# Best replacement for 300W bulbs in an outbuilding?



## Jags (Nov 9, 2015)

As the title asks...what is the best available replacement for the old 300W bulbs in an unheated outbuilding?  General purpose lighting as in flip a switch when walking in the man door of a 3800 sqft building.  Something that generates enough light to do basic stuff without the need for a work light.

There are currently 4 bulbs @ 300W - and I would like to keep the equivalent brightness.  Unheated means that florescent is out.  Needs to be standard screw in stuff (don't want to replace fixtures).


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## heat seeker (Nov 9, 2015)

There are cold start fluorescents that would work, but they're pricey, and need special fixtures.  We are replacing our parking lot lights with LEDs, but they are pricey, too. The extended life is worth the cost, since they are on top of tall poles. Why change what is working for you now?


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2015)

heat seeker said:


> Why change what is working for you now?


300W bulbs are getting more difficult to find.  Also the actual consumption...I replaced a couple of outdoor lights with LEDs that work very well and burn a fraction of the electricity of the old bulbs.  I was hoping to do the same in one of my buildings, but am not finding anything with enough output without going to specialty stuff.  What I would really like is a 300W equivalent LED.


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## heat seeker (Nov 9, 2015)

I hear you about the consumption - I have  3 of them in my shed, and with our rates, it costs about 25¢ an hour to keep them on. I don't use them all that much, so not a problem. I will watch this thread to see what my options are, since Big Brother, sooner or later, will take the incandescent bulbs off the market.


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2015)

Truth be told, they are not on for long durations, but as they burn out (I have one now) I was looking to replace with something more efficient.  I just am not finding much that replaces a 300W incandescent.  There are some florescent bulbs out there, but in the cold, they suck.


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## sportbikerider78 (Nov 9, 2015)

Heres a cheap 300W bulb, if you're having trouble finding them.
https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/2...F9EZC0F6FjS2uFFQ36xXbfODJQHA_zU8TRRoCEr3w_wcB

Here is a screw in 300W LED replacement...4000 lumen.
https://www.earthled.com/products/f...AUljEeCinaNNLuTlhoCEE_w_wcB&variant=994355236

Here is Home Depots version.  
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Meridian...le-LED-Replacement-Light-Bulb-13187/205705147

If it was me, I'd wire in an LED work light and toss your standard socket light.  Super easy to do.
Get 2 of these...link them together...and you'll have way more light than you have now.  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-4-ft-LED-Linkable-White-Shop-Light-54103161/205331022


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## Highbeam (Nov 9, 2015)

Jags said:


> replaces a 300W incandescent



Holy crap, I assumed you were using a mercury vapor light for 300 watts.

If you insist on sticking with Edison base bulbs and have no interest in CFL then the next thing is a thread in three way Edison base splitter and then three 100 watt equivalent LEDs that are very common at home depot.

My plain jane T8 fluorescent tube fixtures are rated to 20 degrees or zero, I forget, but way way colder than I'd let the building get.


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2015)

Thanks for that SBR78 - but I forgot to mention one thing.  80 bucks per light bulb probably ain't gonna happen.  Even the FEIT bulb 4 pack for $150 doesn't make sense at this point.  I doubt that I have burned that in electricity (for lighting) in that building over the last 15 years.  I am quite sure I don't average 5 hours per week for lighting.

**Sigh** - the old fashioned 300W bulbs look to be the most logical at this point.  Through prior research I had come to that conclusion before.  I was hoping that I missed something or that a new product I was unaware of had hit the market.  It doesn't appear so.  Dang it.


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## Highbeam (Nov 9, 2015)

Here's a four way splitter so you could even use smaller (cheaper) LEDs.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0B374AVQ0TXYB6WN5QQ5


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2015)

Highbeam said:


> but way way colder than I'd let the building get.


Its just a big Morton building for storage.  Completely unconditioned, so its the same ambient temp as outside.
The tan one in the background:


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## sportbikerider78 (Nov 9, 2015)

Jags said:


> Thanks for that SBR78 - but I forgot to mention one thing.  80 bucks per light bulb probably ain't gonna happen.  Even the FEIT bulb 4 pack for $150 doesn't make sense at this point.  I doubt that I have burned that in electricity (for lighting) in that building over the last 15 years.  I am quite sure I don't average 5 hours per week for lighting.
> 
> **Sigh** - the old fashioned 300W bulbs look to be the most logical at this point.  Through prior research I had come to that conclusion before.  I was hoping that I missed something or that a new product I was unaware of had hit the market.  It doesn't appear so.  Dang it.


The worklight I posted is only about $40.  That would be a nice option.

Highbeam posted a great alternative that would be very safe with LED bulbs.  I hit a great sale on LED 60W bulbs at home depot last week.  4 bulbs for $4.96.


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2015)

I do like the adapter idea, but between that and $10-$11 bucks per bulb (X4) I would be at $50 per fixture then X4.  So a couple hunert to replace the current bulbs.  I like the work light idea too, but these things are 20 feet in the air.  Not sure how they would work way up there.

I replace (probably) 1 of the 4 bulbs about every two years to give some sort of idea of real life usage.

Keep the ideas coming though.  I like some of them, but from a cost perspective it still seems like the old skool makes the most sense (for this particular situation).  I have used some of the new LED lights in other fixtures and am liking what I am seeing.


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## Highbeam (Nov 9, 2015)

I guess I don't see the problem then. 300 watt replacements are cheap and available.

https://www.1000bulbs.com/category/300-watt-standard-shape-light-bulbs/

$2.43 each with several brands to choose from. What is it you're trying to accomplish again?


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2015)

Highbeam said:


> What is it you're trying to accomplish again?


Just trying to find a viable alternative to burning 1200 watts of lighting with using newer technology at a reasonable cost.  But it appears that the cost of moving to a different light source for this application is probably not justified.


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## Highbeam (Nov 9, 2015)

We can come up with a time before you break even but since you seldom use the lights, it will be a long time and will require some assumptions about life cycles of the new equipment which is risky. Like those 7 year CFLs.


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## Dr.Faustus (Nov 9, 2015)

I also put some thought into this for my outside lighting, which I use rarely. it totals 1000 watts when everything is lit up. I never use it in the summer. Most I use it for is snowblowing and the occasional minor car repair that happens at night, like new bulb or air up a tire etc.

The cost of led far exceeds the savings. It would be a different story if I left them on motion detectors and or used them very frequently.


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## fbelec (Nov 10, 2015)

i just bought a bulb from lowes. it was for replacing a 300 watt light the bulb is fluorescent but has a running temp of 10 below to 140 degrees it is a normal color of 2700k. that big led that sportbikerider 78 is a 6000k color which is blue. lumen for lumen the eye works better with 2700 to 3500k color meaning the blue might seem bright when you look at it but 50 feet away you might not notice it, same brightness 2700k color at 50 feet is very noticeable. the bulb i bought is a big version of the spiral we use in our homes. it has 3900 and change not quite 4000 lumens and it costs 16 dollars and change. for that cheap try one. the 300 watt incandescent that is 130 volt won't be as bright as it should be. that 300 watt equivalent fluorescent also has a 6000 hour working life and burns 65 watts.


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## Jags (Nov 10, 2015)

fbelec said:


> has a running temp of 10 below to 140 degrees


Hmmm...that could be a game changer.


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## Highbeam (Nov 10, 2015)

fbelec said:


> i just bought a bulb from lowes. it was for replacing a 300 watt light the bulb is fluorescent but has a running temp of 10 below to 140 degrees it is a normal color of 2700k. that big led that sportbikerider 78 is a 6000k color which is blue. lumen for lumen the eye works better with 2700 to 3500k color meaning the blue might seem bright when you look at it but 50 feet away you might not notice it, same brightness 2700k color at 50 feet is very noticeable. the bulb i bought is a big version of the spiral we use in our homes. it has 3900 and change not quite 4000 lumens and it costs 16 dollars and change. for that cheap try one. the 300 watt incandescent that is 130 volt won't be as bright as it should be. that 300 watt equivalent fluorescent also has a 6000 hour working life and burns 65 watts.



There is another forum site called garagejournal.com. These folks are obsessed with shop lighting. Rather than install T8 style tube flourescents many of them chose to install many Edison bases and then those high output CFL lights. On purpose! The Edison bases are cheap and the many points of lights means less shadows. For your questions though they use these high output cfls and like them. What's weird about a huge watt equivalent CFL is that the dang thing is huge. Like it will hang down a foot from the ceiling. Don't bump it with a 2x4!


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## sportbikerider78 (Nov 10, 2015)

Highbeam said:


> There is another forum site called garagejournal.com. These folks are obsessed with shop lighting. Rather than install T8 style tube flourescents many of them chose to install many Edison bases and then those high output CFL lights. On purpose! The Edison bases are cheap and the many points of lights means less shadows. For your questions though they use these high output cfls and like them. What's weird about a huge watt equivalent CFL is that the dang thing is huge. Like it will hang down a foot from the ceiling. Don't bump it with a 2x4!


Every situation is different.  But they are very right that more points of light is always better.

I have a 15' ceiling in my 3 car garage.  I'm going to buy about 5 of the single tube LED lights I posted earlier and hang them down to about 10' to get the light closer, but not so close it shadows.  You have to experiment.  That makes a huge difference.

Or, I'm going to bite the bullet and cough up $600 for some high bay led lights.


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## Highbeam (Nov 10, 2015)

I was installing a pine tongue and groove ceiling this weekend and trimming down 12 foot boards in my shop with 14 foot ceilings. I was very glad to not have glass bombs hanging down from the ceiling when flipping those 12 foot boards end to end.

Some guys even put can lights in so that nothing hangs down.


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## seige101 (Nov 10, 2015)

sportbikerider78 said:


> If it was me, I'd wire in an LED work light and toss your standard socket light.  Super easy to do.
> Get 2 of these...link them together...and you'll have way more light than you have now.  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-4-ft-LED-Linkable-White-Shop-Light-54103161/205331022



I would be stay far far away from that fixture. I had a customer who bought 5 for his basement workshop and 3 for his garage that i installed. 3 failed within 3 months of installing them. I took down the old fixtures and installed the replacements for him once on my own time. Several months later 3-4 more failed. He had me remove them all and I then replaced them with Lithonia 4' LED Wrap around fixtures. The drivers and or LEDs in those cheaper fixtures are just not quality.


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## fbelec (Nov 11, 2015)

seige101 said:


> I would be stay far far away from that fixture. I had a customer who bought 5 for his basement workshop and 3 for his garage that i installed. 3 failed within 3 months of installing them. I took down the old fixtures and installed the replacements for him once on my own time. Several months later 3-4 more failed. He had me remove them all and I then replaced them with Lithonia 4' LED Wrap around fixtures. The drivers and or LEDs in those cheaper fixtures are just not quality.





thank you and noted for future. all these led light fixtures have high expectation of life from the manufactures. the cheap one have a 25000 hour life on the led good one's are 50000 hour and the best have 100000 hour ratings but since they have not been on the market long enough nobody really knows. i see the cheap part being the electronics behind the led being bad or the weakest link. led lights have been used in the 50's you would think that they would have it figured out by now.


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## seige101 (Nov 12, 2015)

fbelec said:


> thank you and noted for future. all these led light fixtures have high expectation of life from the manufactures. the cheap one have a 25000 hour life on the led good one's are 50000 hour and the best have 100000 hour ratings but since they have not been on the market long enough nobody really knows. i see the cheap part being the electronics behind the led being bad or the weakest link. led lights have been used in the 50's you would think that they would have it figured out by now.



It's the heat that kills the LEDs them selves and the cheap electronic drivers. The lower cost fixtures really skimp on any sort of heat sinks and over drive the LEDS to crank up the lumens.

Stick with name brands not sold exclusively in 'box stores and the hour claims by manufacturers are pretty accurate


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## sportbikerider78 (Nov 13, 2015)

All very true.  I'll find another fixture. 

Surprising that happens...it has many positive reviews.

I might just put in a bunch of single fixtures.  More work that I can do myself, but the result might be better.


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