Can you mix and match different light bulbs?

[up2you2]

 

 

Can you mix and match different the old energy saving light bulbs, with the new LED ones please?

[Liverpool Lou]

5 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

Can you mix and match different the old energy saving light bulbs, with the new LED ones please?

You mean in the same room or house?  Why wouldn't that be ok?  

[lopburi3]

9 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

Can you mix and match different the old energy saving light bulbs, with the new LED ones please?

The only limitation would be base/voltage - if the same no problem - but most of the time light color will be a bit different so may not look good.

 

Be aware of dimmer limitations however.

Edited July 10, 2023 by lopburi3

[sometimewoodworker]

8 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

Can you mix and match different the old energy saving light bulbs, with the new LED ones please?

Why do you think you can’t?

[KannikaP]

12 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

Can you mix and match different the old energy saving light bulbs, with the new LED ones please?

YES

 

[up2you2]

45 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Why do you think you can’t?

Because in two different rooms, the LED's are not working.

[Crossy]

16 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

Because in two different rooms, the LED's are not working.

 

OK. They "should" just work, but ...

 

Are these mains (230V) or low-voltage (12V) lamps?

 

Do your LEDs work in bedside lamp or similar?

 

If you put a conventional lamp in place of the LED does it work?

 

Are you using dimmers?

 

[up2you2]

36 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

OK. They "should" just work, but ...

 

Are these mains (230V) or low-voltage (12V) lamps?

 

Do your LEDs work in bedside lamp or similar?

 

If you put a conventional lamp in place of the LED does it work?

 

Are you using dimmers?

 

Good idea - thanks. No dimmers, I will try your suggestions tomorrow, high ceiling somebody helps me.

[Yellowtail]

I think some of the tubes work differently than others. 

 

I think for all the LED tubes you have to take the starter out. 

[Crossy]

6 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I think some of the tubes work differently than others. 

 

I think for all the LED tubes you have to take the starter out. 

 

This is a good point, most of us are assuming we are talking about Edison-screw lamps not fluorescent replacements!

[Crossy]

12 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

... high ceiling somebody helps me.

 

Yup, this issue I know, long ladders and lamps that last 1,000,000 years needed ???? 

[Yellowtail]

6 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Yup, this issue I know, long ladders and lamps that last 1,000,000 years needed ???? 

Million years if they make it the first ten minutes, after you get down off the ladder. 

[onthedarkside]

35 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

Good idea - thanks. No dimmers, I will try your suggestions tomorrow, high ceiling somebody helps me.

 

We also have very high ceilings and rather than use very long step ladders all the time we bought a couple of these telescopic light bulb changers, they work really well.

 

They do lots of different models and sizes, the ones we have cope with all different size light bulbs and all the bulbs we have are recessed into the ceilings to.

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/smile-225-light-bulb-changer-smile-arm-225m-i2524740521-s8971832551.html

 

 

 

[FriendlyFarang]

If you changed fluorescent tubes to led tubes you might have to change the wiring inside the bracket, there are different kinds of wiring for led tubes.

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

This is a good point, most of us are assuming we are talking about Edison-screw lamps not fluorescent replacements!

Indeed - if talking florescent find it better to just buy fixture and lamp together (fixtures are dirt cheap) and change everything (they sell together) and you know right lamp/fixture.

[Yellowtail]

25 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Indeed - if talking florescent find it better to just buy fixture and lamp together (fixtures are dirt cheap) and change everything (they sell together) and you know right lamp/fixture.

I replaced all the tubes in our 30-year-old shop house with new LED and all I had to do was remove the starters from the cans. 

[Yellowtail]

For the really high ceilings, I use a brother-in-law...

[lopburi3]

16 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I replaced all the tubes in our 30-year-old shop house with new LED and all I had to do was remove the starters from the cans. 

That is fine if he buys that type of LED and had that type of fixture -  but OP may not even have starters - he said energy saving - which is often no ballast/starter type.  

Edited July 10, 2023 by lopburi3

[CecilM]

Yes, no problem.

(But mix’n’match won’t work with a dimmer.)

[OneMoreFarang]

On, off: Yes

With the same dimmer: No.

[xtrnuno41]

IF the fitting is the same yes. As said not always dimmable, you need to have the right one then. So E27, normal lamp fitting (230 volts), but there are more like E14 (smaller)and for spotlights they have GU10 and others. So pick the right fitting.

Some lamps have a built in transformer, to reduce voltage (12 or 24 volt), they have pins and you have size like MR16. So see info on your lamp.

 

Lumens important, the higher the lumens, the more light.

There are with 300, 400 lumens (5 watts), but also 850 -1000 lumens (10 watts), the power (wattage) is some higher.

Also color as you have color indication from 2700 K up to 6500 K.

The higher the (temperature) K factor , the whiter the lamp is.

Daylight is 4000 K, i think that one is the best, but depends on you and for what you need it.

2700 K is quite yellowish. Try to find that number on lamp. Nowadays they say easily daylight on package and not number, then you could end up with 6000 K. Hate that when they are doing so. As 4000 K is not the same as 6000 K.

For tube light in house you have the same, but then you have to make some change in the old fitting wiring.

 

For cars maybe not not that easy to change, as those lights have a fan on it and makes it all longer. I have an old car and i would need to cut some from plastic from housing to make it fit.

Also changing the blinking lights for LED , is probably not a good idea. you would need an electronic timer relais to have it work. Or the lights  must have the same power(watts).

[HarrySeaman]

Old T12 or T38 fluorescent tube ceiling lights used a magnetic or electronic ballast/starter.  The newer T8 or T26 versions are smaller in diameter and have a built in ballast.  They have now been replaced with new LED tube lamps.  Energy saving standard screw in Edison base compact fluorescent bulbs have a built in ballast/starter and electronics to boost the electrical frequency from 50 Hz (in Thailand) to thousands of Hz for greater efficiency (Wikipedia-Compact fluorescent lamp).  LEDs have a built in transformer to produce the required voltage, a ballast that is called a driver, and most also boost the frequency of the current causing the LEDs to give off light so that you won't see the lamp flicker.  Regular LED bulbs won't work correctly with a dimmer switch but as others have said, dimmable LED bulbs are available.

 

Incandescent, energy saving fluorescent, and LED bulbs with standard screw in Edison bases all work directly with the voltage stated on the package and bulb, which is 220V here in Thailand.  You can mix these with no problems but the colors may be different even if they say they are the same color.  For example an incandescent bulb is "warm" but a warm color fluorescent or LED bulb will have different colors.  The same for cool white and daylight LED bulbs vs fluorescent bulbs.

 

Some small recessed ceiling fixtures use a lower voltage, some use 220V.  Originally small two pin incandescent bulbs were used.  LED bulbs are available to replace these.  Remove a bulb and you will find the voltage printed somewhere on the bulb.

Experience tells me that warm bulbs are more friendly in a home, white in a work environment.  Daylight LEDs produce harsh lighting that I don't like.  Don't mix the colors or you get strange lighting effects and different colored shadows.

Edited July 11, 2023 by HarrySeaman

[up2you2]

On 7/10/2023 at 5:56 PM, up2you2 said:

Good idea - thanks. No dimmers, I will try your suggestions tomorrow, high ceiling somebody helps me.

Turned out one bulb had not been screwed in correctly, the other was indeed faulty.

[lopburi3]

7 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

Turned out one bulb had not been screwed in correctly, the other was indeed faulty.

YouTube to the rescue.  ????

 

 

[Alidiver]

I have a triple ceiling light which needs one filament lamp because I have an old dimmer switch.

[up2you2]

On 7/11/2023 at 8:21 PM, lopburi3 said:

YouTube to the rescue.  ????

 

 

Appreciated the clip, but when you can't see what you are screwing into because of the depth of the socket, couple that with being on top of a high ladder, increases the margin of error.

When I was doing it, now too old, this was developed by a sense of feel.

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, up2you2 said:

Appreciated the clip, but when you can't see what you are screwing into because of the depth of the socket, couple that with being on top of a high ladder, increases the margin of error.

When I was doing it, now too old, this was developed by a sense of feel.

Know what you mean - been there, several times - but always have red face even if nobody else finds out.  Was meant in jest rather than a put down.