cfl bulbs for my recessed ceiling lights?

Question

do they make cfl bulbs that I could place in my recessed lighting in my living room? right now it looks like the bulbs in them are simliar to a flood light bulb, it probably is not, but thats what they look like. Also these lights have dimmers on them, I figure i'd have to find a light that is ok with dimming
I also have 6 bulbs in my bathroom vanity that i would like to replace as well, i believe the sockets on those are smaller than the standard cfl bulb.

thoughts?

how much were the cfl for your recessed lighting at walmart?

my vanity lights are not as big as an orange, they are a bit smaller..

Answer 1

Yes, they make CFL bulbs in many shapes, specific uses such as recessed lighing, and other purposes. You can find a specific bulb for for your type of device, but double check the price and the warranty.

I use CFLs in only 3 rooms: The living room, master bedroom, and kitchen. (the master bedroom because that's where the PC is, no other reason! :-)

Why? Turning off and on a Compact Florescent Light is the worst way to kill one quick. They are not meant to be turned off and on. Use them ONLY where you leave lights on for long periods of time. They are not good in humid places such as bathrooms, and don't work well in cold or on dimmers, unless you buy a bulb for that specific purpose

Try your local Home Depot. They have an N:Vision CFL that uses less electricity. In addition, it is cheaper than what Walmart sells and has a 9 year warranty, up to 2 times the warranty Walmart offers for a higher price.

As a sidenote, I noticed that some places are considering "outlawing" filament bulbs to use only CFLs. A bad move all around and, if you are in that area, fight to say no.

- CFLs cost much more, and some can't afford them.

- They burn out quick if you turn them off and on a lot.

- They contain a small amount of mercury, and you should not throw them out with the normal garbage.

- You can not use all of them in high humidity locations, cold locations, and places that have dimmer switches uless you buy higher-cost bulbs.

- Many still "warm up" slow, dim at first until they get warmed up

- If you pick the wrong bulb, the color will be off, not the "cool white" you are used to. Many bulbs have many different colors.

CFL's have a place in society, but for things like your vanity that you use for only a few minutes at a time, CFLs take longer to warm up than you spend in front of it. Stick to incandescent bulbs for short time jobs.

Answer 2

The lights you are talking about are either called MR-16's, or Par 20's, depending upon the size of the base, and they are generally halogen's, which are NOT energy efficient (50 watts!), create lots of heat, and can even be dangerous, particularly if you have small children. Just try changing one without letting it cool down considerably! One of these 50W bulbs costs approximately $50 per year in electricity, which is unbelievable!

CFL's are deceptive...yes, they are more energy-efficient than incandescents or halogens, but the industry does not tell you the whole truth about them, as they actually use twice as much power as listed on the spec sheets (they divide it by half, apparently).

Please consider the new breakthroughs in LED lights for these applications, as they are unbreakable, do not create heat, and utilize only 1 watt of power each. Look for either a 'twist' base, as in a GU-10, or an Edison base (screw-in but smaller than a regular incandescent bulb base). These are much more expensive than the halogens, but don't need replacing for at least 8 years of continual usage, and they do have an intensity to far outweigh the halogens. I can direct you to a website that sells them, if you like (see below).

If you do eventually choose to go with halogen's, remember to NEVER touch the bulb, not even for an instant, with your bare hands, as the oils in your fingers cause hot spots in the light which then heat up from usage and shorten the lifespan considerably (down to 3 months from 2 years expected use!)

Answer 3

I have the cfl bulbs in my recessed lighting. Externally, they look just like the floods. Wal-Mart has them. Are your bathroom lights the round ones that are about the size of a large orange? You can get them in cfl's as well.

Answer 4

They make flood lamps that have compact fluorescent tubes inside of them. Look at home depot or lowes. I don't know if they make any for your vanity - but those are usually fairly low wattage anyway.

Answer 5

YEAH- YOU CAN GET THEM HERE