Post light bulb deal today on Amazon
 

Hello all. Many of you have the post light fixture that has 3 candelabra bulbs in them. I typically find 3 40 watt bulbs in them. I'm told by a local Electrician that this costs the homeowner about $83.00 per year to have on every night.

I always suggest to my clients that they change these bulbs to the more energy efficient LED bulbs. LED bulbs last 25 times longer than regular bulbs, use about 1/10th of the electricity, and attract less bugs.

Today amazon is selling a 6 pack of these bulbs for only $17.83. That is less than $3.00 per bulb. This is a good deal. Even at regular prices it is worth it, but at this price you will recoup your money on as little as a couple of months.

Here it is;
TCP LDCT4W27K6 LED Torpedo - 25 Watt Equivalent (4W) Soft White (2700K) Dimmable Candelabra Base Light Bulb - 6 Pack - - Amazon.com

This will bring your electrical usage of your postlight from 120 watts down to 12 watts. Mind you, this gives you SIX bulbs.....enough for both you and a neighbor....Hope this helps!

Frank

Thank you, Frank. You're a prince.

I just asked friends yesterday if anyone knew of LED lights for this type of lamp post. No one knew of any so thanks a lot I am buying them right now.

I have had LED bulbs in all my outside lights for over a year. I believe I bought them at HD (rarely go to Lowes). It makes a big difference in the electric use on the lamp post!

I swapped out my lampost bulbs about 4 years ago, because I had done that years earlier at my home in Baltimore. I got tired of getting the ladder and replacing a bulb about 2 or 3 months, I had 4 lights on the front of my house since we had no street lights. Then, I only needed the regular size LED bulbs.

Here in the TV, I remember going to Home Depot and Lowes looking for the candelabra size bulbs, but I think I found them at Walmart in 2 packs. Those with the smaller size male screw are normally labeled candelabra. That was one reason I didn't find them right away. The ones I found at Walmart were labeled 'ceiling fan'. Since I only needed three, I still have one new in the package. It reads 'GE Energy Smart 7 year 60 watt replacement uses 13 watt 850 lumens ceiling fan'. I think I paid less then $10 for each 2 pack, but that was 4 years ago.

Our entire house has been converted to LED lights (Lowes CREE brand), love these lights. Frank great tip.

Ace Hardware has a good sale on bulbs: Feit brand 60W equiv. 3.99, 75W 9.99 & 100W 11.99. Valid 'till Dec. 20.

Remember to show your VA card at Lowes and get your veterans discount off.

bulbs
 

Can you use these bulbs in a chandalier? We've been wanting these but they were so expensive before.

If the socket in your fixture is the small base candelabra type, then yes, these will work. mind you, the bottom portion of these bulbs are a solid white so they MAY not give you the "clear flame" look that you may want. I suggest that you click on the link in my first post to see a picture of them so you can see what I mean. That being said, the short answer is yes, they should work in your fixture.

Frank

Re: led bulbs
1. They are not all the same. Some are dimable and some are not. If, you want to dim them you may find that you need to replace your dimmers or you might find the bulb will flicker. You may also find it causes static in your radio. If, you like to dim your lights you might be surprised to find that while tungsten bulbs put out a warmer (yellow orange) light as you dim them the LED bulbs have a narrower ability to dim and the light color stays about the same.
2. I've ordered LED bulbs from EBAY sellers direct from CHINA. They are roughly half of what they cost in the US and shipping is FREE. BUT, first of all you will want to buy some extras. The light color varies from lot to lot. I've been using them for about 2 years. Had a high failure rate initially-like 1 in 10-the first week or so. After that, I've not had one fail in two years I've also read that the CE claim (European equivalent of UL) may not be true.

some readers may not be aware
 

The bulbs you sent the link for are 25 watt equivalent. The bulbs in your outside lights are 40 watt The company also sells 40W equivalent bulbs but they are 41.99 for the 6 pack. You can buy them at ACE a four pack is 24.99.

I read some of those reviews on the bulbs mentioned and saw some photos and because of the white band at the bottom of the bulb the light reflects up instead of all around. The reviews said they are more suitable for upside down lights. Correct me if I am wrong but that is what I read. We didn't end up buying them because we wanted them for our chandalier and need the light to go down to the table.

It is obvious that LED's are the future, and that they will be easier to find and will get cheaper to buy.
Even now there are many options to buy from and they are often on sale at Home Depot, Ace, Lowes, Amazon, etc.

As Suesiegal stated, some are dimmable and some are not. Since my original post was speaking about post lights, I did not mention the dimming aspect of them.

Some are a soft or warm white, while the higher K ratings are a whiter, blueish light.

It has been my experience that many Villagers want less than 120 watts of light. Half the homes have only one light bulb in them, and they are not a 120 watt bulb....they are usually 75 watts at best. I also understand that wattage and lumens are different. Most folks have found that using three 25 watt LED bulbs are more than sufficient. For those who have three regular 40 watt bulbs in their post light, it is rare to see all three lit.

Of course, you can check your HOA rules on this, but I doubt there are HOA police checking postlights with a digital light meter.

All I was trying to convey is that upgrading your postlight to an LED bulb(s) can save you a good amount of money.

Thanks! Frank

Frank,
Thanks for posting the info on the light bulbs. I went ahead & ordered them. I always appreciate your thoughtful & helpful posts!

Right. I tried three of these. They did not shine any light on the ground. Therefore, I am staying with the incandescent candelabra bulbs.

I don't mean to offend by not reading every word or every post.
I want 40 watt equivalent LED dim-able light bulbs in my kitchen and bathrooms.
Where should I buy them and what should I expect to pay?

tomwed, you are never offensive.....to answer your question, if you want them in the bathrooms, etc, I'm guessing you need regular base 7 watt LED bulbs. There are many options on Amazon with the price averaging about 3-4 dollars per bulb. I have seen these even cheaper on sale. Home Depot, Ace and Lowes usually have a good assortment in stock, often even on sale. I have paid about 2 dollars or so per bulb when a good sale is going on these....but a typical price is now around $3+ dollars per bulb.

Know that there are different light options from a soft or warm light to a brighter "whiter" light......measured by the "K" rating. the higher the K rating the "whiter" the light. Hope that helps!

Frank

Re: LED BULBS KITCHEN AND BATHROOM
 

I would expect in your kitchen and bathroom you have the reflector flood light type of bulb. They are not 40w but are 65W and the brighter ones are 120w.
If, it helps I just saw them on sale at LOWES-the 65W equivalent ones. They were very reasonable like $3.00 each they have packs of two and packs of four. I belive the tungsten ones cost about the same.

I did not really look much as I have already replaced all of mine. Not sure if the ones at LOWES are dim-able. I have the FEIT brand bulbs which are dim-able but as they draw so little current we never dim them. The ones close to our radio do make noise in the radio.

I just put these in my light post outside and they stay on for about a minute then go off for about a minute.any ideas? I don't want blinking lights!

I also ordered the bulbs. I have not had a problem (no blinking). I am very pleased with the output. Glad I went with the 25W instead of the 40. Thanks Frank!

When they are on they are great! I am hoping Frank sees this and has an idea. .

OK, this is a guess, if the new lights are brighter then the old lights, you may have enough light to cause the light sensor to trigger off. Try this, cover the sensor with black tape, and see if the lights still cycle, if so, I have no idea what is going on. If they do not cycle, then see if some of the light (from the new bulbs) is reflected into the sensor. Try a small piece of black tape over the sensor to limit reflected light, or replacing the sensor??

Hope this helps.

Wow...so sorry to hear that your LED's are flashing or blinking. I have researched this a bit and found the following....

First let me say that there are tons of folks in The Villages that have replaced their incandescent bulbs in their post light with LED bulbs and have had zero problems. They are pleased with the light output and are saving tons of money.

There are many articles about LED bulbs flashing on the internet. It is a rare problem that can be caused by more than a few reasons. Many of the reasons involve problems with a dimmer switch. This would not apply to your postlight.

Sometimes the socket is dirty, cluttered with bugstuff, etc. This is one cause.

Sometimes it is just a bad bulb. Sadly, almost everything we own nowadays are made somewhat cheaply, and with LED bulbs having circuits, etc. in them, the bulb itself could be bad.

Sometimes it is improper voltage, etc to the fixture.

Do not get discouraged. The savings gained by using LED bulbs in your post light is worth solving this problem.

Basically, we want to find out if the problem is the bulb or the fixture/wiring. If you could, try these bulbs in another fixture.....one that you know works properly. If the bulbs still flicker, then most likely it is the bulb(s). If the bulbs, now in the new or different fixture work fine, then it would appear to be a problem with the fixture, socket(s) or wiring/voltage or load.

I will try to research this further. as said before, most folks have no problems at all with this LED upgrade. I am guessing that it is a case of bad bulb(s). Simple troubleshooting should point to the right direction.

Please keep us posted, as I am very interested in your findings. I am sorry you have had this problem.

Frank

When it gets daylight I will take it apart and clean it. But unfortunately I won't know if it works until tonight when the light comes back on. I don't think I have a single option to test the bulbs as nothing else I have uses the candle type bulbs. I did get 6 of the led bulbs so I will try swapping them out. I appreciate the ideas and I will post an update!

It could also be the electric eye allowing a small amount of voltage through. These small base bulbs can also be tested in a cheap christmas candle, or a neighbor's lamp post.

VillageTinker may comment here as he is much more knowledgeable than I am in this area....he is an electrical engineer and the things he has forgotten I have not even learned yet....lol.

Frank

Thanks to both of you, how do i find the sensor or the eye?

VT here, I can test the bulbs (I live in the village of Pinellas), or if you put black tape over the electric eye, wait about a minute, the lights should come on. Also, VERY IMPORTANT, please turn off the circuit breaker to this light before you go to clean it.
One other thing you can try, replace ONE (1) of the LED bulbs with the old incandescent bulbs, and see if you still get the flashing.
Let me know if you continue to have problems, maybe I can stop by.

Ok, here is my update: I tested the bulbs inside (found a nitelight that the bulbs fit into) and they are steady I did my best to clean the outside light, but I have to say that is harder then it sounds! The light post is put back together and tonight will tell !
I appreciate your help and will let you know how it goes!

Hi VT AND FRANK, lights are steady and bright!! Thank you for help, you guys are great.

Thanks for the update, and glad we could help.

Have changed my lamp post bulbs to LED several years back. They have the same lumen output as the original incandescent bulbs. Original bulbs I was replacing every 14 months. Inside my house I have changed all the recessed down-light bulbs with LED type as well. Deleted the heat being emitted from original incandescent bulbs which in turn reduce my HVAC operating costs.