3 June 2014

Looking for Help: Supplying and fitting LED or CFL Down lights?

| JessP
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Hi.

I’m looking to change our old inefficient down lights to LEDs or Compact Fluros. A total 16 lights in all. Any Rioters have any experience (good or bad) in doing this type of work in the ACT or can anyone make any suggestions of local businesses who can supply and fit????

Cheers.

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?Hi JessP,

As luck would have it as soon as 1 year was completed in our new place two of the down lights started flickering.

In the past we had got ?a mob to wall mount our 60 inch LCD who came to our rescue?? !

Good mob and a good job with the replacement of the down lights as well. ??

http://canberracomms.com.au/ was their web address.

My 2 cents.

Hi,
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wildturkeycanoe12:24 pm 12 Jun 14

If they are standard 2 pin 24V downlights, you might like to try the LED lamps from ALDI. I was dubious about them working with the old ballasts in my downlights but at a cost of only around $10 for four LED lamps I gave it a shot. Do you know what, they actually worked!

missknowitall10:39 am 12 Jun 14

I’ve recently had a fantastic experience with Brindabella Lighting in Fyshwick. I was lost with all the options, they were very helpful in explaining the differences between wattages and beam angles. They drew up a lighting plan and we went for a 10w LED downlight with a 90 degree beam angle.
They also recommended an electrician who was able to install them within a week. Very happy customer here.

You can buy your own lights which might save you a bit of money. We did a renovation recently and put in wide beam LED down lights that we got from Beacon Lighting in Queanbeyan. They were about $45 each which we found very reasonable considering it was the whole unit and they’re really good quality.
A word of warning, they’re bloody bright. Luckily all the wiring was new and we fitted dimmers on most of the circuits. Was a bit more expensive but after living with it for a while I have to admit its awesome being able to light any room up with a full intense light when needed.

I can testify for an electrician named John, I think he is does mostly Southside work.

He’s efficient, cleans up after himself and turns up on time. His prices are also reasonable.

His number is 0407242671.

Lots of discussion at Whirlpool on the Gadgets forum http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/83

Look at this too

http://ledbenchmark.com

Personally I would go with “Brightgreens”.

But if you wanna buy from Bunnings get Phillips or Osram. If from Masters get the Mort Bay.

(I have installed all of the above)

DON”T even think of getting anything less than 6 watts, if you are thinking of replace that 35 to 50 watt halogen.

You might be lucky and do a simple swap out of the globe. However, if you need to change the fitting, replace that old iron core transformer or have a crappy electronic transformer YOU WILL NEED A SPARKY.

Heat kills LEDs. So have plenty of air space around the the top of the LED. Note that the Brightgreens have massive heat sinks for that reason.

Good luck.

Avoid Bunnings at all costs. They have no idea what they are talking about. I worked in the Electrical Wholesale industry for years and that’s who you should see, an Electrical Wholesaler like Lawrence & Hanson, Popes or Turks. Avoid Project LIghting as well.

LEDs are really a case of you get what you pay for. If you are after complete replacements you should check our Bright Green as they units are the best on the market. Otherwise, if you want to just replace the bulb go with Phillips as there globes are great and good value for money. Buying it in store also saves you any issues you might have with warranty claims as they’ll generally replace LED globes on the spot.

I believe there are some LED bulbs that are designed to work with electronic transformers – might be worth double checking before you buy. A good place to start is the Whirlpool forums.

We’ve gone full LED throughout the house, buying all lights online (ledcentral.com.au). We’ve generally been happy with how they look and how they perform BUT the overall return on investment is pretty poor at this point.

We have a combination of LED downlights and LED globes in other lights, about 28 lights in total. Coming up on 3 years we’ve had 4 replaced under warranty – and the process is expensive and time consuming. You need to pull the light out and put up with a hole in the ceiling, then pay through the nose to post it back, then wait a week or so for it to be replaced…

Plus just recently one of the LED globes failed and has buggered the light socket at the same time – still getting around to organising an electrican for that.

Electricians we’ve used generally have preferred models that they swear by. We saved about 50% on the initial outlay compared to lighting shops – but you do have to factor in how easy it will be to return and replace them.

I’m no help – I’ve got 9 halogen low-voltage down lights I’d like to replace with LED lights. The existing lights are each fed by a transformer which, as it turns out, is unsuitable to drive a LED light.

So I’d be up for 9 LED globes (not cheap) plus 9 transformers (also not cheap). Reverting back to a 240 volt system would involve a sparkie (not cheap) plus fittings.

So, all in all, saving money and reducing my carbon footprint is expensive and not straightforward. I’m also keen to hear a solution.

Vic from SupaSparky is brilliant – http://www.supasparkyelectrical.com.au/

Firstly check the type of down lights you are using. These are usually the ones with two pin-like heads (MR16) or with a thicker, rounded base (GU10).

Once confirmed, just head on down to your local Bunnings and pick up the type of LED lights that suits. I prefer 7W, warm white with 60 degree beam. I usually go with a good brand like Philips. Another good brand worth checking out is Osram.

Anyway, you might also need to check the transformer that you have installed to ensure compatibility so is suggest bringing the model with you and ask the friendly folks at Bunnings.

Once you are familiar with the bulb, you can also buy it for much cheaper on eBay but be sure to check the sellers profile and ensure he’s reliable and locally based.

Good luck !

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