Light Bulbs for Dusk to Dawn

[Acinonyx]

The lightbulb in the lamppost by our garage that used to turn on at duck and off at dawn needs to be replaced. Is there a special bulb we need to get? I don't know if the bulb has a sensor or there is a sensor / timer built into the lamppost by The Villages.

[retiredguy123]

The lamppost has a light sensor on it. You just need a bulb or bulbs that fit into the socket. If you get LED bulbs, they should last many years.

[Shimpy]

The sensor is in the lamp post. The bulb is a standard bulb or newer led. Pull the old bulb to check what watt it is, probably 60.

[John_W]

The sensor is on the lampost. The bulbs use the smaller screw in plug called Candelabra bulbs, then you must decide if you want to save money on the bulbs and replace them every year or two, then get the incadescent bulbs. They're cheap, maybe a $1 a piece or less.

However, if you're like most of us, you want to only change the bulbs every five to seven years and you want to use much less electricity, then buy the LED bulbs. I used to use the curly LED bulbs and they were much brighter, but they've been done away with and now this is about all you can find. Go to Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart or order from Amazon.

https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-phjrc3z910/images/stencil/500x659/products/9803/15083/RSL35A-3W-2700K-2__75970.1530798668.jpg?c=2

[bagboy]

As mentioned above, try replacing your bulb with LED bulbs. If that doesn't fix the problem, change the sensor. Fifteen dollars at ACE Hardware. Have a handyman or electrician do it. If you turn off the breaker, it's a pretty easy 3 wire diy project.

[FenneyFanatic]

The curly bulbs were most likely CFL’s.l

[retiredguy123]

The curly bulbs were most likely CFL’s.l
For those who want to know:

CFL means "compact fluorescent light" bulb.
LED means "light emitting diode" bulb.

Who knew it? Be honest.

[Marathon Man]

For those who want to know:

CFL means "compact fluorescent light" bulb.
LED means "light emitting diode" bulb.

Who knew it? Be honest.

Me. Although I would replace 'light' with 'lamp' for CFL (not a bulb).

[villagetinker]

We used a "bug" light CFL to reduce the small insects that were flying around and getting inside the lamp, it has been in for at least 3 years and seems to be working well (bugs are much less). I think I got this at ACE, as Lowe's was not around. Also, I have not found an LED equivalent 'bug' light, but will keep looking.

[Altavia]

Bug Light - LED Bulbs - Light Bulbs - The Home Depot (https://www.homedepot.com/b/Lighting-Light-Bulbs-LED-Bulbs/Bug-Light/N-5yc1vZbm79Z1z0vxhs)

[John_W]

I put 3 of those CFL's in my lampost in 2011 and one is still going strong. The other 2 CFL's finally burned out and were replaced by LED's and those 2 LED's have since needed replacing. The CFL's were great and one puts out as much light as 3 of the LED's.

I just found they are still available online at lightbulbs.com, a 60 watt that uses only 13 watts and is only $3.29 apiece.

https://www.lightbulbs.com/catalog/product_photos/tcp/12778md.jpg

TCP 12778 - Twist (Candelabra Screw Base) Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (https://www.lightbulbs.com/product/tcp-12778/?source=GooglePPC-ProductAds&gclid=CjwKCAjwxt_tBRAXEiwAENY8hQiLWPW-ARhN-nPbvOHSmkT9UXTHRlRzkJoOhqmqTEFEZInIU3FiIxoCiMUQAvD _BwE)

[villagetinker]

Bug Light - LED Bulbs - Light Bulbs - The Home Depot (https://www.homedepot.com/b/Lighting-Light-Bulbs-LED-Bulbs/Bug-Light/N-5yc1vZbm79Z1z0vxhs)

Robbie, I will look at these, but these appear to be a real yellow light, the CFL I have is much more white than yellow and looks very similar to the typical white post lights. Note sure if i will get reported by a troll for having a yellow post light............

[Altavia]

Here's a reference leaning towards LED with a warm color temperatureas a more attractive alternative.

Do LED Lights Attract Bugs? - Super Bright LEDs (https://www.superbrightleds.com/blog/led-lights-attract-bugs/1697/)

"LED bug lights are simply light bulbs with a yellow coating that decreases the color temperature of emitted light. Because of the coating, bulbs will emit a peak wavelength of light that is around 550-600 nanometers.

However, yellow-coated bulbs aren’t the only lights that can reduce the presence of bugs. LED lights that emit warm-colored illumination, such as yellow strip lights, yellow malibu light bulbs for landscape applications, or gold-tint filament bulbs, are great for creating an area that is less likely to attract bugs."

[ladyarwen3]

For those who want to know:

CFL means "compact fluorescent light" bulb.
LED means "light emitting diode" bulb.

Who knew it? Be honest.

hahahaha honestly I did ....but then again I can be a techy-nerd about some things. And having a hubby who worked for an electric utility in customer service helps!
Avoid CFLS .... they contain mercury and shouldn't be thrown in regular trash. We use LEDS everywhere but be aware, not all LED bulbs are dim-able. AND many old dimmer switches don't work with LEDs and your lights will flicker.

[photo1902]

The lightbulb in the lamppost by our garage that used to turn on at duck and off at dawn needs to be replaced. Is there a special bulb we need to get? I don't know if the bulb has a sensor or there is a sensor / timer built into the lamppost by The Villages.

I replace these all the time, and I would suggest the following:

1) Check to make sure the bulb is not bad, or that an accumulation of bugs have affected the base of the bulb making contact with the electrical contact on the fixture. I see this frequently.

If the bulb is the culprit, any bulb can be used. LED or incandescent. Depending on the actual lamp on your post, the type of bulb base can be Medium (the same size you're probably familiar with that you would use in a lamp or light fixture in the house), or it could be the smaller base. It really depends on your individual lamp, and is easy to determine when you remove the old bulb. If you only have one bulb in your fixture, my guess is that you have a regular sized light bulb in it.

2) If a new bulb doesn't do the trick, its more than likely the post lamp dusk/dawn sensor. These are easy to replace. Typically when these sensor fails, the light will either not come on, or wont go off.

Hope this helps.

[DAVES]

The lightbulb in the lamppost by our garage that used to turn on at duck and off at dawn needs to be replaced. Is there a special bulb we need to get? I don't know if the bulb has a sensor or there is a sensor / timer built into the lamppost by The Villages.
Your inquiry shows you are in the collier section. A guess your home your light is about five years old, if original. As others have posted it might be either the sensor or the bulb or could be the breaker has been switched off. If, your lamp is like mine you have three bulbs in it. It is possible but not likely that three bulbs would fail at the same time so easy, if one or two bulbs are not lighting, a night, it is clear the bulbs need to be replaced not the sensor. It is possible that three bulbs have failed-happened to a neighbor. He replaced the sensor and then discovered it was not the sensor but the bulbs-oops. I would do the easy first, change the bulbs and use the LED bulbs. They last far longer and use roughly 1/10th as much electricity. As the outside light does not dim, you do not need to purchase the type that is capable of dimming-I think the ones that dim are slightly more expensive and give slightly less light for the same amount of current-truth it doesn't really matter. How to put the bulbs in? If, like mine there is a trim piece that secures the top of the fixture. You need to turn it counter clockwise to remove it. It may be stuck. Do not force anything. Do not pull out the vice grips or the pipe wrench etc. Hint-best tool is to wrap it with a rubber band and use your hand. For the eye, based on your asking the question, you might be better off asking a neighbor or hiring a handyman to do it.
I am in the collier section. If, you send me a PM I will try to help you out-for free.

[DAVES]

I put 3 of those CFL's in my lampost in 2011 and one is still going strong. The other 2 CFL's finally burned out and were replaced by LED's and those 2 LED's have since needed replacing. The CFL's were great and one puts out as much light as 3 of the LED's.

I just found they are still available online at lightbulbs.com, a 60 watt that uses only 13 watts and is only $3.29 apiece.

https://www.lightbulbs.com/catalog/product_photos/tcp/12778md.jpg

TCP 12778 - Twist (Candelabra Screw Base) Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (https://www.lightbulbs.com/product/tcp-12778/?source=GooglePPC-ProductAds&gclid=CjwKCAjwxt_tBRAXEiwAENY8hQiLWPW-ARhN-nPbvOHSmkT9UXTHRlRzkJoOhqmqTEFEZInIU3FiIxoCiMUQAvD _BwE)



You can, I know I have gone nuts over bulbs and lighting. Far as the compact Fluorescent bulbs, they were a dramatic improvement over the old tungsten bulbs that have changed little since about 1900. Also, the amount of light they put out drops by half before the bulb fails to light. Typical of all electronic stuff, LED bulbs that are superior have dropped dramatically in price. As to failures of LED bulbs in a year or so, I've changed most every bulb in my home to LED bulbs. Not a scientific study but my opinion is to buy only branded LED bulbs. The real cheap ones in plain unbranded boxes have a high failure rate. Published warranties for 5-10-20 years? The companies are not stupid.
Who keeps track of when you bought the bulb, saved the paperwork and the cost ofr you to send it back to china is more than you paid for the bulb

[gatorbill1]

The lightbulb in the lamppost by our garage that used to turn on at duck and off at dawn needs to be replaced. Is there a special bulb we need to get? I don't know if the bulb has a sensor or there is a sensor / timer built into the lamppost by The Villages.

Any bulb works. Easy to change sensor in lamppost that you can get at Ace, Home Depot or Lowes. If don't want to do yourself, a handyman can do it in about 10-15 minutes, so shouldn't cost you much unless you use the electrician that advertises in our paper.