I have been bitching about how dark our kitchen and downstairs family room is. The dark granite counters in the kitchen certainly don’t help, but Costco recently had LED dimmable bulb on sale and I picked up both soft white and daylight bulbs for the ceiling light cans. The soft white offered no change, but those day light bulbs were a fabulous change. Look at upping your lumens if you feel a room is too dark. Crazy difference.
IP
Last year or so I out the LED conversion kits on all the cans in out Family room/kitchen… As you noted blackish grant tile, wood cabinets left the room feeling dark, but no more! I had a little problem keeping a couple snugged up to the can, nudging with a broom handle helped for a while, but now, we’ve had the room painted, and our guy Ben, used a little caulk, maybe as he did the ceiling, and I don’t see them slipping any more…
I don’t remember if they are dimmable, I should go look, as one set of 4 is a tad bright when it’s TV time, be nice to dim 'em a bit at times… Maybe look back in my Costco Orders to see the tech/dimmer details…
I have had a fight for years after adding them, initially as halogen, they didn’t work with the selected dimmer unless there was an incandescent it the string, and they failed a lot. So then I went to fluorescents, the straight ones, well, they failed a lot… Finally the twirly fluorescents worked well, lasted a long time… But there was the airflow, heat escaping through the cans vents…So the LED adapters solved it all… Whew… But will messing with a dimmer stir up problems? Hmmm…
The soft white offered no change, but those day light bulbs were a fabulous change. Look at upping your lumens if you feel a room is too dark.
Was the so-called replacement wattage the same between the two? What were the claimed lumens of each the same? How did the CRI compare?
In my old house the kitchen, build in 1983, had recessed cans in the ceiling. We hardly ever turned them on. In the winter the drafts from them were horrible. I used to put cling-wrap across them to cut that down. One day I saw Feit-brand LED upgrades at Costco, four to a box. They had a screw like a light bulb at the end of a wire pigtail. Pull off the old ring, unscrew the old bulb, screw in the end of the pigtail, and put the disk where the ring used to be. Being a full disk it cut out most of the draft, and the light being at the surface rather than buried down in the can spread out better. BUT, after replacing them all it was too damned bright! Back to Costco, where they sold Feit-brand dimmers certified to work with LEDs. Replaced all the switches with dimmers. BUT, the dimmers where the new-fangled rectangular type cover plate openings, and every switch was part of a ganged box with other switches and outlets - old style of course. So off to HD or maybe Lowe’s for new switch plates, as well as a box each of switches and outlets to match the large rectangular holes. The dimmers tamed the brightness quite nicely.
Same house, dining room… the ceiling fixture was controlled by an old-style dimmer, one not compatible with LEDs. Swapping that for one left over from the kitchen was no big deal. Before I sold the place the family heirloom fixture over the dining room table was removed and a new LED fixture rated to use a dimmer was installed, no problem thanks to the new dimmer.
My new house has recessed cans in the LR and FR. The previous owner had already upgraded them with the same sort of LED units, but a different brand. Those were too damned bright too. They left behind one extra, in a box in the basement. The box said they were dimable! Back to Costo, buy a pack with two Feit dimmers without paying much attention except to the fact that they said they replaced both standard and three-way switches, and I had one of both. But, oops! These dimmers were WiFi capable, not that I cared. But it turned out I had to care, as that meant they needed more than the basic in/out switched wires, but a neutral too, to power the WiFi. That was more than my limited electrical skills were up to, and it all sat round for a year until I had an electrician in to install my Tesla charger. He was nice enough to install them gratis, since the charger job was already costing a heap.
But will messing with a dimmer stir up problems? Hmmm…
Obviously personal preference, but a dimmer is critical for us. There are times when we need the brightness of a surgical unit, which is my preference, but DH and the vampire dog, who reacts badly to sunlight in his advanced age/cataracts, need it dialed back.
IP,
setting alarm for pre-dawn to walk the dog, finishing evening walk with a flashlight, up at 2AM nightly for almost blind dog who is very active at night and sleeps during day, having just about forgotten what it feels like to get even 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep
Was the so-called replacement wattage the same between the two? What were the claimed lumens of each the same? How did the CRI compare?
I pulled 75W conventionals and put in 65W replacements. I have returned the soft white bulbs, but from the box I kept it’s 8.3W FEIT Electric LED Dimmable Flood lights, Enhance Vivid Natural Light. BR30, 5000K Daylight, 750 lumens, (which was the same as the soft white, so sorry, used the wrong term for what to change in the OP.) It’s the color of the light, which is measured in Kelvin. The originals were at around 2500 and these replacements are 5,000K.
https://www.ledlightexpert.com/understanding_led_light_color….
Box of 6 was on sale at Costco for $5.99. Hopefully the sale is still on. The only difference I could see in the box was the color strip at the top of the box with the Kelvin rating and the “Daylight” description.
IP
Thanks for filling in all the details.
Your story of the never ending time escalation of what should have been an easy job resonates with all of us do-it-yourselfers. I would only add be sure not to start a plumbing or electrical project on a Friday night. The rescue call to the plumber or electrician will be double time if done on the weekend.
IP
I pulled 75W conventionals and put in 65W replacements.
Sorry, just looked at the old bulbs I pulled. They were 65W bulbs.
IP
5000K bulbs are too harsh of a white for me. I’ve been replacing soft white (2700K) since they’re too yellow for me. I have settled on 3000K light bulbs. The light is white but not harsh to my eyes.
PSU
Ahh, good sign, I did find them, I’d gone to Amazon in 2020, and they are dimmable!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019YHK05Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b…
So, indeed another mission/project…
All our switches, outlets are those Decora versions, as I had swapped all out as we painted this past year, I had already swapped the originals in some rooms, but this time, as we, well, Ben, painted the whole interior, I swapped out everything to new, light gray Decora outlets, GFI, switches, tele, CATV plates and all… Ran my local hardware shop out of 'em for a bit, nearly filled a 5 gallon bucket! Quieter switches, a good update to have them all the same…
I’d thought I’d bough the LED adapters from Costco, but I guess I went with the Amazon ease of ordering/return…
And I see in the FAQs the variety of acceptable dimmers…
Our lights are designed to be fully dimmable when used with a compatible dimmer. We highly recommend using an LED dimmer that is also an ELV (electronic low voltage) dimmer for best results. This rule applies to all dimmable lights, whether using Sunco Lighting or other brands.
The following is a list of dimmers we have extensively tested and recommend:
Lutron DVCL-253P
Lutron DV600P
Lutron DV603P (3-Way)
Lutron DVELV-300P-WH
Leviton DSE06-10Z
Leviton 6615-P0W (single pole or 3-way)
I changed out my halogen par30 bulbs in the kitchen and love them.
Dimmable, a warm color 2700k - I like this line by GE.
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Lighting-43094-Replacement-900-Lum…
nag
We accidently bought some 5000K LED bulbs. Yes, they are really bright. But the light is sort of obnoxious. It’s almost like a commercial setting. Very glaring.
We prefer the 3000K color temp. Softer, not as glaring. And, yes, not as bright. I swapped things around so the 5000K bulbs are over our vanities. Sometimes people want bright light there.
I changed out my halogen par30 bulbs in the kitchen and love them.
Dimmable, a warm color 2700k - I like this line by GE.
Customizable look based on each individual desires. All this for $6 and not much effort. It’s nice not to curse how dim the lights are now.
IP
We accidently bought some 5000K LED bulbs. Yes, they are really bright. But the light is sort of obnoxious. It’s almost like a commercial setting. Very glaring.
I think it depends on what the environment is. That dark granite of ours sucks up a lot of light, as does the dark paint on the walls downstairs. Changing lightbulbs is a whole lot easier than repainting a wall, not to mention putting in a window where there is now brick, in a load bearing wall, or ripping out the counters for a lighter granite. Significantly cheaper!
IP,
absolutely loving the bright sunlight feature of these lights, but willing to dim it if others feel less in love with it
It’s the color of the light, which is measured in Kelvin. The originals were at around 2500 and these replacements are 5,000K.
Yes, the color temperature of the light can make a big difference in how a room or area feels. It’s not unusual to need a higher color temperature more than you need more lumens.
That gives me a nice jumping off spot to talk about LEDs.
For those who aren’t familiar with color temperature, numbers under 3000k generally appear a bit red, while higher numbers appear more blue or a purer white. If I remember correctly, old incandescent bulbs are around 2700. So if you’re trying to replicate the look of incandescents, look for a color temperature around there. Higher numbers are often better for task spaces, like kitchens and offices. I have 5000K lights in my wife’s craft room so she can (darn it, could) see colors better. That’s about as extreme as you might want to get.
Lumens refer to the quantity of light rather than it’s color. Again going back to old incandescent bulbs, I think a 60 watt bulb is around 800 lumens, and a 75 watt bulb is around 1100.
The last thing to check with LEDs is whether they are dimmable or not. Most that are dimmable require an appropriate dimmer for LEDs. Old dimmers for incandescent bulbs are just big resistors that reduce the current (or maybe its the voltage)** flowing to the bulb. That makes the bulb give off less light and changes its color to be more red as well. I think LEDs operate by cutting off part of the sine wave of the AC current. The more that is cut off, the less light you get. But the color stays the same.
Dimmable LEDs are generally more expensive because they need the circuitry to handle dimming.
LED lights are available in all sorts of combinations. So look closely at the packaging to determine the color temperature and lumens. And it’s OK to experiment. You’re not going to hurt anything.
As I’ve switched over to LEDs around the house, I have kept a note on my phone with the bulb specs for each room. That way I can keep things consistent as bulbs fail. I’ve stuck to 2700k bulbs in a lot of places to keep the incandescent look I’m familiar with. The master bath used to have halogen bulbs, and I find that 3000k LEDs are a pretty good replacement there. I should bump the kitchen and my home office up to 3000k as well. The 2700k bulbs were a good match to the old bulbs, but my eyes are starting to prefer a brighter white, especially since I’m working from home full time now.
Any way, I’ve rambled on far too long. Hope some of this helps take some of the fear out of switching to LEDs. It took me a while to get on board, but I’m glad I did.
–Peter
** Let’s see if I can figure it out. Amps is volts times current. No. That’s watts. Volts is current times resistance. So you add more resistance and you need more current to keep the volts the same. Or you get less volts with the same current. So …
Nope, can’t figure it out. Every time I try to learn electronics the learning doesn’t stick around very long. Probably need to use it more.
Let’s see if I can figure it out. Amps is volts times current. No. That’s watts. Volts is current times resistance. So you add more resistance and you need more current to keep the volts the same. Or you get less volts with the same current. So …
Nope, can’t figure it out. Every time I try to learn electronics the learning doesn’t stick around very long. Probably need to use it more.
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Here is a handy dandy pie chart for converting Voltage, Current, Resistance and Power
http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-ohm.htm
Jaak