Replace Incandescent Bulbs with Brighter Fluorescent Bulbs?

Question

I have a lamp that says 60 watt max on it. It isn't bright enough. I obviously shouldn't plug a 150 watt incandescent bulb into.

There are 40 watt fluorescent bulbs that say they are equivalent to the brightness of a 150 watt incandescent bulb. Can I use one of these 40 watt fluorescent bulbs since it is less than 60 watts?

Answer 1

Watts is indirectly related to lighting. Check the lumen rating on the different bulbs you are looking at- the higher THESE are, the more light you will get out of them.

Answer 2

Lamp bases and fixtures usually list the maximum wattage light bulb they can safely handle. This applies to the current they consume.

Those screw-in fluorescents list an incandescent equivalent brightness, not to be confused with the current they consume.

Look for the actual wattage on the package, and you should be able to safely get a brighter fluorescent bulb. Just remember that many of these - especially the cheapest - take some 20 to 30 seconds to achieve full brightness.

Answer 3

The reason they say not to use any thing larger than what the lamp or light is rated for is only to keep the heat out put from getting too hot, With the lower fluorescent you get less heat for the wattage out put You could use one that is rated at 40 watts without a problem Just keep in mind that if the lamp has a dimmer on it they will not work. I would start out with a 13 or 20 watt for starters, then work you way up.

Answer 4

You can install an 18 watt or 19 watt CFL globe to replace the incandescent. When you choose the CFL, you want to compare the lumens rating (also known as light output in regular terms). You will find a fairly significant difference. There are globe CFLs that are rated at 18 watts bulbs but range from 800 lumens to 1300 lumens in light output. If you can not find a globe type that gives enough light, consider either a twist type or if you do not like the look of a twist, consider an A-type CFL. It looks like a regular incandescent lamp. You might consider contacting your local electrical distributor as they usually have access to a larger selection of bulbs then most hardware stores.

Answer 5

Yes you can.

The wattage rating is usually the rating for the wires inside the lamp, or a maximum rating to avoid things like too much heat for the lampshade.

Since the fluorescents physically use less watts, there is less current in the wiring, and much less heat given off. (That's why there so much more efficient, they give off much less heat than incandescents).

Answer 6

Yes, you can.

The warning on the lamp is most likely based on the energy consumption and heat output of a typical incandescent bulb.

Compact fluorescents use less energy and generate less heat for a given amount of light output.

However, one of the major reasons people replace incandescents with fluorescents is to reduce their energy use. So you might like to consider that as well.

Answer 7

The Watts are the governing factor.
The fluorescent also produces much less waste
heat per Watt, so go right ahead.

Answer 8

Energy saving light bulbs use a fifth to a quarter of the electricity of ordinary bulbs to generate the same amount of light. So where you'd normally use a 60W bulb, you'll only need a 13-18W energy saving recommended equivalent.

Ordinary bulbs Energy saving equivalent
25W 6W
40W 8-11W
60W 13-18W
100W 20-25W

Answer 9

yes, i use those and the best place to get them is home depot. the 150 equivalent is pretty big though

Answer 10

Yes as long as it physically fits into the socket