Where I'm sitting, the room I'm in plus the two adjoining ones have a total of 32 LEDs (mutiple mutiple-bulb fittings. In the days of incandescents (I guess they were probably all 25W - but still an awful total amount of power), replacing bulbs was at least a weekly event, but these days I only have to replace one LED every few months. The fittings are such that most of the bulbs are orientated 'pins down'.
How long do bulbs last? Tungsten, CFL, LED etc.
- Thread starter ericmark
- Start date
Sponsored Links
Sadly I'm finding the exact opposite situation, I may have changed 2 incandescents per year, we have a shelf in a kitchen cabinet with a decent stock of replacements, that shelf used to contain the bulbs and spare batteries and a box of shoe cleaning products and a tote with a few tools. Now it only has the stock of replacement 'bulbs' we seem to require to keep going. Also recently I had to replace the dining room pendant incandescent bulb, used daily, this time of year twice, possibly thrice a day, the date on it was 2009, on top of the LED I also have to replace the dimmer which means replacing the backbox.
Last edited:
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2008
- Messages
- 24,937
- Reaction score
- 2,885
- Location
- Llanfair Caereinion, Nr Welshpool
- Country
I find bulb design is the problem, or cure, I had a 12 watt smart bulb in an Ikea up light, it clearly was designed for a reflector bulb, and the standard bulb was a bit of a failure, got a PIBAOGU bulb, which would not fit inside the shade, so removed the shade, but now the other way around if anything too bright.
shown on and off. I wondered on how much power it used, so plugged into my energy monitor, showing 45 watt, so no wonder it seems bright. It is some bulb 
with four hinged panels plus a small one in the centre. The box says 60 watt, but the power seems to drop off as it warms up, now showing 37 watt. Had I found this 'bulb' 5 years ago, maybe would have not needed the 8 x E14 chandelier with candle bulbs. How long it will last, not a clue.
However, it did not come from a high street store, and this I see as a problem, pre-CFL we could buy bulbs in any supermarket, but now with the LED, we see GU10, E14, E27 and BA22d, but the lamps seem to use some odd sizes like the G9, and I could not find any which worked from local shops. I could find a small version
which would flicker and would not switch off, but the one which worked was from the internet, non in local shops, so at this rate soon we will not have local shops.
shown on and off. I wondered on how much power it used, so plugged into my energy monitor, showing 45 watt, so no wonder it seems bright. It is some bulb with four hinged panels plus a small one in the centre. The box says 60 watt, but the power seems to drop off as it warms up, now showing 37 watt. Had I found this 'bulb' 5 years ago, maybe would have not needed the 8 x E14 chandelier with candle bulbs. How long it will last, not a clue.However, it did not come from a high street store, and this I see as a problem, pre-CFL we could buy bulbs in any supermarket, but now with the LED, we see GU10, E14, E27 and BA22d, but the lamps seem to use some odd sizes like the G9, and I could not find any which worked from local shops. I could find a small version
which would flicker and would not switch off, but the one which worked was from the internet, non in local shops, so at this rate soon we will not have local shops.It's strange how experiences vary!
I have a very large number of lamps/bulbs in my (large) house - at a very rough estimate/guess probably around 80. In the days of incandescents, I used to buy bulbs in quite large batches (probably 20-30 at a time), at least a couple of times per year., Since changing to entirely LEDs a few years back, I now buy small batches (usually about a dozen) of replacements, probably once per year or less.
Sponsored Links
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2008
- Messages
- 24,937
- Reaction score
- 2,885
- Location
- Llanfair Caereinion, Nr Welshpool
- Country
Yes I would buy a pack of 10 assorted bulbs from Tesco, pre the CFL I would change on average a bulb every other week, likely around 30 bulbs in the house.
The move to CFL was not good, these
did not look good in a chandelier designed for tungsten bulbs, and 11 watt was claimed as being same output at a 60 watt bulb, but light did not leave the bulb in the same direction, so fitted a new chandelier and used golf bulbs 
and these took an age to warm up, but were claimed to last for years, so 16 between the two main rooms, with 4 new chandeliers, within the year, half had failed.It was around this time, Lidi started to do LED light bulbs, I had bought a couple to try, seem to remember 1.8 watt each, idea was to use in table lamps, but since yet more of the Philips golf CFL had failed, used as a temporary measure in the main lights.
Next time Lidi had them on offer, now 3 watt, only had 8 on the shelf, so got 8 and so whole of living room was now lit with LED, likely this was around 2016, as they were not bright enough to read with, so swapped to 5 watt, and old ones went into mothers house with smaller room so they lit that room OK.
At this time I was making notes, and until my move to this house in 2019, very few LED's had failed.
On moving in, found CFL, tungsten, and even a pair of 150 watt quartz lamps outside, so slowly as lights failed they were replaced with LED, and also some smart LED bulbs, I started to find more LED failures, but not keeping records, and many changed to increase light output. Or to enhance control, rather than to replace failed ones.
By this year, I had assumed no tungsten left, to find the vestibule lamp still had a tungsten bulb was rather a surprise, well used lamp, and I have not fitted any tungsten so over 5 years old, clearly much better than CFL, I think still some CFL used outside, and maybe in the flat, but in the main LED now.
As to LED when daughter complains lights give her a head ache so changed, does that count as failed? Had a few develop a shimmer, but not sure if due to switch or lamp. So complete failure around 3 in 5 years, but not sure which lamps came from old house, where not bright enough, so second hand to start with.
I'm using up my stock of CFLs in bulbs which are on for long periods, mostly hall and landings, they last a very very long time. It does not matter that they have a warm-up period. I also still use a couple of large 26W globes which at the time were powerful enough to use in a ceiling pendant without causing glare or being ugly. I rather like big globes.
Other lamps have been replaced with LEDs when needed, with golfballs in bedside and table lamps.
They seem to me to be brighter than the figures would suggest.
I remember a colleague who ran the company sports and social club proudly telling me he had bought a case of CFLs to cut down on the time he had to go round on his stepladder. I doubt they all ran out in ten years, and the clubhouse was demolished before that.
I think my crate of spare bulbs will last longer than me.
Other lamps have been replaced with LEDs when needed, with golfballs in bedside and table lamps.
They seem to me to be brighter than the figures would suggest.
I remember a colleague who ran the company sports and social club proudly telling me he had bought a case of CFLs to cut down on the time he had to go round on his stepladder. I doubt they all ran out in ten years, and the clubhouse was demolished before that.
I think my crate of spare bulbs will last longer than me.
I have bought a set of five new lamps, again from Screwfix, spun the wall lights 180, so the shades are open at the top, hopefully to help promote cooler running, these
| LAP B22 A60 LED Light Bulb 806lm 7.3W 5 Pack | £7.98 |
Our house is 9 rooms; 2 bedrooms and 3 of the 5 outside lights still have filament bulbs, very recently I replaced the 3 5ft fluos in the kitchen (having tried 3 different versions of 5ft LED) and our under cabinet lights are still 12" filament linears, my 4 room Granny annex used as workshop/storage still has 2 filament bulbs and a 2D plus 5 4ft flou', in the meanntime all of the CFL's (good riddance I say as I could be halfway up the stairs before there was light) have failed and been replaced with LED and having to replace some fittings due to incompatibility.
I have only put one filament bulb into service in maybe 15 years.
I have only put one filament bulb into service in maybe 15 years.
We are down to just two CFL's remaining, in two bedrooms, as the centre ceiling lights. CFL's, I found - were quite variable in their quality, light output, and how quickly they began producing decent light output. Some were very, very effective.
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2008
- Messages
- 24,937
- Reaction score
- 2,885
- Location
- Llanfair Caereinion, Nr Welshpool
- Country
The old CFL had one good feature, turning them on, did not wake my sleeping wife, as they have an excellent soft start, there are LED lamps the same, I have one, called Wiz, it can be set to slowly turn on or off, I use it to turn off slowly, as an outside lamp it gives a warning before it turns off, by dimming first.
I have bulbs and light switches with dusk and dawn settings, but look at the adverts, and it does not tell you it has the feature.
I have bulbs and light switches with dusk and dawn settings, but look at the adverts, and it does not tell you it has the feature.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
