Problem with Light Bulbs

[Hercules1946]

Hello
I recently bought a lamp telling me to fit an E27 maximum 40 watt bulb, but I'm very confused by all the details given on bulbs for sale. In Wickes, I found an E27 bulb marked 42w > 55w 625 lumen. They didn't have one that was just 40 watts. What does all this mean, and is the bulb ok for my lamp ?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Darkwood]

Re: Problem wuth Light Bulbs

Hi hercules1946, welcome to the forum

 

[amlu]

Re: Problem wuth Light Bulbs

crappy plastic bulb sockets in the lamp...
it will work for some time with 42 watts halogen , then fall apart due to heat damage,
Fit some compact fluorescent or a led in there.
Philips LED A Shape Lamp 13W ES 1055lm A+ - Toolstation

 

[Resu]

Re: Problem wuth Light Bulbs

42>55w is over 40w so no it's probably not OK.

The wattage rating is related to the heat given off by the bulb and the max is what the lamp itself can comfortably handle.

You should easily be able to find an e27 that's 40w or less.

 

[Resu]

Re: Problem wuth Light Bulbs

Also worth adding - low energy bulbs will usually have two wattage ratings - the actual power and the equivalent to power (comparison to conventional type bulb). In this instance you would use the first rating.

 

[Octopus]

Re: Problem wuth Light Bulbs

Or buy a LED lamp - that way you are sure to be safe and save on your energy bills!

 

[telectrix]

Re: Problem wuth Light Bulbs

Or buy a LED lamp - that way you are sure to be safe and save on your energy bills!

i thought of doing that, but our lighting is all gas. can we still buy 40watt mantles?

 

[Marvo]

......I found an E27 bulb marked 42w > 55w 625 lumen.

Usually the figures would be the other way around ie it would say 55w > 42w 625 lumen unless you've acually purchased a halogen lamp (bulb).

The first figure usually indicates the power of the lamp , the second figure indicates the halogen equivalent wattage and the lumen figure indicates how much light it actually gives. So I'd guess you lamp is actually a 55 watt assuming it's a standard filament type lamp in which case I say it shouldn't be used in a 40 watt fitting.

 

[Hercules1946]

Usually the figures would be the other way around ie it would say 55w > 42w 625 lumen unless you've acually purchased a halogen lamp (bulb).

The box doesn't say if its halogen or not, but it definitely says 42W>55Watt (The 55 being in large bold print). It also says dimmable . variable . regulable as well. The lamp we bought does not have these facilities, it is just on or off.

 

[Marvo]

If the 55 is in large bold print then I'd take that figure as the actual lamp power so it's definitely not usable in a fitting with a 40watt limitation. Why don't you find an LED version, it will save you money on electricity in the long run and the fitting will also last a lot longer. LED lamps, especially the normal non-dimmable type are pretty reasonably priced nowadays.

Buy Pack of 3 Osram LED Light Bulbs 40W Screw E27 Traditional from our All Light Bulbs range - Tesco

 

[davesparks]

The 42>55 nonsense is a common marking on these lamps.
What they are trying to put across is that it is a 42W lamp which gives the equivalent output to a standard 55W lamp.

It is a bit of nonsense intended to explain something to the great unwashed

 

[davesparks]

It's a bit like this, but with > instead of =

 

[snowhead]

Online Food Shopping - ASDA Groceries

 

[Lucien Nunes]

If the fitting is rated for a 40W lamp, in principle a 42W lamp is too powerful (and it's the 42W that counts, being the actual power dissipated, rather than the 55 which is the power of a hypothetical non-halogen GLS lamp it could replace). But only 2W too much - not a big deal unless the fitting is at its maximum ambient temp. Plus - the halogen gives out more of its 42W as light compared to the GLS, so the heat input to the fitting is probably less anyway.

But, nit-picking aside, LED is a good idea.

 

[HandySparks]

If the 55 is in large bold print then I'd take that figure as the actual lamp power so it's definitely not usable in a fitting with a 40watt limitation. Why don't you find an LED version, it will save you money on electricity in the long run and the fitting will also last a lot longer. LED lamps, especially the normal non-dimmable type are pretty reasonably priced nowadays.

Buy Pack of 3 Osram LED Light Bulbs 40W Screw E27 Traditional from our All Light Bulbs range - Tesco

I see that Tesco have dumbed down their product info to the point that the actual power consumption is not mentioned anywhere on the page. You would have thought that 'Product Specifications' > 'Power' > 'Power' would have been a convenient place for this detail.