay in the circuit.

To ease running costs and maintenance I am thinking of led floodlights but have no experience of them. For the purpose they must be instant-on. Are led worth considering, or should I stick with tungsten?

Also any suggestions for reliable PIR's? I have one, Philips I think, installed 27 years ago and still working perfectly. Since then, others I have installed seem to fail almost annually.

Thanks, Nick.

[rbel]

Steinel have a range of good quality sensors and floodlights (both halogen and LED). I have used their separate sensors and halogen PIR floods for around 15 years without a failure so far. They are quite expensive but, unlike the floods sold in the sheds, they are reliable and do last well. I tend to use TLC for most electrical stuff and they stock a reasonable range of Steinel and other cheaper makes of PIR kit.

[Adam Aglionby]

120W is the new 150W , its the lamp you`ll get with a `150` shell.

Install cost lot higher for anything near as bright, depends how bright you actually need.

tungsten still got a lot of mileage left in it.

Cheers Adam

[dennis]

If they are security lights and are only on a few minutes each night its a lot cheaper to use tungsten as the running costs are a few pence a year. If you intend to work by them the electricity bill starts to build up and makes LEDs look more attractive.

[Dave Liquorice]

For security you don't need bright, indeed it is counter productive as anybody outside the pool of blinding light is effectively invisible in the blackness and every bodies night vision is screwed up as well.

Security just needs to evenly illuminate the area so anybody in it can b= e seen and that doesn't take a great deal of light.

I'm also looking at adding to the external lighting here and am tempted =

by the IP65 10W LED things you can get for =A320 ish but that price is ringing the "to good to be true" alarm bell. Will investigate the Steine= l LED stuff from TLC.

[fred]

On a recent thread we were chatting about some offerings on amazon about

20quid that looked ok, might be worth getting one for a looksee and an extended power up trial. The you can feed back on the quality ;-).

FWIW, I thought the Steinel led and combined units were a bit pricey but I've used their sensors and would happily use them again. The corner mount sensors (not avail on TLC, but on amazon) are pricey but they use multiple PIR sensors and can cover 2 sides of a building properly.

[harry]

Some PIR sensors need a minimum load to work properly. More than LED floodlights. Dunno why but something to watch out for.

[Dave Liquorice]

Solid state rather tha relay switching.

[Nightjar]

For dusk to dawn floodlights, I have been using ones fitted with 2 x 9W or 4 x 9W fluorescent lamps for years.

Colin Bignell

[Dave Liquorice]

er, "instant on"?

[meow2222]

50w halogens would probably be more suitable than 150w, but they should be capsules in a floodlight housing to be effective, not spots. 20w capsules in frosted glass globes & similar would also work quite well and look a lot nicer.

NT

[Nightjar]

Yes, although full brilliance does take a few seconds. However, I was actually replying to Dennis' point about work lights.

Colin Bignell

[Andrew Gabriel]

I would stick with halogens for next couple of years. By then, equivalent LED lamps (which do exist already) will probably be down to affordable prices, and you can write off the £5 you spent on the halogen fittings.

You need one with a relay, such as

these are so much cheaper than I've paid for these in the past, I seriously wonder if they have got the same guts inside the case).