I am starting to replace my standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones as the standard ones burn out. There are some locations where I’d like more light than the old standard bulb and fixture provided.
Without replacing the fixture, and assuming the new fluorescent bulb fits the old fixture comfortably, can I replace a standard bulb of the max wattage the fixture allows, with a compact fluorescent rated for more light output, but fewer watts ? Example: a 100 W rated fixture and standard 100 W bulb, replaced with a a Sylvania SoftWhite 150, which uses 40 watts, but produces 2600 lumens. (150 watyt equivilant light)
The “steady state” usage is lower wattage, so the fixture and wires should be fine with that. Fluorescents generally run cooler than standard bulbs, so heat should not be an issue. Seems a win-win to me: more light and less watts.
Is there a larger “startup” wattage needed, or any other reason, that this could be a bad idea ?
Replies
Nope, fill away!
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Heat can be an issue. Though CFL's run cooler than incandescents, they're much more vulnerable to heat damage. If you burn them in open fixtures, or base down to horizontal, they do fine. Base up in fixtures that trap heat, they may not last as long as incandescents. Ambient temperature also matters a lot. An enclosed porch light in Minnesota may do a lot better than a kitchen light in Los Angeles. There's another thread on this somewhere here on Breaktime.
-- J.S.
What you suggest is fine, so long as you don't get carried away. I have several times placed a "75-watt equivalent" CFL in a 60-watt-rated fixture in order to get a hair more light. This was especially necessary a few years ago, when the CFL "equivalent" ratings were often fiction, and it helps even now since CFLs take 2-3 minutes to warm up to full brightness.
Just be aware that the larger wattage CFLs tend to be disproportionately larger physically (ie, they may not fit the fixtures), and may be more restricted in terms of the "allowed" orientations (base-up vs base-down, etc).