Let’s say you want to brighten a dark room or replace a flickering light bulb. You purchase a bright 100W light bulb, but when you go to screw the first bulb into your lamp, you notice it has a warning label that says “Maximum 60 Watts.”
“Well,” you think, “What’s the worst that can happen?”
The short answer: a home fire. Even if the higher-watt light bulb is removed before a fire starts, the overloaded current can permanently damage your wiring.
How come? Let’s shed some light on it.
What Is A Watt Anyway? Obviously, Not What You Think It Is
As you might already understand, there is a common misconception about what a watt is. Unlike what many are used to assuming, a watt is not a measure of brightness. Instead, it’s a measure of energy (specifically, the number of joules per second passing by a particular point at any given time). So, watt measures the amount of electricity flowing through the wires and the bulb itself.
In other words, a light fixture’s maximum wattage often reflects how much power can be used before the wires get overwhelmed by the current and fail (i.e., start smoking or burn up). This distinction is critical since it relates directly to the safety concerns of using a higher-wattage bulb in a lower-wattage fixture.
So Why Can’t I Exceed the Recommended Wattage?
Empowered by the former’s explanation of what a watt is, consider a similar analogy of trying to fill a bucket with water. Overfilling the bucket with more than its capacity will cause the water to spill over the sides, creating a mess and potentially damaging the surrounding area.
The same principle applies in this case: Installing an incandescent light bulb with a higher wattage than recommended — a 100W light bulb in a 60W maximum light fixture — will draw more power and generate more heat than the electrical system can safely handle. Overheating can damage the fixture and increase the risk of fire hazards.
For these safety reasons, it’s common to find even lower wattage ratings in some specialty lamps and fixtures. For example, if you’re working with a recessed can light in your ceiling or a lamp with a plastic or fabric shade that’s very close to the bulb, the recommended wattage may be much lower to prevent a hot incandescent bulb from overheating and potentially igniting those materials.
It is okay, however, to put a bulb with lower wattage in that fixture—drawing less than the wire’s maximum load isn’t a problem.
What about LEDs and CFLs Equivalent to Higher Watts?
Traditional incandescent bulbs are notoriously inefficient, converting only 5% or less of the energy consumed into visible light and the rest into heat. This type of light bulb has been discussed so far. So what about LEDs?
LED and CFL bulbs, on the other hand, are far more efficient, creating the same amount of light while consuming only a fraction of the energy (about 15%). That’s one of the reasons they cost so much less to power than traditional bulbs!
Thanks to the energy-saving benefits, homeowners are eagerly replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Nevertheless, many of our clients have inquired whether they could use higher-wattage equivalent LEDs than what their lighting fixtures are rated for.
Unlike the case with incandescent light bulbs, the answer here is yes, provided the actual wattage of the LED bulb remains within the limits of the socket or fixture. Let’s clarify the difference between these two terms:
- Actual wattage — Representing the amount of energy consumed
- Equivalent wattage — Representing the amount of light produced
Practically speaking, a “100W LED equivalent” doesn’t indicate that the bulb consumes 100 Watts; instead, it produces light equivalent to a 100-Watt incandescent bulb. Therefore, if a socket specifies a maximum of 60 Watts, it’s safe to use an LED bulb with an equivalent rating higher than 60 as long as its actual wattage does not exceed 60.
In this example, the LED bulbs use up to 14W while producing the same amount of light as a 100W incandescent bulb.
So to go back to our original example, to brighten up a room, it would be dangerous to place a 100-watt incandescent into a lamp rated only for 60 watts. However, you could use a 14-watt LED or CFL bulb that’s marked as equivalent to 100 watts, which would give out the same amount of light while staying far below the maximum wattage.
It Doesn’t Apply to Lighting Only
The lessons from not exceeding a light fixture’s wattage rating can also be applied to plumbing. Overloading appliances or stressing water pipes can result in scenarios like overflowing washing machines, toilet clogs, and faucet leaks. By using appliances wisely, you can prevent flooding disasters and prolong the lifespan of these systems. If you have questions or suspect a plumbing issue, don’t wait until it’s too late. You can schedule a service online or call us at (864) 392-5498.
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