Electrical

[rabmaxx]

I have recessed can lights in my kitchen which came with 65 watt bulbs. Is there such a thing as a safe maximum wattage for a flood lamp.


Ron

[Tom Slick]

the new florescent flood lights are very low wattage but put out alot of light and are instant on. a 20 watt florescent flood is equal to 100 watts incandecent flood. the downside is they don't always fit in the fixtures.

[Otter]

every can has a max wattage ratting, it has more to do with heat than total power.

Wattage is a messure of the rate energy expended, with lights, that comes out as photons and heat. The "Can" can disapate so much heat per hour (BTU), so there is a max wattage based on the "Cans" radiation ability.

[just4funsies]

There should be a sticker visible inside the can with the fixture's maximum incandescent wattage rating. That comes more from a heat rating than from brightness limitations. You may be able to find a brighter flourescent bulb that can fit such a fixture, but I don't recall seeing any standard bulbs brighter than 65 or 75 watts for that type of can (assuming it's a BR30 style).

[rabmaxx]

Thanks for the help guys.

[LCHIEN]

The in-the-ceiling cans are sometimes well insulated by the ceiling cavity, sometimes filled with fiberglass insulation if its near the roof.

Each can usually has a wattage rating - that's a value the manufacturer thinks will lead to a temperature rise in the above situation, where the temperature rise will not cause a fire or failure of the electrical components immediately or over time.

The wattage should be clearly marked somewhere.

Unfortunately incandescant lights are very inefficient - they put out less than 1% of their energy as light and the rest as heat. Basically the heated filiment gives off energy across a broad band of frequencies, a small part is in the visible spectrum the rest in the infrared which is heat.

Someday we'll have LED lighting which will put out a narrow range of light very efficiently.
In the meantime, don't exceed the rating of your cans.

[rabmaxx]

Thank you Loring-now the trick is-get up that vaulted ceiling, crane my arthritic neck, peer into that small aperature as my glasses slip down my nose, realize I forgot my flashlight as my wife is admonishing me to not fall.


Ron