Energy saving bulbs in PIR Lights?

[MikeJM]

Can an electrician "in the know" please advise if it is ok to use the subject bulbs in outside PIR Security lights?
I`ve bought two new lights and part of the installation info says energy saving bulbs should NOT be used in PIR lights and to use GLS E27 bulbs.
No probs with this but I previously installed two other PIR lights elsewhere outside my house and they were supplied with PIR bulbs.
Different manufacturers I suppose so I emailed the retailer B & Q for both lights for a definitive answer and all they can say is they cant contact the supplier`s as they are now out of business.
What i`m really asking, is it safe etc to use these bulbs in these lights?
Any info gratefully appreciated.
Thanks
Mike

 

[Steve]

safe yes, however .. .

1. the lamps life will be adversely affected by frequent switching and possibly never reaching operating temperature - they aren't terribly bright when they first come on.

2. the contacts in the PIR may be too weak to switch an inductive load.

 

[RF Lighting]

You could try it, but it probably says not to use them as they will not work properly.

You might find the PIRs will not work at all, or that the CFL flashes constanly when it is supposed to be off.

 

[breezer]

i think you will find the question of saftey is not the problem. most CFL lights do not like being switched on and off as happens with a pir.

I Installed a pir and Light at my mothers house some years ago, the upshot is she now has the same pir but with a normal lamp. CFLs did not last long.

and yes i know some say you can use a cfl, and there is a "floodlight / pir" with a spiral cfl, but i will never use the two together again.

As for here, i have a very old pir that lights a lamp at say 20% of brighness in the dark, and when the pir sees you it goes to 100% only on its 3rd lamp in 6 years. cant use a cfl in it though.

 

[MikeJM]

Thanks for the replies folks and while the PIR lights already installed have been working ok I did have my doubts re how long they would last if switching on and off a lot.
As long as they are safe i`ll leave them and replace when necessary with standard bulbs.
Thanks again.

 

[RF Lighting]

At home I've got relay based PIRs switching a 2D fitting and a bulkhead with a standard good quality CFL in it.

They work fine. The 2D lasts about 2 years or so. The CFL has been in for 5 years now, and still going strong.

 

[Steve]

I have a fitting with a photocell which takes a 13w PL lamp. The photocell makes quite a clunk, its clearly a contact switch rather than solid state.

 

[sparkyspike]

You can use energy saving lamps in PIR light-fittings and also with dimmers. See here.

 

[Steve]

You can use energy saving lamps in PIR light-fittings and also with dimmers. See here.

Dont go touting those as energy saving. The lumens per watt dont qualify it for the title.

 

[sparkyspike]

It's not me who's touting them as energy saving - it's what they're being sold as!

FYI, these halolux are D rated and offer an equivalent 22.5 l/w. Normal GLS bulbs are G rated and offer 11 l/w.

So, if you can't use low energy (CFL)s in your PIR fitting, then using Halolux lamps is still more energy efficient than standard GLSs and you get a half decent light out of them.

 

[Steve]

FYI, these halolux are D rated and offer an equivalent 22.5 l/w. Normal GLS bulbs are G rated and offer 11 l/w.

If this is the case, how is a 42w halogen equivalent to a 60w GLS?

And if halogen lamps can fry a (non-de-rated) dimmer then i expect they can fry the solid state electronics found in many PIRs.

 

[breezer]

I have a fitting with a photocell which takes a 13w PL lamp. The photocell makes quite a clunk, its clearly a contact switch rather than solid state.

but that means on /off once a day. not like a PIR will

 

[Steve]

I have a fitting with a photocell which takes a 13w PL lamp. The photocell makes quite a clunk, its clearly a contact switch rather than solid state.

but that means on /off once a day. not like a PIR will

Oh, I know, i was emphasising the point that because it is designed for CFL, it has a mechanical switch.

 

[davelx]

How about these:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TL3500A.html

 

[breezer]

How about these:

[q (from james bond) type of voice]Do try and keep up davelx, MikeJM did say at the outset[/q]

I`ve bought two new lights