Bulbs last too long now to buy a pack of four

[LCHIEN]

OK, here's my rant of the day.
The bulb over the fireplace mantle burned out - its a recessed fixture BR30 - 3" floodlight 65 Watts. I think I replaced one in the last couple of years - it was with a spare incandescent I had.
So I figure its time for a LED. I am at Walmart and they have both dimmable and non dimmable LEDs - pack of four for $10 and 15 respectively.
Now I only have one fixture this size so I need one bulb. And according to the package at average use of 3 hours per day it should last 9.1 years.
So do I think I need 36.4 years worth of bulbs cluttering up my cabinet? I don't think so. I doubt I'll live 36 years more.
I hope Lowes or HD has singles... I didn't buy the ones from Walmart.

[cwsmith]

Understand! The LED bulb is confounding to a lot of us and I have yet to replace anything yet. When my Mother-In-Law passed away three years ago, we discovered several packages of 60- and 75-watt incandescent's which we are slowly using up. As little as we light the house in the evening hours, they should last a couple more years; and, the cost has never been all that much that I'm hankering for the savings (at any one moment during the evening, we only have two or three 60-watt bulbs on.

But considering the fact that we inherited quite a number of bulbs, maybe that's the way you can look at the purchase of a package of four.... one for your use and the rest to leave behind for the family when you depart

A month or two ago I had heard that GE was going out of the light bulb business and it made me wonder how many other companies might do the same in consideration of how long LED bulbs will last. Doesn't sound like a potential growth market once everyone on the planet has updated. Then, if there are only a few manufacturers, can you imagine how the price is going to go up? Maybe now is a good time to invest in low-cost stock for the future.

Happy New Year,

CWS

[os1kne]

I know what you mean. I have a mix of CFL and LED bulbs in my home. I much prefer the LED bulbs, but a bunch of the CFL bulbs probably still have years of life left in them - maybe many years. I'm too frugal to replace the CFLs until necessary.

[capncarl]

Tired of storing CFL and incandescent bulbs? Donate them to Goodwill, Habitat, an elderly neighbor or some other identity that will present them to someone that wants them.

[LCHIEN]

Donating incandescents to a charity is doing them no favors. It saves them about a buck for the cost of a bulb. I figure the cost of running a 100 W bulb for its rated lifetime is about $20. Seriously. They don't realize it but your "donation" is costing them $20 of hidden costs that could be avoided.

I can't stand CFLs. I have some I think I'll recycle.

[woodturner]

Tired of storing CFL and incandescent bulbs? Donate them to Goodwill, Habitat, an elderly neighbor or some other identity that will present them to someone that wants them.

People keep claiming incandescent lamps are "banned" (spoiler - they are not) so a lot of people are buying them up. Maybe in a few years when they are less available we can sell them on Ebay for a profit and buy LED lamps with the proceeds ;-)

[leehljp]

People keep claiming incandescent lamps are "banned" (spoiler - they are not) so a lot of people are buying them up. Maybe in a few years when they are less available we can sell them on Ebay for a profit and buy LED lamps with the proceeds ;-)

One question I have had about moving away from incandescents is the specialty realm: Is there an LED bulb that can withstand the heat of an oven? I am sure there is or soon will be. I know that future (Maybe even now) ovens will have LED bulbs inside that can withstand temps of 500° or more, but for existing ovens that will last 20 - 30 years, will incandescent bulb replacements be available? (I do not think LED replacements in refrigeration is a problem.)

Are there other situations where LEDs are not yet at the stage that they can replace incandescent or CFLs?

[capncarl]

I’m not sure that folks that are in a financial bind to the point where they are on food stamps, utility adjustment and various charity programs are that worried about the long term cost of operating a light bulb. They see free and know they need a light bulb and are proud to have it.
I have several friends that own rental housing property that stock up on incandescent and CFL bulbs when they can for their rental properties. They aren’t concerned about the utility cost and they also know that about half their renters remove the light bulbs and take them with them when they leave.

[LCHIEN]

One question I have had about moving away from incandescents is the specialty realm: Is there an LED bulb that can withstand the heat of an oven? I am sure there is or soon will be. I know that future (Maybe even now) ovens will have LED bulbs inside that can withstand temps of 500° or more, but for existing ovens that will last 20 - 30 years, will incandescent bulb replacements be available? (I do not think LED replacements in refrigeration is a problem.)

Are there other situations where LEDs are not yet at the stage that they can replace incandescent or CFLs?

And that is why some incandescents are still allowed freezers, ovens etc where LEDs don't work well.
CFLs and LEDs both have electronics power supplies and drivers (different type but all electronic) so where electronics poses a limit, vs the 3000 degrees of a filament, that's where they don't work.
LEDs solve multiple CFL problems (mercury pollution, slow start, weird coloration, better efficiency) so I don't see any rationale for CFL except they are still cheaper, but losing ground fast on that too.

[Slik Geek]

One question I have had about moving away from incandescents is the specialty realm: Is there an LED bulb that can withstand the heat of an oven? I am sure there is or soon will be. I know that future (Maybe even now) ovens will have LED bulbs inside that can withstand temps of 500° or more, but for existing ovens that will last 20 - 30 years, will incandescent bulb replacements be available? (I do not think LED replacements in refrigeration is a problem.)

Both the LED lamp and the control electronics in the package are semiconductors which limits their high temperature ability. Increase the temperature of a semiconductor and the life decreases significantly. The highest temperature LED that I have seen is rated to operate at 130C (266F), far cooler than a typical oven used for baking can go. And even then, the LED can only work at that temperature if it is operated at a reduced light output - and still the lifetime is reduced.

It would be more likely that an LED light source could be used with a glass fiber optic light conduit to the oven. Keep in mind that consumer goods like your oven are very cost sensitive. Incandescent lamps are cheap so I don't think that incandescents will be replaced in ovens anytime soon.

[Slik Geek]

Now I only have one fixture this size so I need one bulb. And according to the package at average use of 3 hours per day it should last 9.1 years.
So do I think I need 36.4 years worth of bulbs cluttering up my cabinet?

I'm not optimistic that most LED lamps will last as long as they are rated because:

• The manufacturer likely is using 50% life output as a failure threshold. Most people will become dissatisfied before they reach that threshold.
• The rated life may be based upon a 50% factor - half of the units can fail by 9.1 years and still qualify for the predicted lifetime specification.
• Many of those LEDs are manufactured by companies that, if I may be so bold, focus on reducing cost, not improving quality. The electronics, or the LED may fail prematurely. If they did honest accelerated life testing to derive their life estimates, the realized life of the manufactured product may fall short. The lamp is running hot, as electronics goes, so secondary effects with respect to reliability may dominate. The lamp may fail prematurely.

However, I am actually in agreement with your reluctance to buy an excess quantity - lamps sitting on the shelf for 10 years or more may degrad somewhat so you would probably do best to find a smaller quantity package.

[LCHIEN]

I'm less worried about degradation (altho that may be a factor) as with the factThey'll be obsolete given the rate at which bulbs have advanced in the last ten years, Ones I can buy in say 9 years after the first one burns out, will be more efficient, smart (wifi) and cost $4 instead of $8.
And I agree, As an engineer I am pessimistic/suspicious about these long lives and the way they calculate them. But that's a whole
'nother topic.

[JimD]

CFLs sometimes last a long time for me but they also sometimes fail surprisingly quickly. Now that LED prices are getting lower, I am gradually switching over. We also have a few incandescent around but aren't buying any (except for specialized applications as noted). The room I am in is lit by 4 150W equivalent LEDs that use 70W. We could not put in big enough bulbs to light this room but by using LEDs, it is easily possible. I recently changed 10 little bulbs in a chandler to 5W LEDs. Plenty of light. The old bulbs were at least 40W apiece. I resisted putting in can lights on a recent addition but used one in my small walk in closet and we were pleasantly surprised by the light given off by the 60W equivalent LED bulb. Seems to be much more than the fixtures with the same size CFL. I'm happy that LEDs are coming down in price. Fortunately I do not need only one of any size bulb. So the packaging is not an issue for me.

[LCHIEN]

I have two hanging fixtures - dining room and breakfast room that used those small base chandelier bulbs of 25 or 40 Watts. One has 5 bulbs and the other has 12 bulbs. I've been pricing the LED chandelier bulbs but they are still quite expensive and I'm not sure they look good. The cost is frightening for 17 bulbs I think they run about $8 each (need or maybe want dimmable as there is a dimmer now). I know I should replace them but the wife is threatening to replace hose fixture in the upcoming remodel so,,, status quo.
I have changed the breakfast room to all 25W over the years and we don't use the dining room all that much.

One problem I think about is that these new bulbs all have different appearances and even color temperatures. There;s so many. If I lamp a 12-bulb fixture with the bulbs in clear sight and they have special filament looknig LEDs, then if one burns out early (not an unlikely even with electronics x 12 units) then will I be able to match the bulb 2 years from now? I think not. Then it will bug the **** out of me or I have to buy a whole new set.

[Slik Geek]

The cost is frightening for 17 bulbs I think they run about $8 each (need or maybe want dimmable as there is a dimmer now). I know I should replace them but the wife is threatening to replace those fixtures in the upcoming remodel...

One problem I think about is that these new bulbs all have different appearances and even color temperatures... will I be able to match the bulb 2 years from now? I think not. Then it will bug the **** out of me or I have to buy a whole new set.

Valid concerns. I would wait until you replace those fixtures - and try to steer SWMBO away from the large bulb-count fixtures! (Tough to do, however...)