Downlighters replacements!

[lastminute]

..my kitchen downlighters need replacing...currently 240v 35w...is it ok to replace them with 50w type or keep to 35w?

Thanks...Gerry

 

[mynamehere]

wouldn't you be better off with LED if you're replacing them anyway?

Cheers!

Ferenc

 

[sammy.se]

Just switch them to LED lights. They will be between 3w and 5w each, and will give you any brightness you need.

 

[flying haggis]

+1 for led replacements. even replacing the complete unit shouldnt cost more than a tenner a piece

I have used this company before
https://www.wholesaleledlights.co.uk/le ... umens.html

https://www.wholesaleledlights.co.uk/le ... umens.html

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I bought some to go in a suspended hood over an aquarium - I don't expect them to last forever, but they were less than £30 for ten.

 

[Lons]

I have loads of downlighters and all bulbs are now LED, if they're GU10 type then 5 or 6 watt will easily give the equivalent of 50w incandescent, if R60 or R80 spotlight type then you need to go to 9 or 10 watt. Modern LED bulbs are excellent and pretty cheap now with a long life.

2 things to bear in mind though: If you have dimmer switches make sure the bulbs are suitable, most are now and be aware that there are different light temperature values, warm white is generally best for a house as kinder on the eyes than daylight or especially cool white which can be a bit harsh. Google it and you'll see plenty of examples.

 

[Jake]

'Daylight' is still more harsh and on the blue end than cool white is (6k-ish rather than 4k-ish, with warm white at 2.7k-3k). You need so many more lumens than domestic artificial lighting can produce to make daylight colour temp feel like actual daylight. Your eyes/brain expect a lower colour temp at the level of illumination domestic lighting is going to produce, which is why the warm orange end of lighting seems less harsh. But either way, cool white is in the middle, not at the end.

 

[Lons]

Yep quite right Jake, I just said it from memory, should have checked.
My point though is as you confirmed that generally more suitable for indoor domestic lighting is warm white. All mine are that type.

 

[Beanwood]

How do you all manage to get exactly the same looking light when replacing a failed LED. In our kitchen there are 8 downlights, so a pack of 10 provides 2 spares, but once they were used, with so many suppliers, power and colour combinations I find it really hard to find a match that doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. I ended up changing the lot, and keeping the good bulbs to use where only a couple are together?

 

[sawdust1]

Don't buy cheap ones from ebay, we did and they made the place look like a morgue, chucked them
in the bin.
We use the lap ones from screwfix, first went for the warm white but found that with all the Oak in the rooms the colour did not suit so changed them for cool white which was better.

 

[Arron]

How do you all manage to get exactly the same looking light when replacing a failed LED. In our kitchen there are 8 downlights, so a pack of 10 provides 2 spares, but once they were used, with so many suppliers, power and colour combinations I find it really hard to find a match that doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. I ended up changing the lot, and keeping the good bulbs to use where only a couple are together?

The bulb that needs replacing should have all the info you need.
Colour (warm white/cool white)
Lumens
Watts

Match all those numbers up and you will have a direct replacement

 

[AndyT]

I'd noticed something similar and assumed it was because of progress - new bulbs were better than those bought a few years ago.

But according to the Wholesale LED site linked to by Flying Haggis, LEDs degrade gradually over their lifetime. So even if you use a spare from the original batch it might not look the same.

 

[Duncan A]

How do you all manage to get exactly the same looking light when replacing a failed LED. In our kitchen there are 8 downlights, so a pack of 10 provides 2 spares, but once they were used, with so many suppliers, power and colour combinations I find it really hard to find a match that doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. I ended up changing the lot, and keeping the good bulbs to use where only a couple are together?

The bulb that needs replacing should have all the info you need.
Colour (warm white/cool white)
Lumens
Watts

Match all those numbers up and you will have a direct replacement

You should also look at the CRI (colour rendering index), which should be at least 80, as it affects the way that colours are seen. Some of the cheaper lamps are not so good in this respect.
Make sure the beam angle is the same as well.

I also find that cheaper lamps are simply not as good as Philips, LAP etc, frequently suffering from failing electronics or failing glue long before the LED's themselves die.

Duncan

 

[whiskywill]

The bulb that needs replacing should have all the info you need.
Colour (warm white/cool white)
Lumens
Watts

Match all those numbers up and you will have a direct replacement

Should work but doesn't always. The number of LED's in a bulb also matters as different numbers give a different look even when all the figures match. Similarly with different style reflectors.