[Question] I am a 28 year old adult who does not understand lightbulbs

Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

I want incandescent bulbs in my apartment. I have LEDs. The sockets say things like "Use 120V 60Hz MAX 7W Type self-ballasted CFL lamps" and "use E17 MAX 40W Type R Lamp" and I basically have no idea what that means for incandescent equivalent, or if incandescent bulbs are going to be a problem.

Help me! Tell me things about things! I have included pictures of the lamp stickers in case my typing is useless.

IMG_20170509_093239.jpg


IMG_20170509_093302.jpg
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

"Use 120V 60Hz MAX 7W Type self-ballasted CFL lamps" Compact Florescent Light(lamp) that has the ballast in the base of the bulb. Max 7 Watts.

E17 MAX 40W Type R Lamp - Incandescent Lamp that has the bugle shape max wattage 40 Watts.
X[DOUBLEPOST=1494614899,1494614796][/DOUBLEPOST]don't go incandescent, they get too hot and use too much energy.

write down those quotes to help you choose a bulb.
 
B

BErt

Just shove light bulbs in it and if it doesn't start a fire you're fine. That's what I do. I'm 35 btw
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Don't put a lightbulb in your mouth. It'll go in, but it won't come out.

Other orifices are also at your own risk.
 
Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

sixpackshaker said:
"Use 120V 60Hz MAX 7W Type self-ballasted CFL lamps" Compact Florescent Light(lamp) that has the ballast in the base of the bulb. Max 7 Watts.

E17 MAX 40W Type R Lamp - Incandescent Lamp that has the bugle shape max wattage 40 Watts.
X[DOUBLEPOST=1494614899,1494614796][/DOUBLEPOST]don't go incandescent, they get too hot and use too much energy.

write down those quotes to help you choose a bulb.
Click to expand...
But the light is so much nicer! I may have to replace the one that can't do the incandescent at all, then.[DOUBLEPOST=1494618846][/DOUBLEPOST]
MindDetective said:
What does the socket look like without the current bulb in there?
Click to expand...
Like... normal? Like every socket I've ever seen.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
I, too, prefer the light of incandescent bulbs to CFL/LED bulbs, but I see them slowly getting phased out on store shelves.
 
strawman

strawman

Chad Sexington said:
I want incandescent bulbs in my apartment. I have LEDs. The sockets say things like "Use 120V 60Hz MAX 7W Type self-ballasted CFL lamps" and "use E17 MAX 40W Type R Lamp" and I basically have no idea what that means for incandescent equivalent, or if incandescent bulbs are going to be a problem.
Click to expand...
120V 60Hz - The light bulb needs to use standard AC voltage and frequency. You can get 12V bulbs that fit that type of socket, but they are rare and hard to find, so you can safely ignore this, any bulb you get that physically fits will meet this requirement.

MAX 7W Type self ballasted CFL lamp - the lamp fixture isn't capable of handling a high power compact fluorescent lamp, it can't dissipate the heat fast enough and the lamp will have a short lifetime. So the maximum CFL lamp it can handle is 7W. When you shop for a CFL bulb (the spiral ones) you'll see two W ratings - one is the incandescent equivalent. In this case you'd most likely find a "60W equivilant" CFL light bulb that actually uses "7W". Self ballasted means that it contains its own high voltage circuitry. Again, if you find a bulb that physically fits the socket, then it'll be self ballasted. You can safely ignore this.

That's bulb option number one - a standard CFL bulb of no more than 7 actual watts. However you have another choice:

E17 max 40W Type R Lamp - E17 is a socket shape, and is smaller than most household light fixtures. Type R is a reflector bulb, where the light and heat are reflected into a spotlight, so you could use an incandescent bulb, but here it says it can only go up to 40W. The type R bulb has a diffuser on the front so rather than a sharp spotlight there's a very soft edge. I don't know why the fixture specifies this, you could use a BR reflector bulb if you wanted.

So the upshot is that if you want to use an incandescent bulb, use an E17 40W reflector incandescent:

Amazon product

Buy the ten pack because eventually you'll not be able to get incandescent bulbs.

If you have to go LED or CFL, get a "warm" color temperature, around 3500 kelvin. This will be a soft, yellow-ish light, similar to incandescent.
 
drifter

drifter

Also, if you the store you're buying from has display models available, definitely check them out. I've seen really nice warm LEDs and really gross warm LEDs with the same advertised color temperature.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

stienman said:
If you have to go LED or CFL, get a "warm" color temperature, around 3500 kelvin. This will be a soft, yellow-ish light, similar to incandescent.
Click to expand...
Actually, "warm" color temperatures that are close to the incandescent range are 2500k-2700k. Bulbs that are 3500k are noticeably bluer, though not as blue as the "daylight"-labeled bulbs that are in the 5000's.

--Patrick
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Bubble181 said:
Yeah, 3500 isalready pretty cold.
Also, wow, incandescent, they've been illegal here for years
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Well, we banned their manufacture, not their sale. So the stores have been working through their stockpiles. Also, it went in waves. First they stopped the manufacture of 100 watt in 2012, then in 2014 they stopped 40 and 60 watt. You can still find em if you look really hard, but won't be much longer before that's no longer true.
 
Sparhawk

Sparhawk

GasBandit said:
Well, we banned their manufacture, not their sale. So the stores have been working through their stockpiles. Also, it went in waves. First they stopped the manufacture of 100 watt in 2012, then in 2014 they stopped 40 and 60 watt. You can still find em if you look really hard, but won't be much longer before that's no longer true.
Click to expand...
Not really true, the high energy incandescent bulbs are gone, but lower energy usage, but still incandescent, bulbs are still being made and sold.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Sparhawk said:
Not really true, the high energy incandescent bulbs are gone, but lower energy usage, but still incandescent, bulbs are still being made and sold.
Click to expand...
They cost a lot more, though, which is kinda like a "soft" ban as part of the reason a lot of people preferred incandescent bulbs is how much cheaper they were.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

GasBandit said:
They cost a lot more, though, which is kinda like a "soft" ban as part of the reason a lot of people preferred incandescent bulbs is how much cheaper they were.
Click to expand...
My Dad is hording several dozen incandescent bulbs.

But I can't convince him that incandescent bulbs cost more through electricity costs.
 
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