Replacing sodium dawn to dusk with led

jcummins · Nov 19, 2018

Well...this evening it appears my dawn to dusk light has stopped working. I do not like the yellowish hue it put out and have been tempted to replace before now with an led one. Now, the decision is forced upon me.

Looks like many options, but I want a light designed for the purpose, not a screw in bulb type.. Maybe something like this I see on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/LED-Dusk-Dawn-Light-Brightest/dp/B01BUNQS2O

What I'm not sure of, what lumens I need. The sodium light, if it didn't have that hue, covered decently, but I'd like a bit better coverage if possible. Not sure how to weight differences in my options.

Anyone here gone through this, and can recommend something?

MNBobcat · Nov 19, 2018

Go with this:

https://www.superiorlighting.com/80...ghtest-dusk-to-dawn-light-on-the-market-span/

jcummins · Nov 19, 2018

That Amazon light is fulfilled by Superior Lighting...it looks the same, except 70w versus 80w, for $20 less dollars.

Have you first hand experience with that light? It looks like the right thing.

ON EDIT....Superior has the Amazon light on their webpage...at the same price. For $20 more, this is probably what I'll do.

RNeumann · Nov 19, 2018

Figure out what you have now and look it up! The sodium bulbs have a lumen rating and obviously the LEDs do to. Formulas for outdoor lighting are far more vague then the indoor lighting formulas. And since you know what worked before it’s easier to just compare old to new.

RAB is the go to spec for commercial outdoor lighting. You pay for it but if your time has a high value it may be worth the up front cost knowing you may never have to deal with it again in your lifetime. Lithonia is another brand that is a common commercial spec.

mddorange · Nov 20, 2018

LED area lights are the ONLY way to go. I have had mine for 3 years now. Not only does it come on instantly but it has that bright daylight color. It is great that with those benefits, it uses less power and last much longer also.

dragoneggs · Nov 20, 2018

jc, looks like you are on the right track. I have been moving to LED on all my lighting... from indoor incandescent replacements to shop flourescent replacements, to halogen replacements for my saltwater reef aquarium. In every case, the move to LED has been a win. The efficiency is impressive!

Diggin It · Nov 20, 2018

jcummins said:
, but I'd like a bit better coverage if possible. Not sure how to weight differences in my options.

Anyone here gone through this, and can recommend something?

I'd recommend considering adding a second one if you have a place to do it. More than double your current coverage for likely less than half the current used.

I've seen things that look more like municipal streetlights that mount on poles for a couple of hundred dollars or less that will light a wide area.

ALL of my outdoor lighting combined (other than the landscape lights) uses less than 100 watts and that includes one 26W CFL that hasn't died yet.

LD1 · Nov 20, 2018

Typical for an outdoor "security" light around here is a 100w HPS light,

And those are right around 10k lumens. (ranges depending on brand from 9000-10000)

So the "cost" savings with LED isnt very significant. Which is why HPS is still used most of the time for street lamps and rural "security" lights.

But I'd say stick with at least 10k lumens if thats what you got now.

Pirate · Nov 20, 2018

What LD says. I have HPS around the house. I like LED and wanted to replace them with LED but after research, the coverage, Lumens, and color temperature just could not match what I get from HPS. I use LED motions around the shed/barn for instant lighting and brighter coverage.