What can I do to avoid incandescent bulbs for my 3-bulb ceiling fan, yet maintain brightness?

Question

My ceiling fan takes 3 candelabra (E12) base bulbs for lighting. The bulb slots are labeled 75W - 125V. The fan light is dimmable and I currently use 3 60w incandescent flame tips.

I plan to switch to LEDs or flourescent bulbs, but so far I have only found candelabra-based LED bulbs at 25w equivalent. Even with 3 of them, the room is not as bright as I want it, especially considering the previous lighting set-up.

What can I do to make the lighting situation brighter, understanding the 75W / 125V constraints, and that I would like the potential to use the dimmer ability?

NOTE: User "Monso" responded in the comments about using an adapter like this one to allow for larger bulbs to be used, and while that seems like a good solution (bigger bulbs = brighter bulbs), I want to make sure I don't overload the circuitry. Am I still constrained to 75w / 125v with the larger adapter? What are my limits if I wanted to use an LED or florescent bulb?

Answer 1

Do you have the space for an adapter like this one?

Lighting EVER Candelabra Screw (E12) to Medium Screw (E26) Enlarger Light Bulb Socket Adapter

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Q: I'm going to overload it by using a larger bulb ?

A:

• Electrically you are limited to the maximum amperage that the wiring will support, if it is rated for a 75W 125V then that's 0.6 Amps each (Wattage = Voltage * Amperage). You're not changing the voltage or number of lamp so it doesn't quite matter (doing the numbers that is). You can do up to the same amount of actual Wattage used, which for LEDs would be significantly less.

• Heatwise, the LEDs should produce significantly less heat than incandescent, just make sure you have at least 1/8" between the LED's bulb and the shade/globe/etc and you should be alright; incandescent should be more like >1/2".

• CFL Side Note The same electricity rules apply for CFLs (or anything, note CFLs do have a peak turning on but I doubt you'll find a 75 actual Wattage CFL to fit), but I'd increase the minimum gap for heat to about the same as in incandescent ~1/2". I've had a few cheaper lamps with CFLs burn/melt so I'm a little over cautious with CFL and proximity even though they should produce less heat than their incandescent Lumen- relative counterpart.

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Q: The bulbs will be put in sideways; I hear many LED bulbs are unidirectional; what degree/angle should I be looking for?

A: For unidirectional light, you probably need to find one with a diffuser or multiple LEDs pointing in different directions. If you can see the individual LED(s), it will shine light in the opposite direction(s) it/they are mounted only so if they all point in the same direction it's unidirectional. If you can't see the individual LED(s) then it is probably diffused (though it may not be diffused well)

Answer 2

I posted a response in JoshDM's thread over on Sustainability.stackexchange.com. Replying here as well in case this might help someone.

I'd been looking for a 60W equivalent candelabra base bulb for a while too. For the past few years the highest equivalent available to consumers was 40W. Now it looks like the 60's are finally making their way to market. This one claims 700 lumens which, if true, would be very close to the brightness of a 60W incandescent.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160308065010/http://www.wholesaleled.com/products/60w-equivalent-7-watt-joshua-series-round-top-clear-silver-base-led-candelabra

Update: Lowes now carries a 7.5W LED candelabra for a bit less. It's sold as a 60W-equivalent, though only puts out 500 lumens.

Answer 3

I've got a very similar problem. The only thing I've found that is workable right now are halogen bulbs. Basically because they are the only thing that'll dim that fits a regular fitting that's above the 75W equivalent mark.

They look like standard bulbs but with a halogen style bulb within.

These ones aren't quite the right fit for you (E14) but I think you should be able to find some E12 versions around.

http://www.philips.co.nz/c/Halogen-light-bulbs/ecoclassic-28w-40w-b15-warm-white-871829121975000/prd/

Answer 4

Here's a 4.5W E-12 base 40W equivalent that may help. I'm not sure you'll find much larger versions. A limiting factor with LED is heat dissipation -- LEDs don't like to get hot, and the small size of a candelabra bulb probably makes it hard to remove enough heat to allow more or more powerful devices.

Answer 5

I'd just get a new ceiling fan that accepts standard base bulbs. You can pick one up for like $50 at your local orange or blue home improvement store. Then you can use standard-sized LED bulbs at whatever brightness you like. I did this a few months ago and now have a ceiling fan with three 800 lumen LEDs that's super bright. Heck, given the price of these bulbs, a new fan from a big box store is likely to be almost as much as the bulbs themselves… might as well.