I'm thinking about buying a ceiling fan that says it allows a medium-base (E26) 6W light bulb. Is that thing seriously wired for only 55 mA of current to the light bulb, or can I put (if such a beast existed) a 60W LED bulb in the socket (~0.5 A)?
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2Usually it is the heat that generated by the light bulb that determines the size. For incandescent bulbs it was fire, for LEDs it is the heat burning up the electronics. So a bigger LED might last only days, instead of years.– crip659Commented Jan 21, 2022 at 18:42
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1I have some 64W video lighting panels [1024 individual LED lamps in a single panel] … you really, really wouldn't want one of those at full blast lighting up your kitchen… unless you like wearing sunglasses indoors.– TetsujinCommented Jan 21, 2022 at 18:49
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I can imagine, @Tetsujin, that those are awesome for the crew when filming in cold weather and miserable to be around in hot weather.– FreeManCommented Jan 21, 2022 at 19:35
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@FreeMan - In fact, they run nearly cold [not quite, but only the transformers reach a gentle 25C or so]. The ones to keep you warm are the 'real' big stuff 12 or 18KW incandescents. Can't walk in front of those at all. They can keep you warm from several yards away ;)– TetsujinCommented Jan 21, 2022 at 19:43
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Had a basic halogen double work lamp, that was nice to work in front of, in a cool place.– crip659Commented Jan 21, 2022 at 21:45
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2 Answers
If the fan says 6W E26 it must mean a 6W LED, that is a 40W incandescent equivalent. Note, some LEDs are packaged as "40W" but they in fact consume 6W.
If the fan is designed for an LED bulb you must not use any true 60W bulb. You must not use any incandescent bulb at all (the fan is not designed for that kind of heat), and you must not use an actual 60W LED bulb, which wouldn't fit anyway as it's a 400W equivalent.
You can probably use a 9W LED bulb, which is a 60W LED equivalent. You'd be in experimental territory however. I've never had a fan designed for LED bulbs only. The fan's light enclosure is probably designed in a way that cannot tolerate any significant heating. To just what extent the design is intolerant of a 9W LED bulb ... you'll need to figure it out.
Me? I'd return the fixture, buy one that's designed for 60W incandescent bulbs and replace them with 20W LEDs ... you get way more light and way less heat than the fixture was designed for.
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1What's amazing is that the retailer looked at the complete list of ceiling fans they can get... and every one of them (about 20 different fans) were rated 6W. You're certainly right that 6W must be an LED rating... and it looks like the wave of the future. Anything to save an extra penny in construction.– JBHCommented Jan 21, 2022 at 23:53
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Where can you find a 20w led bulb rated to be used fully enclosed?– dandavisCommented Jan 22, 2022 at 2:26
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@dandavis they are not rated to be fully enclosed and they do not last 5 or 10 years or whatever you are supposed to expect from LEDs because of the heat. But they last on average at least a year, sometimes more, they are very cheap and the light they produce is fantastic. My fans also have uplights, that use 6 "night light" style tiny bulbs supposed to be 7W. I use 7W mini LEDs. Those are not enclosed, and the light is stupendous.– jay613Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 19:29
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@JoinJBHonCodidact that's a little sad but inevitable. Putting a 6W limit on the fixture means it can be built like a plastic yoghurt pot, or perhaps actually out of a recycled one. :(.– jay613Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 22:44
Wire does need to be sized based on maximum current. But the issue here is almost certainly not the wiring. It is heat. While LED bulbs produce a lot less heat than incandescent bulbs, much of the energy (6W in this particular case) still ends up as heat rather than light. In addition, while an incandescent bulb radiates heat in the same location ("everywhere") as it radiates light, many LED bulbs produce nearly all the heat in the base of the bulb, which makes heat dissipation a bit more complex.
It is actually quite possible that a manufacturer came up with the maximum power based on an expectation of the room size. A 6W LED is roughly (based on lumens, but there are variations between brands, etc.) equivalent to a 40W incandescent bulb. If a manufacturer has a fan where the previous model used 'n' 40W incandescent bulbs, they may update it to use 'n' 6W LED bulbs. The catch is that while they might be using exactly the same "everything else" as before, they may have made some changes, e.g., updating the dimmer for better LED compatibility, and then only tested up to the stated maximum of 6W per bulb.
End result: Follow the manufacturer's guidelines or you risk a fire. If you have a fire, and you used larger bulbs than recommended by the manufacturer, your insurer will not be happy with you as it would be considered your own negligence rather than a product defect.
Or find a different fan that is rated for larger bulbs. Or find a fan with integrated LED lighting, which if designed properly will last the lifetime of the fan. But if you use integrated lighting, you need to check the lumens in order to determine if it will produce as much light as you would like for the room you plan to install it in.
answered Jan 21, 2022 at 18:48
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1Thank you. I haven't even checked the list this evening... Actually, looks like I must have hit #8 early this week and didn't realize it. Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 23:27