Led Low Voltage Path Lights
Many people have the old post path lights. Rather than buying a whole new set, think of upgrading to LED low voltage path lights. Just change the bulbs in your current fixtures and you will have like new light and you will have bulbs that will not need replacing in the lifetime of your fixtures.
There are two sizes of bulbs that will fit your low voltage fixtures. We will look at the differences and let you make the choice on what to get. Now lets get to the details.
Why replace with LED bulbs
The Size of the bulb is the same as the regular T5 bulb. LED bulbs do not produce any heat while producing light and are instant on. The bulbs are mercury and lead free, no hazards with changing to this bulb. You will actually help the environment by using this upgrade.
When converting to LED bulbs your wattage on your wire run will drop greatly. The LED bulbs in this article will either be 2.3 watts or 3 watts per bulb, replacements for regular bulbs are 7 watts or 11 watts per bulb. You can either add more fixtures or lower the requirement of your transformer. See my article on transformer requirements here.
Newhouse Lighting Halogen Replacement LED Bulb, 2.3W (11W Equivalent), T5 Base
This LED bulb is a direct replacement for the 7 to 11 watt bulb that came with most older fixtures. The T5 base has one wire on each side and will slide into the socket. The only thing you will have to make sure of is the wire in the fixture and make sure that it is in its proper location, I have had some that move and the bulb does not work properly.
This bulb will put out about 200 lumens of light and last between 20,000 to 35,000 hours, it will never need to be replace unless you run over it.
-
The big difference in the 3 watt bulb is the size. It will be a little taller about a half inch and a little wider.
Make sure that you have the clearance to use this bulb as some customers have stated that the bulb will not fit in the fixture.
It will produce more light 280 lumens vs 200 lumens than the 2.3 watt bulb.
Pros
Twice the light output of regular bulbsBulbs will out last fixturesEco friendlyEasy to installCons
Expensive to purchase about $9 to $10 per bulbTaller bulb may not fit all fixturesConclusion
Picture to the right is from customer Scott, The fixture in the front has the 2.3 watt bulb and the fixture in the back has the regular bulb. As you can see, upgrading the LED bulbs in your low voltage path lights will give you better light coverage for your outdoor space. It is up to you if you want to pony up the money to make your home more secure and safe.
Thanks for reading my post, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions for future post, use the forms below.
There are some Affiliate links in this article
Thanks for your informational article. I just moved to a new house and am getting ready to tackle the dark walkway in front. I didn’t even realize I’d have to consider different light bulb sizes but now I’ve got a much better idea after reading your site. Which of the lightbulbs that you’ve listed do you recommend the most?
Amanda,
The 2.3 Watt bulbs will be the best upgrade for any low voltage lighting system. They will give you a lot more light and will use less energy. This would be my recommendation.
John