LED lighting General discussion, read here before posting a question.

JimiMac

Looking to replace four 50w halogen downlights in the bathroom.
I have looked at lots of sites and lots of threads here.
I am starting to get confused.

Can anybody recommend a good bulb to replace the above?

I understand there will be a fall off in brightness but I want to try and find a decent compromise.

Davy

3w will fit the standard 50mm gu10

Rev. BlueJeans

Dumb question.

Are LED gu10s dimmable? Like the OP, I have a rake of them here in halogen form that I'd happily get rid of.

JimiMac

I don't think led's are dimmable.

I've come across the 3W bulbs on a few sites but there are varying claims on there brightness.
Has anyone seen one working?
Are there brighter bulbs?

Davy

Rev. BlueJeans wrote: »

Dumb question.

Are LED gu10s dimmable? Like the OP, I have a rake of them here in halogen form that I'd happily get rid of.

You can get dimmable ones, but their crappy. Better off with dimmable megaman cfl

Rev. BlueJeans

Thanks Davy, I must look those up.

I thought they were deeper though, thus making it necessary to change the fitting as well.

edit: These can replace candle bulbs: http://www.lampspecs.co.uk/Light-Bulbs-Tubes/Megaman-Dimmable/Low-Energy-Candle-Dimerable-Light-Bulb-7W-BC-827-10K-Hr-Megaman-7-Watt;jsessionid=0a010c441f43f8b19579077d45d5a2a4b6630cb6e226.e3eTa3aSaxmTe34Pa38Ta38Rahz0

and these will do GU10s (OP take note), but the fitting does indeed end up too shallow imo: http://www.lampspecs.co.uk/Light-Bulbs-Tubes/Megaman-Dimmable/Low-Energy-Spotlight-GU10-Dimerable-11W-840-10K-Hr-Megaman-11-Watt;jsessionid=0a010c441f43f8b19579077d45d5a2a4b6630cb6e226.e3eTa3aSaxmTe34Pa38Ta38Rahz0

astrofool

Is there such thing as LED R50's?

Stoner

the philips master led range is very good, we have installed a number of them and they pack a punch, far better than the multi led 1-2-3 W lamps I have tried and tested, they are pricy, but give a 50W halogen a run for it's money, GU10 connection, but a little bit long, similar in lenght to a GU10 cfl, so all the same issues wrt space and eyeball fitting not working with them. They are 7W lamps, following the trend discussed here a long time ago, that the wattage on the LEDs is climbing as people demand a 50W like for like exchange. I remmeber when the first LED lamps hit the shops for £8 the were under 1W and not much use

Ogham

I got one of these to see what it was like - and was impressed. It is brighter than the standard 50w Gu10 bulbs - but the light is whiter (which is fine by me). It says it is by "Megaman" - but it came in a non branded Chinese box.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GU10-LED-3-watt-Bulb/dp/B002EL42CU

exaisle

Non-dimmability (for want of a better word) of LEDs is the only disadvantage I can think of although it's probably only a matter of time before they make an appearance on the market at a reasonable cost. I've seen some dimmable LEDs but the cost is prohibitive.
CFL's give out a very "blue" light and with the possible exception of kitchens and utility rooms they are not really suitable for homes (in my opinion). However, there are LEDs available now which give a much softer shade. I've been using LEDs in my bathroom and bedroom for the past few months and I find them very satisfactory. Furthermore, I'll be ridding myself entirely of the remaining halogens over the next few weeks. I estimate that LEDs I use give light approximately equivalent to a 30w halogen.

Have a look for the thread on Ecopal LEDs.

Davy

Did you not try the warm white rather than daylight white?

Saying that, a lot of people do seem to like the daylight white ones, but the surroundings in the room their being fitted need to suit

JG009

Are these the downlighter type LEDS? I had 8x 50 watts in a shed and swapped them with 8x LEDs and its grand. Its a very white light, I wouldnt be mad on in indoors.

Davy

Ye, but you can get a warm white which would be closer to the previous lamp. Some people do like the crispness of them tho as i was saying

JG009

Davy wrote: »

Ye, but you can get a warm white which would be closer to the previous lamp. Some people do like the crispness of them tho as i was saying

Not sure I have seen these. would be interested to see.

Jonathan

Why are GU5.3 LED bulbs so scarce?

eoghan.geraghty

Jonathan wrote: »

Why are GU5.3 LED bulbs so scarce?

Probably because they generally require their own driver, the standard 60VA electronic transformer will not work for most of the ones on the market.
It is cheaper to buy in the GU10 lamps than to buy in GU5.3 lamps and drivers.

davelerave

Ya and some are 'ac/dc' and some are 'dc only' .so the regular wholesalers are prob. staying clear
Afaik dimming is straightforward with the 12v dc type .the 'pwm' dimmer goes on the 12v side.

Stoner

Welcome to the sticky here for LED lighting.

There is a lot of bogus info out there about LED lights. As there are so many threads opened about it we decided to make a sticky.

To begin with many people want to replace their down lights with LEDs. Before you ask about this you need to find out some info about your existing fittings.

1) Are they 12V 50Watt fittings with an MR16 lamp holder
2) Are they 220V main spots 50Watt with a GU10 fitting.

Option 1 fittings were initially the most common down lighter, they require a transformer between the electrical supply and the lamp, they are generally "brighter" lamps and a better quality light than option 2 lamps.

Option 2 fittings don't require a transformer so they are less expensive to supply and fit. They run very hot and produce a less intense light compared to option 1. They are in my opinion a very poor quality and potentially dangerous lamp.

However if you have the GU10 lamps your conversion to LED is more straight forward. You can get a 4W good quality LED lamp that will replace the 50Watt lamp almost on a one for one basis.

Replacing the 12V lamps can be achieved by buying the more expensive 12V LED, or by removing the transformer and connector and replacing it with a GU10 lamp holder. However for one to one light intensity the a 7Watt LED lamp is preferred although many will live with the 4Watt LED it will not give the max light intensity of a 50W 12V fitting, but its still a reasonable solution. The downside is that the 7Watt lamp is considerably more expensive than the 4Watt lamp.

There are also some nice insulated fittings out there, other users will post some pictures as examples, they are about 4 times more expensive than a typical spotlight but are fire rated and insulated, in certain situations there can be a lot of heat loss and draughts due to traditional open back spotlights.

Things to be aware of.

1) If you buy and install a recessed fitting make sure that it is rated for the lamp you have. for example some are rated at 11Watts making a megaman 11Watt CFL fitting the highest wattage lamp that you can use in this fitting. If you ever decide to pop down to the euro shop and buy 2 50Watt GU10 halogens and use them in these fittings you will have serious issues.

2) Changing over from 12V to 220V fittings may be beyond you and an electrician should be considered for this type of work, this is our advice here.

3) Dimming, only certain LED lamps can be dimmed and only certain dimmers can be used, others will suggest some dimmable LED lamps later on.

4) Colour, not everyone likes the same colour lights, some like their light so warm its practically yellow, others like a white light, be aware of this.

5) Reading, many people will put up with a loss of light intensity for running cost changes. However your new lamps may not be bright enough to read comfortably, if that is the case you need to invest in higher rated or better quality LEDS.

6) Cheap LEDs from Ebay, watch out for them, even the best lamp manufactures in the world struggle to stick by the facts they print on the boxes. You could end up with, poor life cycle time, irregular dimming, no dimming, a fire, poor quality of light etc.

7) Cluster LED lamps, those lamps with 30,40,50 or even 70 dome head LEDs, generally they run too hot for the LEDs to operate properly in so they will drop off in intensity as the individual LEDs fail.

note users please feel free to add to this section, I'll include the text in this post.

Other users will post up some pictures of fittings and lamps and you will get a good look at a decent set up both from a LED wattage point of view and the difference between a fire rated, insulated fitting and a budget fitting.

paddy147

Good idea for a sticky.:)

paddy147

A nice LED GU10 light is the Philips Master 4 watt LED light.

Lovely propper warm white,good for 15 years use and also fully dimmable too (with certain dimmers only).

Not too expensive either,around 10 euro including vat.:)

meercat

paddy147 wrote: »

A nice LED GU10 light is the Philips Master 4 watt LED light.

Lovely propper warm white,good for 15 years use and also fully dimmable too (with certain dimmers only).

Not too expensive either,around 10 euro including vat.:)

any links?
or pics paddy;)

paddy147

meercat wrote: »

any links?
or pics paddy;)

Im sure theres a few links and pics somewhere allright.

I could post a heap of pictures of them in use in my house on this sticky,but its easy enough to just search the forum instead for my threads and posts/pics.:)

pyromania

could you recommend a good 12v led lamp for use in kitchen,bathroom area...

Stoner

is there any reasons why it needs to be 12V? Philips Master LED range has a 12V option, did you want the extra protection from a transformer within a bathroom?

Removing the transformers and connecting in a GU10 fitting or lamp holder and using a 4 or 7W LED is the best option IMO.

Stoner

paddy147 wrote: »

A nice LED GU10 light is the Philips Master 4 watt LED light.

Lovely propper warm white,good for 15 years use and also fully dimmable too (with certain dimmers only).

Not too expensive either,around 10 euro including vat.:)

Paddy as discussed this is the perfect place to post your pics for the fittings and the downlighters you have used. They have provided users with good information. Then we have them in one place and can refer to them. I'll merge and or lock other threads.:)

woody1

anyone have any experience with these
http://www.tecoled.ie/shop/led-gu10-mr16-spotlight-2369/1.htm

no price online..

curious, still mite be the better and cheaper option to change to the gu10s, anyone have any idea how much an electrician would charge to change 10 mr16 fittings to gu10s ballpark, need to get one in to do a couple of other jobs anyway

cheers

donal2000

I was just over in Eurosales at lunch and picked up some Philips Master 4 watt LED lights.
The guys there told me they have had a huge demand for these in the last few days, mostly from boards.ie. They are nearly sold out just if anybody is planning on calling into them but they will have more in stock in the new year.

paddy147

donal2000 wrote: »

I was just over in Eurosales at lunch and picked up some Philips Master 4 watt LED lights.
The guys there told me they have had a huge demand for these in the last few days, mostly from boards.ie. They are nearly sold out just if anybody is planning on calling into them but they will have more in stock in the new year.

They are sold out.....for now.;):D

No more in till new year,according to the lads up there.

Stoner

woody1 wrote: »

anyone have any experience with these
http://www.tecoled.ie/shop/led-gu10-mr16-spotlight-2369/1.htm

no price online..

curious, still mite be the better and cheaper option to change to the gu10s, anyone have any idea how much an electrician would charge to change 10 mr16 fittings to gu10s ballpark, need to get one in to do a couple of other jobs anyway

cheers

No idea on the tecoled units, sorry, but they look like nice heatsinks and not bad looking over all, i'd avoid the cluster LED lamps. Can't see costs for them

Redsquigy

I have a kitchen extension just 3 years old. It is A shaped with floor to ceiling height of approx. 4 metres at its highest point. There are
10 GU10 240V (I think 35watt) lights (5 on each side). I have replaced these lights on numerous occasions as they keep blowing. They are meant to have 2000 hours on each of them. Any idea what could be the problem. There are only 4 working now, 2 on each side and it is driving me demented. I have to borrow a 3m ladder from somebody every time they go.

paddy147

Redsquigy wrote: »

I have a kitchen extension just 3 years old. It is A shaped with floor to ceiling height of approx. 4 metres at its highest point. There are
10 GU10 240V (I think 35watt) lights (5 on each side). I have replaced these lights on numerous occasions as they keep blowing. They are meant to have 2000 hours on each of them. Any idea what could be the problem. There are only 4 working now, 2 on each side and it is driving me demented. I have to borrow a 3m ladder from somebody every time they go.

Voila.