Exceeding Maximum Wattage Light Fixture

From the insulation on the wire to the insulation in the fixture and the materials that make up the socket installing a light bulb that exceeds the maximum wattage can cause excessive heating that can ultimately damage the fixture.

Exceeding maximum wattage light fixture.

The simple formula to calculate the maximum wattage of a light fixture is. The simple answer is yes as long as the led bulb uses less wattage than your fixture. All light fixtures have a maximum wattage rating and yes you should follow it unless you like to risk house fires. The critical factor is to make sure that the light bulb or bulbs inserted into a light fixture or lamp does not exceed the maximum wattage rating of the fixture.

A 100 watt bulb will draw more power through the wires than they safely can handle. When it comes to fluorescents you re only using a quarter of the energy. For example this fixture from lowes calls for a maximum bulb wattage of 60. A 100 watt bulb is going to emit a certain amount of heat and the fixture is rated to take that heat.

When you see a label say 100 watt led equivalent that does not mean that the bulb actually uses 100 watts it means that it produces an amount of light equivalent to a 100 watt incandescent bulb. If your socket says not to exceed 60 watts it is referring the dangers of high heat output associated with incandescent bulbs. That s 92 watts in something that has maximum of 60. First of all if your fixture has a maximum wattage rating only use bulbs in it that do not exceed that rating.

Wattage w voltage v x current draw i however it is important to take into account the resistance factor as well when you want to calculate the maximum wattage of a light fixture. And if it s an older fixture that may not have modern wiring be even more conservative. This requires you to inspect the light socket itself to identify its maximum wattage rating and choose a light bulb that is equal to or less than this rating. Installing a bulb or group of bulbs that exceeds either individual or combined socket wattage ratings can have detrimental effects.

That s what it s rated for and you can t put more than that. What would happen if i used y splitters and had 4x 23 watt cfls going through each socket. So you can make use of this formula. If it doesn t have a rating err on the conservative side.

If you re lucky enough to avoid a fire you risk damaging your fixture s sockets or wiring.