RE: You light up my life . . .

[firefighterjake]

Talk to me about light bulbs . . . specifically outdoor light bulbs.

We are remodeling the garage and as part of this remodel my wife wanted to change out the "ugly" (but very functional and very bright) sodium (maybe metal halide -- all I know is that it looks a lot like a street light).

We've purchased a nice gooseneck barn style light which accepts what I use to know as "regular" light bulbs . . . I guess today there is no such thing as a regular light bulb though.

It is very confusing in terms of what light bulb I should go with . . .

Here's what I am looking for . . .

1. A bulb that fits the light fixture.

2. A bulb that throws out a lot of light -- and is less than 200 watts. (I am guessing this will most likely mean going with a LED light?)

3. A long lasting light . . . since getting to this light will be a bit daunting on the ladder.

4. A light that throws out light in a wide area in front of the two bay garage similar to the existing light. I would rather not have a narrow spot light.

Help me Hearth.com . . . you're my only hope.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Rather than a spotlight, look for a floodlight.

I switched our outdoor floodlights to LEDS. Very pleased with the light.

The old lights were CFLs to conserve energy. Took a while to get bright in cold weather.

Story on my installation …

I noticed that the two lights I bought for the back of the house were different. They were something like cool white and bright white. O.k., whatever. Put them in. One didn't come on. Switched them in the sockets. One still didn't come on. Looked at them again. They were different brands: Sylvania and Philips. Someone put his burned-out bulb back in the package and returned it to the store.

I mentioned it when I returned the bulbs. The woman at Home Depot said that a person returned a case of bulbs to her once. She lifted the case, and it seemed light. She checked, and the second level was missing all the bulbs. They person took the case and left the store. She had a feeling about him, and she kept an eye on him.

He put the case in his car, came back in the store, went to the lighting area, and started unscrewing bulbs from the fixtures!

 

[peakbagger]

I had the standard Halogen floods that were popular 25 years ago. Over the years I had to change a few bulbs. I switched on the floods to a 60 Watt LED to replace a 300 Watt Halogen. I had to change he fixture as the LED comes as complete fixture. Quite the difference. The LED is much brighter an ligths up much large area plus its not prone to bulb failure. I have another one ready to swap out on my other flood once I get the ladder out and the motivation to change it as it lost another bulb. Its in a PITA location and I dont want to even have to go up there again.

 

[sportbikerider78]

There are TONS of outdoor bulbs.

Post a pic of what you have and we can better dial in what you need. Personally, I hate light pollution on my own property. I don't like flood lights attached to buildings that just throw light in very direction. They blind you and you can't see what you are looking for. I prefer downlights on outbuildings.

 

[firefighterjake]

There are TONS of outdoor bulbs.

Post a pic of what you have and we can better dial in what you need. Personally, I hate light pollution on my own property. I don't like flood lights attached to buildings that just throw light in very direction. They blind you and you can't see what you are looking for. I prefer downlights on outbuildings.

This light is generally only used when I want to really light up the front of my garage if I am working outside in front of the garage . . . it would not be on all of the time.

 

[firefighterjake]

This is the light.

 

[Ashful]

Goosenecks are made to take A19 or globe bulbs... not floodlights! They ARE the reflector, you don’t want to put a reflector bulb in one.

I have been using this, in the three goosenecks I have on my own barn. Yours might be the same make and model as mine, it looks similar enough, and these fit very well into the hood. Before these, I used incandescent globes or A19’s, but these do such a nice job that I’m happy with them.

Feit G25/CL/DM/LEDG2 40W Equivalent G25 Clear Medium Base LED Light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W13D1QE/?tag=hearthamazon-20

You might want to find a higher wattage, if you need more light. I have a total of seven lights (three goosenecks + 4 soffit recessed cans) on the front of my barn, so the 40W equivalent is fine for me.

 

[semipro]

Goosenecks are made to take A19 or globe bulbs... not floodlights! They ARE the reflector, you don’t want to put a reflector bulb in one

So what's the harm in installing bulb that has its own reflector (i.e., flood light)?
In the end, choose a bulb for whatever area you want to illuminate.
I've installed LED floods outside our house and on our driveway and been very happy with them.
Another consideration, nuisance light to those nearby. A flood may direct light downward rather than outward.
Adapters can be had cheaply to accommodate different bulbs and bases.

 

[Ashful]

So what's the harm in installing bulb that has its own reflector (i.e., flood light)?
In the end, choose a bulb for whatever area you want to illuminate.
I've installed LED floods outside our house and on our driveway and been very happy with them.
Another consideration, nuisance light to those nearby. A flood may direct light downward rather than outward.
Adapters can be had cheaply to accommodate different bulbs and bases.

The only potential harm would be limiting the area illuminated even farther than intended, as these are not always installed all that high. Nuisance light shouldn't be an issue with a standard A type or globe bulb, they're tucked way up inside the hood.

 

[Highbeam]

I think the reflector in a standard (a19?) base flood light bulb is vastly more efficient than depending on the reflective properties of that gooseneck painted dome to reflect and focus the light. It would look a little weird to install a flood light bulb into a gooseneck fixture!

I hate light pollution. Big time motion light guy here. Just so that the lights turn off after use.

 

[Ashful]

The inside of the hood on these are usually painted gloss white, from the factory. They reflect pretty well.

 

[firefighterjake]

Since I live in the country lighting should not be a nuisance for the neighbors . . .

I have a set of motion activated flood lights on the front of the garage, but am looking for additional lighting that stays on if I am working outside or if I am away and my wife wants to keep the light on for security reasons.

Light will be mounted rather high as this is a full story garage.

Still receptive to bulb ideas . . . again looking for reliability and light output.

 

[greg13]

I use 2 LED floods dusk to dawn on the front of my garage, Lots of light, not much power usage.
I think you would be fine with any LED bulb it that light since they run cool, an incandescent bulb may get too hot and melt the socket.

 

[festerw]

Something like this guy would probably work for you. The panels will fold out individually to disperse the light.



https://www.homelectrical.com/30w-h...Orl-E-UrdxUiWuUm9TE15Fl63ML1ynwUaAtl-EALw_wcB

 

[Ashful]

I think you would be fine with any LED bulb it that light since they run cool, an incandescent bulb may get too hot and melt the socket.

I don’t follow this. Folks have been putting incandescent bulbs in these gooseneck fixtures since before anyone on this forum was born. The sockets are generally ceramic.

Are you under the impression that we lived in the dark before the invention of LED lighting?

 

[greg13]

I don’t follow this. Folks have been putting incandescent bulbs in these gooseneck fixtures since before anyone on this forum was born. The sockets are generally ceramic.

Are you under the impression that we lived in the dark before the invention of LED lighting?

No, I just wasn't sure if it had a ceramic base. Plastic would melt with an incandescent flood light.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like 100W equiv., A19 bulbs LED will work ok. They will be brighter than the incandescent equivalent because they put more light in the visible spectrum. If you need more light consider putting up two light fixtures.

 

[firefighterjake]

Actually the light is a 200 watt equivalent . . . only want one light on the front though.

I suspect the socket base is ceramic.

 

[Ashful]

A 200 watt bulb (or equivalent) is insanely bright! As someone who’s always looking at the cosmetics of lighting, I’d think that must look horrendous.

I have seven 40W bulbs on my barn, providing the same or better lighting than one 200W bulb. I’d really encourage you to consider going that way, if at all practical.

 

[greg13]

This may help the confusion (or make more). We have all been raised with watts as a measurement of brightness, now we have to learn about Lumens. Must be a metric watt.

https://gamasonic.com/how-many-lumens-do-you-need-for-outdoor-lighting/

 

[Ashful]

It’s pouring rain outside now, as it has been for months, so this was just crudely taken from the front stoop of my house. But this gives you an idea of what 40W bulbs can do, when you put six of them across the front of a carriage barn. The seventh is high in the gable end.



I often work out in the driveway in front of that barn at night, and it’s not exactly daylight level lighting, it it’s a reasonable enough compromise between function and look for me. I can’t even imagine having a single 200W equivalent bulb!

 

[fbelec]

lumins is the way to measure the light output. take a look next time your in the store you can get 3 lights from 3 different manufactures and have 3 different lumins. my job is to hook up lights for customers and what you have there ashful look like more than your average 550 lumin 40 watt bulb. if they are incandescent and they are what you say they are you have 80 watts per bay so jake wants something bright not for looks but for utility. so his two fixtures should be 80 watts to equal your lighting. i would put in 100 watt equal LEDs and the color matters big time. i encourage anyone to do this. anytime the light manufactures talk about outdoor lighting they go with 4000 kelvin or 5000 kelvin they look blue. if you put the same wattage light bulb one 5000 k and then pull it out and put in a 2700 or 3000 k bulb the eye works better with the 3000 k bulb and you will see more light for more distance than the 5000 k. don't be fooled and look at the bulb because the 5000 k looks brighter if looking at the bulb but the 3000 k bulb will light up a subject brighter and go farther into the darkness. try it. if you can manage to find a 150 watt LED equal it will burn about 23 watts and give 2200 lumins and if you get the right bulb you can dim it so you can keep a lower level for looks but when you need it turn it up. the good LED bulbs are CREE, SYLVAINIA, GE

 

[firefighterjake]

lumins is the way to measure the light output. take a look next time your in the store you can get 3 lights from 3 different manufactures and have 3 different lumins. my job is to hook up lights for customers and what you have there ashful look like more than your average 550 lumin 40 watt bulb. if they are incandescent and they are what you say they are you have 80 watts per bay so jake wants something bright not for looks but for utility. so his two fixtures should be 80 watts to equal your lighting. i would put in 100 watt equal LEDs and the color matters big time. i encourage anyone to do this. anytime the light manufactures talk about outdoor lighting they go with 4000 kelvin or 5000 kelvin they look blue. if you put the same wattage light bulb one 5000 k and then pull it out and put in a 2700 or 3000 k bulb the eye works better with the 3000 k bulb and you will see more light for more distance than the 5000 k. don't be fooled and look at the bulb because the 5000 k looks brighter if looking at the bulb but the 3000 k bulb will light up a subject brighter and go farther into the darkness. try it. if you can manage to find a 150 watt LED equal it will burn about 23 watts and give 2200 lumins and if you get the right bulb you can dim it so you can keep a lower level for looks but when you need it turn it up. the good LED bulbs are CREE, SYLVAINIA, GE

Interesting . . . I realized that things have changed in terms of lumens vs. watts . . . and that there was different color scales . . . but assumed that the higher (i.e. 5000K) color scales with the more natural looking daylight would be brighter than the more traditional yellowish incandescent light we're use to seeing at the lower color scale.

I never realized how much light bulbs have changed . . . or how many manufacturers are now making LED lightbulbs. Thanks for the advice. For my needs would you recommend a "regular" light bulb in LED or a flood light bulb in LED?

 

[Ashful]

If you like the look of incandescent, stay down below 2700K. Halogens run up to 3000K. Anything above that will look blue and harsh, in comparison to incandescent or halogen, but some folks like that.

More important, esp. for indoor applications, is CRI (color rendering index). It is a measure of how well the LED mimics an actual broad spectrum. Remember, LED’s emit essentially just one wavelength of light (spontaneous emission / scattering, we can talk quantum physics, if you like). These are the classic red and green LED’s you remember on from 1980’s keyboard synthesizers and other toys, or the more modern blue (thanks to GaN). The way they make an LED lightbulb is to put three or four separate color LED’s into a single housing, and pass these three or four wavelengths of light thru a filter. This does a reasonable job of approximating a true broadband spectrum, and CRI is the measure of how good a job they did at that.

I still find that even the best LED lights make things look weird and depressing indoors. I hate them. But I do use them quite a bit for outdoor lighting. I stick to those in the 2700 - 3000K temperature range, and just buy the highest CRI available at each temperature.

Another note, LED’s on dimmable circuits are a mind bender. Those of us more than a few years old are used to a light shifting toward the red end of the spectrum when we dim it. It’s a warm pleasing glow. But LED’s don’t typically do this, they generally hold pretty close to their spec’s color temperature as they dim, although they do drift randomly about as the three or four different colors they’re combining fall off at differing rates. There are some red-shift dimmable LED’s on the market, but I’ve not tried them myself.

 

[fbelec]

jake if you put in the reflector type of flood it will just spot the light if you put in a regular shape bulb it will spread out as far as the fixture will let it. these day light color lights are trying to imitate the sky without the sun and in general it just doesn't cut it brightness wise with what color works best with the eyes.

ashful read something a while back about the blue LEDs being bad for the eyes. permanent damage. do you know anything about this?