# Ecosmart LED BR30 from home depot



## Highbeam (Jun 17, 2013)

So I bit the smallish bullet and swapped my CFL BR30s that I hated hated hated for their long warm up time with these LEDs in the living room can lights. The CFLs were soft white, 15 watts, and had very good color once up to temp with 690 lumens. The LEDs were also soft white but only 9 watts and 650 lumens.

These are the real deal. Excellent light quality and instant on. Plus, the price was 10.88$ each. Surely there were some instant utility rebate subsidies since regular CFL BR30s are over 6$ each.

Anyway, I'm very happy. Not just with the reduced power use but with the instant on and high quality light. I'm doing a kitchen remodel and will be using LEDs for the lighting. At 10$, there is no downside that I can see.


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## Chain (Jun 17, 2013)

Where did you find them for that price?  The cheapest I've seen are around $16.00 per bulb on the Home Depot website.


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## begreen (Jun 17, 2013)

It's great to see the prices coming down on these lights. We have a couple Feit's that I got from HD as a test in our pantry track lights. They are working out great so far. First time I have seen/used an LED lightbulb replacement that I like. Works with the regular dimmer too.


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## Highbeam (Jun 17, 2013)

Chain said:


> Where did you find them for that price? The cheapest I've seen are around $16.00 per bulb on the Home Depot website.


 
At home depot. Individually pakaged. The "lense" feels like plastic. I was a vicitim of one of those entry way displays where they were located.

Now if the home depot would only stock the 1.5 gpm showerheads that are cheap or free from the utility. They seem to have a commitment to one or two brands.


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## Highbeam (Jun 17, 2013)

Chain said:


> Where did you find them for that price? The cheapest I've seen are around $16.00 per bulb on the Home Depot website.


 
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/204248...ping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-204248977&ci_gpa=pla

This shows them at 50$ for a 4 pack from HD. Our local utility kicks in a few bucks too.


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## jharkin (Jun 18, 2013)

I think those are the same bulbs I used when I replaced the eyeball can lights in my kitchen two years ago. Very nice bulb, only downside is a very slight turn on pause.Light is almost as good as the Cree CR6 but those dont work in all fixtures.


Thats a fantastic price, I think I paid $20 or $25.


EDIT: I went back to look, I paid $29 each. Thats an AMAZING price you got!!


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## Chain (Jun 18, 2013)

Highbeam said:


> http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/204248977?productId=204248977&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=204248977&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-204248977&cipa=pla
> 
> This shows them at 50$ for a 4 pack from HD. Our local utility kicks in a few bucks too.


 
I found this add not long after I posted my question above.  I pulled the trigger and bought 12 of these and am looking forward to replacing all my incandescent BR30 bulbs in the recessed cans in my kitchen.  I also have one in each of my bathrooms which I'll now replace with one of these LED's.  The total was about $160 bucks but I hope they'll pay for themselves over the course of 5 maybe 6 years.  I have 9 recessed cans in my kitchen and it seems I'm replacing one of the incandescent bulbs about every 3-4 months.  Probably because I use the cheap ones that cost $4 -$5 bucks.  Anyway, thanks for posting this info.....I'll try and make a point to post my experiences with these new bulbs once I install them.


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## Highbeam (Jun 18, 2013)

jharkin said:


> I think those are the same bulbs I used when I replaced the eyeball can lights in my kitchen two years ago. Very nice bulb, only downside is a very slight turn on pause.


 
The slow to turn on and long purple warm up are the reasons I went to LED. I was particularly sensitive to the instant-on time when I installed the first one as a test. I could detect zero time between switching them on (no-dimmer, just a switch) and full power. Maybe they improved?

If you can mail order them for 12.50 each then the only subsidy I got from my utility was 2.50$. The cost is actually coming down. From 30$ to 12.50 in two years seems quite good.


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## Chain (Jun 24, 2013)

Well I received my LED lamps Friday afternoon and promptly replaced all of my incandescent bulbs in my kitchen.  I've found they have a number of advantages.  One, they're instantly on and have pretty much the same color light as regular lights.  I think they're slightly brighter and definitely run much cooler in that I don't notice any heat being generated like the old bulbs. 

However, I have discovered two serious drawbacks that I'm hoping I may be able to rectify.  One, they don't dim nearly as low as my regular bulbs.  For some this may not represent a significant problem, but for me it is as I often times like dimming my kitchen very low.  Secondly, and this is the biggest problem, the lights seem to interfere with my television reception as I have an "over the air" rigged tv sitting on my counter top right near my dimmer switch. 

I'm hoping that if I buy a better dimmer, both these problems may be lessened to an extent.  Does anyone know if there's a particular kind of dimmer recommended for LED lamps?  The one I have now is a simple toggle switch style and so I am curious if there's such a thing as a "shielded" slide type or some other style that might dim lower and not mess with my digital tv signal.  Any help would be appreciated....

Despite these drawbacks, I do like the lights and suspect I'll save significantly given what little amount of watts these lamps use.


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## woodgeek (Jun 24, 2013)

I use this dimmer with both my L-prize and EnduraLED bulbs, and they work great.  YMMV.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DZOMKC/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Highbeam (Jun 24, 2013)

Chain said:


> However, I have discovered two serious drawbacks that I'm hoping I may be able to rectify. One, they don't dim nearly as low as my regular bulbs. For some this may not represent a significant problem, but for me it is as I often times like dimming my kitchen very low. Secondly, and this is the biggest problem, the lights seem to interfere with my television reception as I have an "over the air" rigged tv sitting on my counter top right near my dimmer switch.


 
While I do not have any dimmers in the house, I do use an antenna for all of my television and have noticed zero interference. Different dimmers work in different ways and I suspect the dimmer itself is your problem.

So when these dim, does the light become redder/browner like an incandescent or is it the same color but less bright? I may add a dimmer because, I can.


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## Chain (Jun 24, 2013)

Yep, it's the dimmer I think....I did a little research and there is such a thing as a dimmer switch specifically for LED lights.  If you use a regular one it won't dim as low and may even cause a strobe light effect in the lights themselves according to what I've read.  I think I just need to replace the right dimmer and hopefully I'll be all set.  I'll post the results once I change out the dimmer. 

Regarding your color question when dimming, they seem to work the same as incandescent lights in that they do seem to get redder/browner....


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## begreen (Jun 24, 2013)

It seems odd that the dimmer would affect tv reception. Over the air is all digital now. I just tried a test with our kitchen tv that has a simple dipole antenna. The dimmer is about 12 ft away, but on a different circuit. No interference noted.

Highbeam, this is with an older Lutron dimmer. Our LED lights (Feit) do not go reddish as they dim. The light strength simply decreases. I did note that at the very lowest setting the lights flicker. Suspect this is the dimmer. Maybe it's the candlelight function.


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## Chain (Jun 24, 2013)

My dimmer switch is right next to the TV and just above the receptacle in which the tv is plugged in.  I think given the nature of digital reception (meaning it bounces off of practically everything in a house depending upon signal strength) it could be messed up because of these new metal encased LED lights.  If I turn the light off or nearly off, my reception becomes normal again.  ON PBS channels (which are UHF), if I turn the lights up full blast the reception is great.  We'll see how this shakes out once a new dimmer is installed.  Of course, these dimmers are significantly more expensive than regular ones....


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## begreen (Jun 24, 2013)

Interesting, this almost sounds like RFI interference from the dimmer. I wonder if it is directly affecting the receiver circuitry in the TV? I'll be curious to hear if the new dimmer fixes the issue.


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## Chain (Jun 24, 2013)

Another little tidbit is that my land line phone was also out of service for a day or so this weekend.  And yes, the cordless phone is right next to the switch for the recessed lights.  However, the other phone, which is non cordless, is at the other end of the house and it was knocked out too.  I assumed it was just some other issue as we did have a storm roll through over the weekend.  The phone is back up and working okay but I'm beginning to wonder if all this isn't due to the switch as well.


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## Chain (Jun 24, 2013)

Here's a copy and paste from the Lutron website regarding one of their CFL/LED specific dimmers.  Note that part of the way down they mention that this particular model (the Maestro)  has "superior suppression of interference with radio and TV."  I can only take that to mean that dimmers can in fact interfere with television signals.  Of course these puppies aren't cheap....


*Features*

Maestro offers a full range of designer light controls, fan controls, sensors and timers that allow you to adjust your lights and fans from anywhere in the room and even outside your home
C•L® models for dimmable CFL and LED bulbs are available with or without occupancy sensor; these models have HED™ Technology, which improves dimming performance of these bulbs
Models available with eco-dim® feature (dimmer guarantees you at least 15% energy savings compared to a standard switch), including a model with an occupancy sensor
High-performance personalized light control with additional advanced programming options
Dimmers offer customizable delayed fade-to-off, which lets you leave a room before the lights go out
LEDs glow softly in the dark for easy dimmer location and show preset light level when lights are off
Multi-location dimming compatible with 3-way wiring for easy installation and retrofit
Add companion dimmers to dim from up to 10 locations
Power failure memory (Maestro remembers your settings even after a power interruption)
Superior suppression of interference with radio and TV
Matching Claro® gloss or Satin Colors® wallplates available for 1-gang up to 6-gang sizes


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## TradEddie (Jun 25, 2013)

> It seems odd that the dimmer would affect tv reception. Over the air is all digital now.


 
Most dimmers (other that pure rheostats) can cause RF interference. I had to remove one dimmer because it affected the nearby phone line and interfered with my DSL (not the wireless, the incoming DSL signal).

As for digital vs analog TV, neither is inherently better or worse for interference, both use the same frequencies (although in most regions DTV is UHF, some areas still use VHF) digital has much lower signal strength so could be more susceptible to interference, depending on the interference type and the error-check circuitry in a particular TV.

TE


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## Highbeam (Jun 25, 2013)

I went and bought four more of the ecosmart BR30 LEDs for the rest of the cans in the house along with 9 more HALO can fixtures to put up to replace the non-can kitchen fixtures. I chose to use can fixtures with an edison base vs. the dedicated LED cans since I like the ecosmarts so much.

While at the store I picked up the latest 60 watt Equivalent Cree LED light bulb to put in an outdoor fixture. 6 bucks. Works great too with no warm up delay.

I'm addicted. I now consider CFL to be stupid technology and do not expect to buy any more.

Anybody want 10 CFL BR30s? Work great, well, as great as a CFL can!


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## Chain (Jul 1, 2013)

Well I installed an LED specific dimmer this weekend and it didn't entirely solve my RF interference issue. I am now able to turn the lights on a bit of a brighter setting before the interference actually seems to effect the tv signal. I'm also able to lower the lights a bit lower than with my previous dimmer. so all in all, a bit of an improvement but it didn't solve my issue entirely.  Here's the dimmer I installed, same as the one referenced earlier in this thread:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DZOMKC/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I share all this so that anyone considering purchasing these LED lamps knows that there are some things to consider before doing so. All in all, I'm happy with these lamps as they're certainly much more efficient than regular BR30's, are somewhat brighter, and are much cooler in terms of heat generation.


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## Highbeam (Jul 1, 2013)

I wonder if you had just put them on a switch if you would have this problem?


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## Chain (Jul 2, 2013)

Maybe not, but I want them on a dimmer as I like to be able to adjust the light level in the kitchen.  Creates a better mood for party situations.  Also, as mentioned above, I believe all dimmers, due to their very design, create some RF interference.


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## woodgeek (Jul 2, 2013)

I wonder if you could wire some chokes in on the wires.


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## begreen (Jul 2, 2013)

It's in the kitchen. There must be arti_chokes nearby.


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## jharkin (Jul 3, 2013)

woodgeek said:


> I wonder if you could wire some chokes in on the wires.


 
Maybe try ferrite cores on the power cords of the TV, etc?

http://www.parts-express.com/cat/cord-noise-suppressors/1458


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## semipro (Jul 3, 2013)

We've had multiple issues with newer lighting causing problems with our OTA TV reception, mostly related to the newer T-8 fluorescent electronic starters. We've had no problems with the LEDs even though some are on dimmers.  Its probably not helping us that our OTA antenna is has a powered amplifier.  
If someone has success with a ferrite filters or other noise reduction method I'd love to hear about it.


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## Chain (Jul 3, 2013)

semipro said:


> We've had multiple issues with newer lighting causing problems with our OTA TV reception, mostly related to the newer T-8 fluorescent electronic starters. We've had no problems with the LEDs even though some are on dimmers. Its probably not helping us that our OTA antenna is has a powered amplifier.
> If someone has success with a ferrite filters or other noise reduction method I'd love to hear about it.


 
I was thinking yesterday that it might be partially due to the powered attenna I have as well.  Thing is, without it, my reception really sucks LED lights or no LED lights.


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## Chain (Jul 3, 2013)

jharkin said:


> Maybe try ferrite cores on the power cords of the TV, etc?
> 
> http://www.parts-express.com/cat/cord-noise-suppressors/1458


 
What, exactly, do these cores do?


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## jharkin (Jul 3, 2013)

Chain said:


> What, exactly, do these cores do?


 
They work like RF chokes to suppress noise on the line.  Ever seen a computer monitor cable with the cylinders at each end? Same thing. Lots of televisions and audio gear come with them on the power cords as well.


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## semipro (Jul 3, 2013)

Chain said:


> What, exactly, do these cores do?


 
I believe they use inductance to reduce the pass of high frequency signals while allowing lower frequency signals to pass.


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## Chain (Jul 5, 2013)

jharkin said:


> They work like RF chokes to suppress noise on the line. Ever seen a computer monitor cable with the cylinders at each end? Same thing. Lots of televisions and audio gear come with them on the power cords as well.


 
Ah, yes....Thanks for the clarification.  So placing such chokes on each end of my tv power cord could cut down on the interference from the dimmer switch?  I wonder if the powered antenna cord would need them too?  For $10 bucks I should just try them for the hell of it.  Does anyone know if I can find these chokes at an electronic supply place rather than buying them on-line?  Radio Shack for instance?


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## begreen (Jul 5, 2013)

Radio Shack should have them

http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=choke&origkw=choke&sr=1


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## Chain (Jul 5, 2013)

begreen said:


> Radio Shack should have them
> 
> http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=choke&origkw=choke&sr=1


 
Thanks, begreen.....


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## jharkin (Jul 5, 2013)

Wow RadioShack is still in business?.........


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## TradEddie (Jul 7, 2013)

A couple of other tricks to reduce OTA interference: Try route your OTA cable to cross at right angles to electrical wires, running parallel gives much more opportunity for inductive interference. If you must use splitters, that little hole in the corner is for grounding, not just to anchor it to a wall. If you use an amplifier, install it near the antenna, not at the TV end, that way you are amplifying the incoming signal, but not the RFI induced along the way.

Grounding my splitter virtually eliminated my interference problems. YMMV.

TE


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## Highbeam (Jul 9, 2013)

jharkin said:


> Wow RadioShack is still in business?.........


 
Yes, but the employees are now dumb. Used to be the employees were actual nerds that knew what they were talking about. I had to buy two diodes for a motorcycle wiring project and thank goodness I knew what I wanted.


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