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rufinorox

Not enough light ing driving me crazy ... 45-50 watt bulbs?

rufinorox
13 years ago

We have installed 35 watt halogen bulbs in our recessed lights. There are 6 and its driving me crazy there isn't enough light... well everyone else thinks there is but me. I guess I'm used to the big old fashion floursent lights. We have a light fixture over the penisula, but I don't think I need to have that on with the others to get more light .. or do I? Do they make these bulbs in 45-50 watt? However, ours are screw ons. I tried the doft bulbs in 45 watts, but they aren't as bright. I need some help... anyone?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_236992-371-81662_0?productId=3065065&Ntt=ge halogen bulb&Ntk=i_products&Ns=p_product_price:1&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0_s?newSearch=true$Ntt=ge halogen bulb$y=6$x=18

Comments (16)

  • cheri127
    13 years ago

    OH, do I feel your pain!!! We had 4" 50W halolgen recessed lights in the kitchen and I hated working in it. I was so depressed....after all the stress and expense I found the kitchen to be dull and oppressive. Bit the bullet and replaced fixtures with 6" cans and 100W bulbs and bingo...I could actually see what I was doing and the space was bright and cheery. Like you, I was the only one who had a problem with the old lights but I was also doing the bulk of the kitchen work. It was an expensive mistake but I'm glad I fixed it.

  • rufinorox
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    UGH! I can't imagine replacing them all for 6". My brother-in-law and DH will really think I'm crazy. They don't understand how I don't have enough light, but I agree they look dull to me. I feel like the dimmers are on low. I will need to suck it up for now and see if the hanging pendant over the penisula makes a difference.

  • David
    13 years ago

    How about trying out a LED bulb or 2?

  • nkkp
    13 years ago

    Be careful of wattage in receessed lights. There should be a sticker inside your light fixture that tells the type of bulb/max watts you can safely use. I have a lot of bulbs and have to be careful not to overload my dimmer switch. I found that changing brands of bulbs, and sometimes types of bulbs really made a huge difference. We settled on a Satco brand halogen that had a high lumen output and have been really happy. Also, a PAR light bulb, even in a lower wattage will REALLY put out alot of light.

  • PoorOwner
    13 years ago

    Cheril27, good move, I think alot of people love the 4" recessed light because they are smaller and cleaner looking, I have tried both, and I really think they are meant to more for accent lighting.

    I just calculated, 6" 2.25 times the area a 4" circle, so the result is more diffused, more coverage. most likely it will also support higher wattage.

  • rufinorox
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    nkkp - do you have 4" recessed? What watt halogen do you use? I thought the 6" were going to be too big and I would be able to put as many recessed lights up. Also, my brother-in-law was installing the lighting and said it would be enough. I trusted that he knew what he was doing and he does, but didn't know I needed alot more lighting to work.

  • nkkp
    13 years ago

    We have 6" lights - and a ton of them. In retrospect, I wish we had followed our dining room plan - one recessed pot in each corner and one multi-light fixture in the center of the room. It would have been a cleaner look and provided better lighting with less shadowing. But, I listened to my designer, so don't feel bad listening to your BIL...

    We used a 50 watt Satco BR30 halogen with high lumen output. It was amazing to see the one from HD (which was a 75 watt) in one fixture and the satco in another. The satco was much whiter and brighter. We tried the PAR style but was afraid it would be TOO much light (much more focused beam) if we used them everywhere. I'm not sure if satco makes a 4" bulb but if they do, I highly recommend them.

    I can't remember how much time I spent online learning about types of bulbs and lumens...way, way, way to much time!

  • cheri127
    13 years ago

    Nkkp, don't feel badly about not following your dining room plan because it probably wouldn't have been enough light for the kitchen. We have a center fixture, too, with a 200 W bulb and we still need every can. There is one counter where I couldn't fit a 6" recessed light (too close to the beam) so had to settle on a 4" and even though there are plenty of lights nearby, that counter isn't well lit. Having said that, I do love a bright kitchen so maybe it's just me.

  • palimpsest
    13 years ago

    I would try a higher wattage first, within the guidelines of your fixture.

    Do you have undercabinet lighting to light the countertops? Lack of task lighting might be the real problem.

  • chris45ny
    13 years ago

    We have 9 of the 5" cans in our kitchen with an additional recessed light over the sink. We have 8' ceilings and room is about 14 x 15. In the 9 cans are PAR30 long neck halogen floods-50 watts. There is almost too much light in the kitchen when they are all on. If your lights allow, could you try a higher wattage bulb?? If that doesn't work maybe you just need a few more cans??

  • rufinorox
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I'm going to try going up to 50 watts halogens and see if they work.

  • brickeyee
    13 years ago

    "I'm going to try going up to 50 watts halogens and see if they work."

    50 watt PAR flood halogens provide a lot of light compared to an older 'A' style bulb.

    The crisper white also makes them look brighter.

  • rufinorox
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    ok so I switched the 35 watts for 50's and ok I see the light! The kitchen is definitely much brighter. I may have to get use to the high wattage and heat that they give off, but as long as i can see what I'm doing I'll deal with them.

  • David
    13 years ago

    There are LED bulbs that have similar light output to 50W halogens but with lower heat output and electricity requirements.

    For example
    http://www.polar-ray.com/7W-PAR20-LED-Floodlight--Replaces-50W-Bulb_p_144.html

  • rufinorox
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    what ever happened to regular light bulbs? Those are expensive and I'm already over my budget, maybe down the road I'll switch them out. Thanks for the info.

  • Buehl
    13 years ago

    I'm glad the 50-watt bulbs are working for you.

    We have all 4" cans w/50-watt dimmable halogen bulbs in our kitchen and they give off a lot of light...but...we have more than 6 cans. If you have smaller cans, you need more cans for sufficient light coverage. In our case, 5" and 6" cans did not fit in our ceiling area, so we had to use all 4" cans. There's only one place where it's somewhat of an issue...over my prep sink...that one 4" can is too dim. But, if I also turn on the pendant lights over the peninsula (and behind the prep sink), I have enough light.

    My plan (overall kitchen is approx 17'6" x 10'6"):

    Note: The 5" cans shown in the design above were all switched to 4" cans when it was discovered the 5" cans were too big.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Full size lighting plan