Led Floodlights

[Parm]

I've got a number of flood lights around the garden and workshop and completely at my wits end as the bulbs keep popping. In the last week I've changed 7 bulbs, so I think it's fair to say I've had enough.

I've seen the new LED type. Can any one tell what the equivalent is for a 500 and 100 watt bulb in LED

Cheers

Parm

 

[PhillipM]

With current tech, about a 50w and a 10w LED respectively. I find the the 30w ones a decent enough replacement for 500s personally though.

 

[Parm]

With current tech, about a 50w and a 10w LED respectively. I find the the 30w ones a decent enough replacement for 500s personally though.

Cheers

 

[Parm]

Next question, how much should I be paying/ where's the cheapest place to buy?

 

[cumbriasteve]

Next question, how much should I be paying/ where's the cheapest place to buy?

Ebay, listings galore for them.

 

[normspanners]

It is weird with halogens I have fitted several in the past few weeks coz it is that time of year, and have loads of spares, all diff makes and costs , they seem to either last 5mins with no obvious fault or go on and on and it doesnt seem to matter the cost of the tube. I had one in the, we call it the dogs light, every time they go out to their toilet area it comes on for 3mins or so and that one lasted about 3yrs and was on and off all night and that was one of the cheapie £1 for 2
others I fitted £3 ones to the main front light last 2days ps allways use the wrap round the bulb whilst fitting and what is even more weird is every bulb thats gone I have seen blow!! must be my xray eyes

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I bought one of the eBay LED lights a couple of years ago before they became popular. It has a single Cree and is a lot smaller than a normal floodlight yet the output is fantastic. No idea of output but lights up my garden just as well, if not better, than a 300 watt halogen.
At the front of my house I've got two CFL floodlights.

Not as powerful as a halogen but only just over 20 watts. You can also get a CFL that is a direct replacement for standard halogen floodlight bulbs.

 

[rich r]

I've got a couple of 20W LED floodlights on the front of my garage, they give a far more even light than the previous 150W halogen. I think they were about £15 each, and are a warm white colour - I don't like the harsh bluey white LED lights that you can get. These have a slight yellow tinge, like a halogen bulb. I'll be replacing the other halogen floodlights with more of the same at some point, as the light is so much more useful and less dazzling, as well as using less electricity.

The only thing you have to watch with mains LED lights is that if you drive them off a PIR, you may find they flicker when off if the PIR doesn't use a relay for switching. This is because the capacitors in the LED driver circuit charge up from the tiny current that leaks through the PIR's output transistor, until it's enough for a brief flash of light. On filament bulbs this isn't enough to cause it to light up, it just leaks away. You can fit a snubber network across the feed to the light, or just stick a small filament bulb in parallel (a 5W oven bulb in a bulb holder will do) to drain the current to neutral.

Most of the cheap ones only have a 30cm cable and it can't be replaced. So budget for a waterproof junction box or run the cable through the wall and do the wiring on the inside.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Most of the cheap ones only have a 30cm cable and it can't be replaced. So budget for a waterproof junction box or run the cable through the wall and do the wiring on the inside.

The one I bought had just a short cable but a junction box on the back so easy to wire up as normal. I assume the short cable was fitted when made so they can do a test run to check it works OK ?

 

[Fintray]

The only thing you have to watch with mains LED lights is that if you drive them off a PIR, you may find they flicker when off if the PIR doesn't use a relay for switching. This is because the capacitors in the LED driver circuit charge up from the tiny current that leaks through the PIR's output transistor, until it's enough for a brief flash of light. On filament bulbs this isn't enough to cause it to light up, it just leaks away. You can fit a snubber network across the feed to the light, or just stick a small filament bulb in parallel (a 5W oven bulb in a bulb holder will do) to drain the current to neutral.

Thanks for that info, I remember reading it before somewhere but couldn't remember where as I have exactly that problem with my outside lights now they are all LED's.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Most of the cheap ones only have a 30cm cable and it can't be replaced. So budget for a waterproof junction box or run the cable through the wall and do the wiring on the inside.

Yes that's how mine came, I did take the back off the box however to expose the wiring and found the earth lead bared but just hanging there inside the box.

That may have been ok, not too sure on earthing requirements with those lights but to be on the safe side I put a brass bolt through the casing and made sure there was a good connection for it.

They may have CE stickers on them, I suspect however the vast majority are no more than that..a simple sticker applied in the Chinese factory.

 

[brightspark]

Yes that's how mine came, I did take the back off the box however to expose the wiring and found the earth lead bared but just hanging there inside the box.

That may have been ok, not too sure on earthing requirements with those lights but to be on the safe side I put a brass bolt through the casing and made sure there was a good connection for it.

They may have CE stickers on them, I suspect however the vast majority are no more than that..a simple sticker applied in the Chinese factory.

the ce stands for china export

 

[awemawson]

I replace a halogen one with a 50 watt led one off ebay and I must say it's quite impressive - good spread of light. It came with a few foot of cable and 13a plug, but as mentioned above the earth wire in the junction box on the back was just floating. I've fitted over ride switches to all my flood lights so that I can have them permanently on if needed, just a switch across the PIR sensor output and live feed - very convenient at times.

 

[normspanners]

I have bought one of the rolson rechargable work lamps 10w 29.99 and i am pleased with it the light output and spread is excellent.
The problem I have with the hal lights the tube is too far inside the reflector and gives more of a spot, if you want floodlighting as I do down my drive, I used the open faced ones on poles sideways on to the drive, because they give a lot more spread and you can turn them down to stop light pollution, but they dont blind you in your mirrors. I have 3 that just about light the side of the house about 30 metres so get 10m spread with each of the lights 4m high what spread can I expect from the leds at that height ?

 

[Parm]

It is weird with halogens I have fitted several in the past few weeks coz it is that time of year, and have loads of spares, all diff makes and costs , they seem to either last 5mins with no obvious fault or go on and on and it doesnt seem to matter the cost of the tube. I had one in the, we call it the dogs light, every time they go out to their toilet area it comes on for 3mins or so and that one lasted about 3yrs and was on and off all night and that was one of the cheapie £1 for 2
others I fitted £3 ones to the main front light last 2days ps allways use the wrap round the bulb whilst fitting and what is even more weird is every bulb thats gone I have seen blow!! must be my xray eyes

I know what you mean, I've got a very old lamp with no glass front cover, bulbs been going strong for a good few years. Yet I've got brand new lamp fittings where the bulb don't last more than a few hours and yes take all the usual precautions when fitting new lamps.

 

[rich r]

The earth lead on mine was actually attached to the metal casing, but the live and neutral disappear into an epoxy potted box, so no chance to fit a longer cable.

normspanners - each of my 20W LED ones is mounted above the centre of each door on my double garage. They light up an area that extends perhaps 3m either side of the garage, and about 10m out, with a strong cutoff outside that area. I do have them angled quite downward facing so that they only light up my driveway and nothing beyond. Also pointing mainly downward you don't get so dazzled when in a car. I would expect at 4m up (a good 1.5 or so higher than mine) you'd easily cover the area you do currently. Using higher power LED lights would increase the brightness of that area.

 

[dannyp]

i recon there is a conspiracy with halogen tubes, they are now absolutly crap longevity wise they used to very tough things

 

[brightspark]

i recon there is a conspiracy with halogen tubes, they are now absolutly crap logevity wise they use to very tough things

if all the bulbs u buy lasted a long time
manafacturers would be out of business

 

[dannyp]

i know our wonderfull leaders are trying to stop us useing things that use any quantity of electricity as they never got round to decideding what power stations should be be built and where.

i allways like halogen for some jobs as good instat light and the heat can be usefull.

imo the compact floresent inserts are a joke, they are dull and take a while to warm up. LED'S would be perfect if te light colour was better but if its ok for the job they are the best option i think

 

[rich r]

LEDs are becoming available in different colour temperatures now. The ones I have are more yellow and not dissimilar to halogen. I certainly don't like the harsh bluey white type for illuminating large areas. Ultimately white LEDs are blue/UV LEDs with a phosphor that emits white light, in the same way as fluorescents and CFLs are a mercury discharge tube that emits UV which is converted to white light by a phosphor. Just like fluorescents, a range of phosphor types are available to the manufacturers, and they'll pick the sort that best suits the intended application.