DIYbanter - View Single Post - Can I Mix 40 Watts and 25 Watts Light Bulbs in One Fixture?

wrote:
I would like to ask questions related to a lighting fixture in my
bathroom.

1. Can I mix 40-watts and 25-watts light bulbs into one lighting
fixture? The lighting fixture allows me to put 6 light bulbs into it.
But I have no idea what's the manufacturer suggestion of the right kind
of light bulbs for the lighting fixture because the lighting fixture
was already in the house when I bought the house, and I don't have any
documentation about the lighting fixture. I am thinking of putting in
25-watts light bulbs to it in order to save some electricity. But I
already put in some 40-watts light bulbs in it already (I didn't know
any better at that time). Am I going to have a problem if I mix
25-watts and 40-watts light bulbs in the same lighting fixture?

2. How much light do I need in a small bathroom anyway? I am trying to
figure out if I am making the right decision in using 25-watts light
bulbs instead of 40-watts ones. The bathroom is only 5'x8'. One
40-watts light bulb will provide 415-ju..(spelling). Six 40-watts light
bulbs will provide totally 2490-ju... One 250-watts light bulb will
provide around 250-ju... Six 25-watts light bulbs will provide totally
around 1500-ju... Is 1500-ju... bright enough for a small 5'x8'
bathroom?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

As others have said, the fixture is probably rated for 60W bulbs or
better, so if that's the case, mix bulbs anyway you want.

Also, as others have said, the right amount of light is what makes you
happy.

Since you said the goal is to save electricity, you should know that
fewer higher wattage bulbs are better than more lower wattage bulbs.
This would probably look silly in your fixture, but a more energy
efficient distribution of bulbs would be to use 2 or 3 60W bulbs and
leave the other sockets empty (or perhaps screw in burned out bulbs so
that an empty socket isn't there as a potential shock hazard. Don't
screw in one of those lamp-socket-to-plug conversion things because
that would encourage someone to plug something in to a circuit that is
likely not GFCI protected in a bathroom.)

In place of that, perhaps you want a new light fixture that only has a
couple sockets in it.

Finally, compact fluorescent bulbs would be the most energy efficient
choice. Lowes has a wide selection of attractive looking compact
fluorescent bulbs if your fixture has exposed bulbs.

Ken