Sammy,

we have an outdoor ceiling fan with a glass globed light kit in our
screened in porch. it takes two light bulbs. the owners manual says to
use 60w bulbs. The 60w bulbs don't throw quite enough light for reading
out there at night. Is there any danger in my using 75w bulbs instead
of the 60w bulbs?

The biggest danger is heat. 75 watt bulbs put off more heat than 60 watt
bulbs do. While this "might not" be a problem, it is possible the excessive
heat could damage the fixture and/or the wiring. Especially with a fixture
that encloses the bulbs within a globe or cover.

Most light fixtures also require your house wiring to be rated for higher
temperatures (i.e. the newer NM-B instead of the original NM type). I have
seen the insulation on older wiring get brittle from too much heat and
break away from the wiring, leaving exposed conductors that could touch and
start a fire. However, it's probably not an issue for a ceiling fan which
has the bulbs located a fair distance from the house wiring.

In simple terms, you could probably put the 75 watt bulbs in and not have
any problems. But is the extra bit of light really worth the risk of
burning down your house? It's like putting a larger fuse in a circuit when
the correct size blows. You might get by with it for years, but it only
takes one time for the wiring to overheat and start a fire. Just because
you can, doesn't mean you should. Follow the manufacturers recommendations.

One option is to replace the 60 watt bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
You can find bulbs rated for the equivalent light output (lumens) as a 75
watt bulb, but they use far less power and put off very little heat. It's a
great way to conserve energy, and safely increase your light output at the
same time. However, the fluorescent bulbs are even more sensitive to heat,
and may burn out prematurely in an enclosed fixture. The only real problem
with that is cost. But it probably wouldn't be a big problem for an outdoor
fixture that is only used occasionally.

Anthony