Ceiling light bulb question.

Ian D J

Ian D J

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Ian D J
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I've had a new ceiling light fitted in the living room, but it takes those silly little G9 bulbs and it says on a little sticker that the recommended max is 33 watts halogen (equalivent 40 watts) which seems a bit on the dim side when turned on.

My question is what would happen if I step it up and fit in 42 watts halogen (equivalent 60 watts) G9 bulbs? Will it overload things and I end up being sent to Hell? I did try the Google route but ended up finding out that I have 431 possible illnesses and 231 of them are potentially fatal.

And why are there now so many different type of bulb fittings these days? Along with the traditional bayonet, there's the mini bayonet, screw on, mini screw, G4, G9, GU11, etc, etc. Would have thought it'd be all standardised to keep things as simple as possible.
 
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They usually put a max wattage on them because if you fit a higher wattage bulb it throws out more heat. That will either overheat the light fitting itself or make the bulbs burn out quicker.
 
These little bulbs rely on a Transformer in the Fitting Base that is normally matched to the total Wattage required for the whole lot of bulbs, so fitting larger wattage Bulbs would stress and overheat the Transformer with a possible Fire risk.

Don`t do it. replace the fitting would be the best option.
 
200 of the possible illnesses are NOT potentially fatal!!!
 
:D I may have to suck it up on this one and stick to the recommended 33 watt limit and buy a coupe of table lamps to provide some extra light (it's really for my elderly mother).

I had thought about using LED G9 bulbs but realised they aren't compatible with dimmer switches, which I have in the living room.
 
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Put LED lamps in instead. They have come a long way over the last few years. Nearly all the bulbs in my house are now LED, just make sure you get soft white as the normal bright white are too blueish and very unnatural.
 
I'm the same, almost all my lights are now led as they also run cooler. And because the wattage is much lower you can get much brighter bulbs than standard in low wattage fittings.

Not sure how bright you can get G9 leds though, but certainly in the more standard fittings you can get equivalent to 100W bulbs easy.
 
Yeah LEDs FTW. The usual reason for limiting wattage is because of the heat and the fires it could cause. Stick some of the 5w corncob type bulbs in.
 
But I also like my dimmer switches, and as far as I know LED lights aren't dimmable.
 
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Just been looking at the price of LEB bulbs, they are not cheap!
 
sounds to me like you didn't do much research when speccing the lights.
halogen G9 is very old and inefficent spec.
you should have been recommende to fit LED stuff at best.

can you rip them out.
 
That's just it, Paul, I just got bogged down by the myriad of light fittings there are on the market while at the same time becoming harder to get hold of a nice looking bayonet-based three-lights set so I just went for a set that takes G9 fittings based on a good review on Argos and how I liked the looks and hoped for the best. At least it works better than the former bayonet set which was getting on 20 years old and one of the contact pins in the bayonet fitting came out after the plastic part got brittle with age and heat.
 
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Bayonet lamps are being phased out due to EU recommdations just like incandescent lamps. Trouble is lamps like folded or curled fluorescent lamps are far more toxic and harmful for the environment than incandescent.
 
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Keith W said:
Just been looking at the price of LEB bulbs, they are not cheap!
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True, but they work out cheaper over time as you're only using a fraction of the electricity to run them. They also last for donkeys years. We've got loads of downlighters in our kitchen, they're only 5 watts each instead of the 50 if we'd gone for halogens, so 10% of the cost to run.
 
I think what has been happening is in the 35 years of living in the same house, I've been buying ceiling lights based on their looks but never paid much attention to the fitting, just as long as they work. As a result, today there is a myriad of differing fittings around the house, a couple still has the classic bayonet, some use the mini screw, a couple has the larger type, my hobby room use the GU11, and now the living room uses the G9. And there are all the table side lamps as well! As a result I have a drawer bulging full of different type of bulbs.

I reckon if it was all kept standardised as possible (bayonet or screw only), I wouldn't have got into this state by now - something that only has dawned on me as I approach 50. However, since I'm not planning to move at any time, I'll keep things as they are as it all works but should I put up the house for sale then, yes, I may have to consider "retro fitting" every room with an ordinary screw or bayonet pendant-type light fitting.

On a side note, last year I had an electrician check the fuse box which is located in a back room next to the kitchen, as for years I kept having these seemingly random false trips too often (about once or twice a month). Thinking I may have cocked it up with the lighting somewhere along the line, but it turned out to be a loose wire in the fuse box along with the steam coming from the kitchen is what kept causing the tripping - and since then, no "false trips" in over a year now (but I remember to open the window every time I do the cooking).
 
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Managed to get hold of a 3 light candelabra-style ceiling light that takes the classic bayonet incandescent light up to 60 watts (but I could fit 42 watts halogen that gives me 60 watts anyway) and is already installed. Much better as the shades create a nice dappled light/shadow effect around the wall rather than making my living room look like a doctor's waiting room.

I have a G9 bulb based 3 light set going spare if anyone wants it. :D
 
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