# Long last 60 Watt light bulbs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2017, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513 "2017-05-13T05:13:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/21 "2017-05-13T14:00:26Z")
Here is a lightbulb that has lasted more than 100 years…[http://www.centennialbulb.org/](http://www.centennialbulb.org/) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/22 "2017-05-13T14:02:59Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I also have some hard to change bulbs. Way up in a vaulted ceiling where I need an extension ladder to get to them. It’s a pain in the ass to change them, and darn right scary. Would something like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Mr-LongArm-3030-Smart-Changer/dp/B0002YPQEO) work? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/23 "2017-05-13T14:20:51Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Home Depot LED bulbs have a lifetime guarantee. HD sells Cree brand LEDs, which are actually made in the US and are of excellent quality. I used them in my lamps and like the color/brightness. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/24 "2017-05-14T02:34:39Z")
> [@edwardcoast](#): > > I don’t need dimmable. In the home office the lights are on in there perhaps 12 hours a day every day because it is always being used. Even at 12 hours/day, an incandescent bulb ought to last 2-3 years. And if it’s on steadily all 12 hours (not switched on & off all day long), it should be even longer. So there’s likely another problem with this fixture. Most likely is excessive vibration or overheating. Those problems would still be there for CFL or LED bulbs, and would impact their life expectancy, too. So see if you can figure out what the problem is, and deal with that. (When a few months is all you can get from 50¢ incandescents it’s less painful than when it’s $9 LEDs.) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/25 "2017-05-14T03:16:02Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I think as you get higher in the k temperature it becomes blue, not so much white. > > Have a look at [this color temperature guide](http://dosterlighting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Kelvin-Scale_Final.jpg). I suppose it’s a matter of perception, or my screen is miscalibrated, but the colours in that chart look off. 6000-6500 K seems pretty white to me; really sky blue takes 20000 K or more, and I don’t think you are going to get a _dark_ blue. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/26 "2017-05-14T03:21:08Z")
For special colour F/X, one can get RGB LEDs, but that can get pricy. ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/27 "2017-05-14T04:57:15Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Even at 12 hours/day, an incandescent bulb ought to last 2-3 years. And if it’s on steadily all 12 hours (not switched on & off all day long), it should be even longer. > > So there’s likely another problem with this fixture. Most likely is excessive vibration or overheating. Those problems would still be there for CFL or LED bulbs, and would impact their life expectancy, too. So see if you can figure out what the problem is, and deal with that. (When a few months is all you can get from 50¢ incandescents it’s less painful than when it’s $9 LEDs.) I’ve owned other homes and had different light fixtures in them, and lights that stay on many hours (12 hours) each day have never lasted 2-3 years. Lights that are hardly used like a porch light do last for many years. What do you consider excessive vibration? Walking on the wood floors? This is the east coast, there are no earthquake tremors. How would I even measure to know if it is from vibration? And what if it was from vibration, what could be done about it? I took a trip to Home Depot today and picked up 60 Watt Equivalent LEDs that are “Daylight” bright and installed them. It was nice to see they are certainly bright enough. Must more than the incandescent bulbs I was using. I do have LEDs installed in the family room and kitchen hi-hats and they have been working without a problem for 2 years now. As for the home office, I could see if these new LEDs don’t last a year, then it could be another problem I guess, but how to determine what that is, I would certainly need help with. The light fixture in the home office was installed 2 years ago by a licensed electrician so I don’t suspect he did anything wrong, because the other fixtures he installed are working fine. So I’m going to guess there is a vibration sensor to purchase, to connect to the light fixture in the home office attached to a Raspberry Pi to determine vibrations? Gosh, I hope this isn’t the proposed method, as I have enough projects I need to finish. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/28 "2017-05-14T05:03:57Z")
Who buys incandescent or even CFL bulbs these days for household lighting? Phillips and similar LED 60 watt equivalent bulb LEDs are $ 2-3 each on sale and should last many years using a fraction of the power of incandescents. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/29 "2017-05-14T05:16:55Z")
Look at your packaging for your light bulbs to see how many hours they last. On my incandescent bulbs I see 750 hours on some and 1125 hours on others. 12 hours a day is 4380 hours a year. Your 750 hour bulb should last about 62 days (2 months) while the 1125 hour bulbs should last 93 days (3 months). So your bulbs are lasting longer than they are expected to (and bulbs on continually will last more hours than those frequently being turned on and off). So your bulbs are wearing out as expected and have nothing to do with vibration. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/30 "2017-05-14T05:37:48Z")
I manage a couple of apartment complexes and turn rent readys for a property management company. I spend thousands for light bulbs yearly and I also follow up service units. I can tell you from lots of experience, if the HD bulbs you installed only last a year or two the problem is definitely the fixture. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/31 "2017-05-14T06:00:59Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I suppose it’s a matter of perception, or my screen is miscalibrated, but the colours in that chart look off. 6000-6500 K seems pretty white to me; really sky blue takes 20000 K or more, and I don’t think you are going to get a _dark_ blue. On my screen, I see a slight blueish tinge at 4500, and it gets pretty solid blue between 5000 and 5500. ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/32 "2017-05-14T06:48:58Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Look at your packaging for your light bulbs to see how many hours they last. On my incandescent bulbs I see 750 hours on some and 1125 hours on others. 12 hours a day is 4380 hours a year. Your 750 hour bulb should last about 62 days (2 months) while the 1125 hour bulbs should last 93 days (3 months). So your bulbs are lasting longer than they are expected to (and bulbs on continually will last more hours than those frequently being turned on and off). So your bulbs are wearing out as expected and have nothing to do with vibration. This is what I suspected. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/33 "2017-05-14T09:37:10Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > On my screen, I see a slight blueish tinge at 4500, and it gets pretty solid blue between 5000 and 5500. That is what I meant. If that chart were accurate, **edwardcoast** ’s new 5000 K “Daylight” bulbs would be emitting a pretty solid blue light, but they do not. [Here](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Color_temperature_black_body_radiation_logarithmic_kelvins.svg/512px-Color_temperature_black_body_radiation_logarithmic_kelvins.svg.png) and [here](http://casa.colorado.edu/~ajsh/colour/Tspectrum.gif) is a Wiki version which looks better to me. The Color FAQ a few clicks from there seems to suggest that 5000 to 5500 K looks white, with the Sun at 5780 K, and warns that many computer monitors are calibrated to 6500 K or to “D[sub]65[/sub]” which have a hint of blue to most people. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/34 "2017-05-15T17:05:34Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I think as you get higher in the k temperature it becomes blue, not so much white. I know, but most LEDs sold at the stores don’t go that high up, and I didn’t want to confuse the issue. “What do you mean blue light? I don’t want a blue light in my kitchen.” It’s just simpler to describe it as going from orange to yellow to white. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513/35 "2017-05-15T18:12:54Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I did go to LED. And mine are dimmable (I know the OP does not need this). When you dim these, they turn off some of the white LED’s and turn on some red ones to create a softer/sunset look. I like them very much. This is what finally convinced me to switch over to LED bulbs. I had tried them before, but was always found the constant color temperature when dimmed very creepy. Then I tried Philips Warm-Glo bulbs, which go warmer when dimmed so they behave more like an incandescent. On Amazon was able to get a case of 30 BR30 bulbs for something around $150. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-last-60-watt-light-bulbs/786513.md?page=1)