Anyone have a LED dusk to dawn pole light?

[Zerk]

He said the panel/breakers are dated and putting in a larger panel now would provide room for anything later added...
d.

That may be, there are some brands that are discontinued. Can cost alot to get breakers, if you can find them. But that doesn't mean you need to replace the panel. Unless you actually need to add a breaker. You can also move loads around possibly. You can out two wires under a breaker. You can combine in junction box. Myself, I would evaluate what is on all the breakers before I bought a new panel, especially if I was paying to have it done.


What I would be inclined to do, is add a subpanel next to it. Take to breakers, without critical load, suchs furnace or fridge, and that you can get at the wires, and take out there breaker. Put in a two pole breaker. Put a 50 amp two pole breaker and a100 sub panel, and put those two circuits in there. The subpanel does not need its own main breaker. It can be main lug only, with the 50 amp in the main panel protecting.

You can go big amp on sub panel, but the wire feeding it has to match breaker in main panel.


If it is obsolete panel, you may have to replace it. Unless there is a two pole breaker in their that can used to feed the sub panel, like a dryer, range, water heater. Those are important loads, but you will know if they trip, and not like you will have fridge spoil or house freeze, if you miss it.

If I was paying someone maybe it is a horse a piece. What an electrian would probably do, is put in a new panel, feed it from the old panel, like a sub panel, and then eventually get rid of the old panel. This requires the utility coming over at some point. If I was paying I would get estimate both ways. If doing the work myself, I would just add sub, as long as their is room, and the old panel is safe. If it is breakers, probably ok. Unless it is some brand that is known to fail. The electrian may know of that. May have been popular in the area, due to local supplier.

I would go with SQD QO and cutler hammer. My camp has siemens. I not going to replace it, unless I find out I can't breakers. It is not a common brand, but nothing wrong with it, that I know off.

I had a place with pushmatic breakers. Those are hard to get, and the cost for new breakers, if I could find them may have pushed me to a new panel. Plus I had one fail. Luckily I had a spare, and sold the house.

 

[Zerk]

As with anything, how much money do you got, and what do you want to spend.

 

[Zerk]

My barn light, from 1985, I believe, is cutting in and out. I believe it is the ballast which is why I opened this thread. LED light seemed the way to go until I clicked on the links, and they just are not bright enough. Probably is a 9900 lumen LED but I suspect $$$$

 

[k0ua]

My barn light, from 1985, I believe, is cutting in and out. I believe it is the ballast which is why I opened this thread. LED light seemed the way to go until I clicked on the links, and they just are not bright enough. Probably is a 9900 lumen LED but I suspect $$$$

One other thing to consider in the brightness quotient is the color temperature. In my older aging eyes the "warmer" color temprature LED bulbs don't seem near as bright to me as the "colder" temprature bulbs. And I have always hated sodium vapor lamps. No, hate is not a strong enough word, I loathe them things. I realize they are very efficient, but I don't like the light they put out. A 4000 lumen bright white LED bulb is a very bright bulb. Of course as I explained before "bright" is in the eye of the beholder. Just like "loud" is in the ear.

 

[Zerk]

I wouldn't want HPS in the bathroom, but on my barn I don't care. It is different, I can tell it is my house coming down the road. Not sure exactly what will go with. Being that it is in front yard and not house, I don't care about the warmth of the light as much.


I have played around with some warm flourescents in the garage.

Will have to research HPS vs mercury. I care more about longevity of bulbs. It is pretty high, and I don't like going up there.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I believe it is the ballast which is why I opened this thread. LED light seemed the way to go until I clicked on the links, and they just are not bright enough. Probably is a 9900 lumen LED but I suspect $$$$

I beg your pardon. You didn't open this thread. I did. And it has turned into a rambling doozie.

 

[Zerk]

I beg your pardon. You didn't open this thread. I did. And it has turned into a rambling doozie.

Full of ignorance. Story problems are hard for people.

So I beg your pardon, you post a thread asking for opinions.

 

[Sysop]

I still don't see why folk insist on going with "little" lights. There are LED floods that are made comparable to standard 1500W metal halide parking lot lights. Prices can be comparable also.

Metal Halide

40,000 Lumen LED

 

[sixdogs]

I still don't see why...

....

...

/QUOTE]


Heck, I do. I looked at that light shown and it's $500. I also mentioned my LED passage door bulb burned out after only a few months, so, I think going out of the current high production mainstream few items available is somewhat of a crapshoot.

 

[Sysop]

When you look at the comparable traditional light, the price isn't high; it's average. Nor do I think your passage door LED bulb was built to the same standards as either the halide or LED I linked...

If you want a good outdoor light, buy a good outdoor light. Folk are acting like they're not available, or cost a fortune and the cost difference is greater on the high end. In fact, they are available; and yes, are expensive; but not more-so than a comparable traditional light (unlike the little standard Edison lamp bulbs). What cost difference there is, who cares... 300W versus 1500W pays for itself in consumption quickly.