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can a br40 watt bulb be replaced with a par30 or par 38 bulb?

12 years ago

Can a BR40 watt bulb be replaced with a PAR30 or PAR 38 Bulb?

I asked the question another way and since I am getting no replies, this is really my question so when the BR40 Halogen Bulbs dies on me, will a PAR30 or a PAR38 Bulb fit it he fixture or will it be too small? I have found some Halogen Bulbs and LED bulbs that are PAR30 & PAR38 I like the specs of so I want to be sure if I use this electrician that will install the cans since he is giving me a good deal and has great references, if I will not regret not being able to use bulbs I like.

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Comments (8)

David
12 years ago
A PAR38 would probably work.
Would the following help?

Here is a link that might be useful: some info
susanlynn2012
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you davidtay! Would I be able to use a Halogen or LED PAR30 in a fixture that came with a PAR40 halogen bulb?
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OK, well, as an update, the problem has now gotten even worse. For a few years after 2012, I have been able to get around the DC boys' ban on bright BR40 incandescent bulbs by choosing high wattage and bright halogen bulbs, which have worked well. Fast forward to last week, and, upon trying to order some more of them, I am told that now even the higher wattage halogen BR40s have been discontinued. So, it now appears that the only way to get decent lumens out of my recessed lights, which I have a lot of, is to fork over the big money for LED bulbs, some of which do not even dim properly. My 85 year old mom, who has enough trouble seeing already, is also having the same problem. Thanks a lot, DC.
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No real problems should occur. But you should keep a few things in mind. The PAR 38 does produce more heat. So you have to make sure your housing can handle the bulb. Any PAR 38 should be fine. If you like the color you have now, stick wth it. Most probably builders use R bulbs because they're much less expensive. Then again, you can use the LR6 LED bulb, get WAY more lumens per watt, no heat and a 30 year life span. =) The light isn't as white as the halogen, but the color rendering is very close to halogen bulbs.
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Sorry to disagree. But LEDs are fantastic for general lighting. The quality of the light looks just as good as a normal bulb. And the Cree LRP-38 Par 38 bulb has light just as good as a halogen. We've actually replaced halogen PAR bulbs in a retail store with the LRP 38. She's saving over 3000 watts of power with absolutely no sacrifice in light quality. Different LEDs have different qualities though. I don't know how good the Excel ones are. And if it's just a screw in bulb, I would question how good it is. The Cree bulb is the one exception I've seen, but it's also very pricey. But for recessed light applications, we've been extremely successful using LED light sources. They are brighter, more flexible, have better color rendering and sometimes even less expensive than equivalent fluorescent bulbs.
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Comments (16)
We have 6" lights - and a ton of them. In retrospect, I wish we had followed our dining room plan - one recessed pot in each corner and one multi-light fixture in the center of the room. It would have been a cleaner look and provided better lighting with less shadowing. But, I listened to my designer, so don't feel bad listening to your BIL... We used a 50 watt Satco BR30 halogen with high lumen output. It was amazing to see the one from HD (which was a 75 watt) in one fixture and the satco in another. The satco was much whiter and brighter. We tried the PAR style but was afraid it would be TOO much light (much more focused beam) if we used them everywhere. I'm not sure if satco makes a 4" bulb but if they do, I highly recommend them. I can't remember how much time I spent online learning about types of bulbs and lumens...way, way, way to much time!
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wws944
12 years ago
If the can is just a basic 6" can, my recommendation would be to skip the BR40 and associated trim to begin with, and start out with LED. By the time you pay for the bulb and trim, you are almost half way to buying a Cree CR6 (or one of their competitors) at Home Depot for $40/each. Less if you live somewhere where the rate payers get to subsidize some of the costs.

But in answer to your question, yes a PAR38 and certainly a PAR30 would fit. It is more a question of 'looks'. Like, if one burns out, do you really want the one bulb to have a different appearance than its neighbors?

Note that there are also a few LED, and certainly some CFL, BR40 look alikes available. (I am looking for a few myself, because I have some sloped ceilings with cans that tilt to match the slope. Will go for LED when I see ones I like at a decent price.)
David
12 years ago
Second that.
susanlynn2012
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you wws944 and davidtay for your help and educating me as I am just learning about bulbs and has light affects colors in the room.

Another electrician was here tonight who I felt had a lot of knowledge and will email me a quote for six recessed 6" cans, update can under the sink to accept more bulbs (no spring in it) and new trim. He told me we can play with bulbs to see what you like. He will also let me know how much it will cost to install a fixture in the dining room. He said the cans had springs in them to accept various size bulbs with long or short necks.

The other electrician that left the PAR40 bulb with a good price did not let me know if the cans had springs to accept various size bulbs. He just told me if I did not like the bulb to buy my own bulb. He was going to give me a new free can under my sink and install the fixture in the dining room for free since it is a matter of switching fixtures and no new holes. But I don't want an outdated can without springs. What questions do I ask him?

I wonder if all cans are similar?

I have a 21 year old canned recess light under my sink that had fit an incandescednt bulb that the other electrician put the PAR40 Halogen bulb in it and it is not long enough but still fits the socket and it was not as nice as the non -glaring ecosmart 3,000 75 watt PAR38 LED (despite being only 85 CRI, I seem to like the nice white color that is bright and happy without any glare and not harsh like the fluorescent 6500K linear bulbs I now have in my ceiling fixture that I will be replacing with recessed can lighting. I seem to like this 850 lumens LED bulb that the new electrician put in for me since I had it in a small lamp with the shade off as I had been trying out different bulbs. I can't find where it says what flood with the light is. The new electrician liked this too and liked the specs of some halogen bulbs I showed him that were PAR38 and PAR30 Edison bulbs with wide spread floods.

The ecosmart LED soft white floor reflector blanco suave65 watt equivalent bulb with only 575 lumens and says CREE True White Technology with 2700K light spectrum is not bright enough for me and I like the 3,000 light better despite this 65 watt LED coming with white trim as part of the bulb and 92 CRI which is higher than 85 CRI. My tiles are not as pretty under this light and I prefer a 75 watt equivalent light.

Any other LED ideas that are flood that have 3,000K light spectrum with around 850 lumens or more that is 75 watts that will include the trim as part of the bulb?

I think I prefer to go with the cooler LED bulb but would like to see how the two favorite (recommended by some posters on the Garden Web Forums) GE wide flood PAR38 and PAR30 halogens look with my tiles and in the room
David
12 years ago
There is the LR6 which also has an output color of 3500k. The output is 650 lumens.

The output from a standard recessed can is significantly lower than that (~ 50%) of a bare bulb.
User
12 years ago
Use a 5 inch new LED or an incandescent fixture with a PAR30 and avoid the BR40
susanlynn2012
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you Davidtay and Renovator8! Yes, I do not want the BR40 bulb even in the can since I really dislike the color of the bulb and the glare it gives despite how bright it is.

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