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Any lightbulb experts? Need reco long lasting bulb for 20 ft ceiling

2 years ago

I want to replace the lightbulbs in recessed lighting in 20 ft ceilings. To my recollection, they have not been changed in the 20+ years we have lived here due to very little use. I do not know the current bulb type, which casts a glaring yellow light. One just burned out, and I have painters here this week who are willing to change them.


My requirements are: 1. long lasting (I do not want to change for another 20+ years!!); 2. as close to daylight as possible; 3. dimmable. I "thought" I was looking for a 4000K with 95+ CRI in a "BR30"?? I ordered 2 different options on amazon, but now upon further review, I am worried about the new LED lights not working with my dimmer switches, flickering, popping, and short life/ early burnout (like 1-2 years).


What specific brand and specifications would you use?? What has worked for you? Thank you!










Comments (6)

  • 2 years ago

    Change them out to LED retrofit recessed lights. Get recessed lighting conversion kits. We used them in our previous house. If I remember correctly they were made by Halo and sold at Home Depot.

  • 2 years ago

    You won't find a LED that will last 20 years, and if you do please let me know. I just replaced 5 LED recessed bulbs this week for the fourth time in 15 years. I started with the Cree brand and expensive at the time but was claimed to be the best but they started dying only after a couple of years. Next was Sylvania which lasted no longer than Cree, followed by a cheap brand called Feit which lasted longer than the Cree so I just replaced them again with Feit. They all claim long life of 10 years or more and they must mean if you only use them an hour every week or so.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    LED is the best choice but no one will get 20 yrs out of any bulb

  • 2 years ago

    After installing 4" recessed lights in my living room I experimented with a number of bulbs. I decided PAR20, 40-degree beam-spread bulbs were best -- I didn't like BR bulbs with their round bottoms at all -- but it's impossible to know what you should install without knowing the diameter and depth of the fixtures as PAR bulbs come in several sizes. Before you install them, I'd test the 4000K bulbs you bought in a lamp to make sure you are satisfied with the color temperature. I find 4000K bulbs too blue and prefer 3500K or 3000K in a living room. I decided on Euri Lighting bulbs which have a claimed lifetime of 25,000 hours.

    "I am worried about the new LED lights not working with my dimmer switches"

    Those old dimmer switches such as the ones with knobs aren't LED-compatible. The most LED-compatible dimmers are the Lutron LED+ dimmers. They also don't require a neutral wire.

  • 2 years ago

    Life span is deceiving and manufacturers use different variables to determine life span. once lumens fall under a certain level the manufacturer considers that end of life, and some may use 50% and others 70%.

    I've never seen a LED last long enough to reduce it's brightness and only have seen one of the several LED's in a bulb become defective which turns off the others since they're connected in series like some old Christmas tree lights. I've also see the electronic circuits fail.

    I do have some original Cree bulbs from 15 years ago still working but are in places which rarely if ever get used. Looking for a banana bulb for my giant light bulb globe yesterday I found GT-Lite had one claiming 45 years, but it was based on only 3 hours usage per day meaning 9 hours a day would only equal 15 years.



  • PRO
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    You needdimmers that are made to work with the bulbs you buy and those need to be LED dimmable I see no purpose for pot lights in a 20' ceiling usually in homes with this height I uase cable lighting that brings the light down where it is needed and easy to change the bulbs.