15 Watt pygmy bulbs.

[Dave757]

Hi all,

I went to our local supermarket recently to pick up a couple of SES 15 Watt pygmy lamps as spares for various kitchen appliances. I noticed that there were a couple of options in similar packaging, and the one marked 'for oven use', was half the price of the other one (I can't remember what this one was marked).

Now I would expect that use in an oven would be more rigorous than in say a microwave or a fridge, so why half the price?

Kind regards

Dave

[mark pirate]

They may be clearing stock like these bulbs that have been hanging around a while, I would get a couple while they are cheap.

Mark

[richrussell]

They last for so long that I suspect supermarkets only sell one or two a year. I've got one that I'm using as a snubber for a pair of LED floodlights that I put up the other week (until I find a suitable class-X capacitor). It's inside the garage so provides a little light when the PIR turns the security lights on outside.

I recently picked up half a dozen 40W bayonet fitting halogen golf ball bulbs from Asda for 2p each. When I went back the next day with a basket they'd gone

[Nickthedentist]

Yes, grab while you can. Suspect unsold stock will be destroyed. Are there any new rules coming in on 1st Jan perhaps?

[vidjoman]

I think the oven types withstand up to 300 deg. They are a special glass and probably a tougher filament to cope with vibration.

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
I wish I'd stocked up on cheap small lamps when I was in the UK recently. Some of them (especially 'oven' lamps) can cost a small fortune here.
Years ago I 'acquired' a sealed box of one hundred 15watt BC pygmy lamps that were going to be thrown out. Honest! , only to find that they were 50volt ones! I still have them as I'm sure they'll "Come In Handy" one day.
Cheers, Pete

[Dave Moll]

Originally Posted by Tractorfan

Years ago I 'acquired' a sealed box of one hundred 15watt BC pygmy lamps ... only to find that they were 50volt ones!

Five connected in series?

[mike_newcomb]

Hi Dave,

you did not advise the price, but often one can find these appliance bulbs, sold in pairs in the cheapo stores, such as The 99p Shop, sold by the appliance concerned. e.g. Cooker Hood, Fridge, etc.

So far though I have had no luck finding an ES pygmy fridge bulb there.

If for use in a lighting application (e.g.Bulkhead fittings), there are low wattage equivalents with a much longer life, but not easy to find at a reasonable price.

Regards - Mike

[crusher19860138]

I have noticed Asda is selling frosted 60w bulbs again,labelled 'rough service'. Is this a way of getting around the rules on incandescent lamp sales?

I have found various sellers on ebay now sell what you need in the old order.

[Lucien Nunes]

Originally Posted by Tractorfan

only to find that they were 50volt ones

Those would probably have been spares stock from telephone exchange and related applications and worth keeping for those purposes as they are probably harder to get now than 110V or 240.

I was recently browsing a few lamp catalogues specifically checking on the state of play with 15W pygmys. The situation was rather confusing - some suppliers appeared to be winding down stocks, e.g. coloured versions only available in one or two colours 'while stocks last', yet others were offering 'new additions' such as an extra colour or more combinations of base and voltage. I was surprised the price didn't seem to have changed much.

There doesn't seem to be any need for drastic action yet although a steady accumulation of stock is probably a good idea.

[Okto1984]

Rough service bulbs are exempt as they're intended for workman's lighting, but now you can get them in frosted candle shapes too. I guess for the decor conscious workmen...

Appliance bulbs should be exempt too, I suspect the oven ones are the dimmest of the 15w type however as they probably have thicker stronger filaments. I don't see why you can't use them in the fridge if they fit and are the correct wattage, but you'll probably have less light. Do they list the lumens on the boxes anywhere?

[Dave Moll]

If they give less light for a given wattage, does that mean that they radiate more heat?

Yes, but only a little bit, fillament lamps are very inefficient at most 5 to 10% of watts in are light out. So assuming 90% for 'a good 'un' half the light would change from 90 to 95% more heat, also all the light will eventually end up as heat anyway. Summing up, if it fits and lights up enough it will do.

[Okto1984]

I also think you should be ok. Whenever light fixtures recommend a maximum wattage with no other details (like most seem to), I assume they plan for the worst case scenario low efficiency bulbs of the recommended wattage being used sometimes.

[Glowing Bits!]

Originally Posted by merlinmaxwell

Yes, but only a little bit, filament lamps are very inefficient at most 5 to 10% of watts in are light out.

That'll answer as to why the ceiling fittings in the workshop do a good job at heating up the room while one waits for the log burner to heat the radiators.

Wilko's had a good amount of R80's on their shelf the other week, till a forum member (myself) swiped a load of them, before they end up totally obsolete.

[winston_1]

Replace fridge lights with LEDs. Don't use them in the oven though.

[mark pirate]

Originally Posted by Glowing Bits!

Wilko's had a good amount of R80's on their shelf the other week, till a forum member (myself) swiped a load of them, before they end up totally obsolete.

It is well worth keeping an eye out at Wilko, I bought 26 fluorescent tubes recently at 10p each
I also got 8 twin packs of 40w spots, also 10p a pop!
I did get some strange looks as I staggered down the high street with my haul.

I did manage to get a few NOS pygmy bulbs is both ES and bayonet sizes for 50p each in an Ironmongers closing down sale a couple of years ago, I have used two so far....

Mark

[P.Pilcher]

One has to be ever so careful with appliance bulbs these days. I recently had to replace my 15 watt oven bulb (small ES fitting) The local supermarket had them in packs of two. One fitted and worked, but it was so big that its glass cover could not be replaced. My local friendly specialist bulb supplier has one of the correct size, wattage and fitting - at of course four times the price!
My fridge bulb also failed the other week - 40 watt standard Edison screw. The only thing the supermarket had was a spherical shaped bulb. Because it did not have a narrow neck, it could not be screwed far enough into the fitting to make contact. I have now managed to find a conventionally shaped bulb containing an internal tungsten halogen fitting (to make it more efficient at several times the price) which will fit. My experience of these bulbs however is that their working life is very short.
Finally one of the flickering neon lamps in my candle bridge packed up just before Christmas Eve. No obvious reason for failure and the bulb has served well like its fellows for the last three years. Its replacement arrived from an ebay supplier yesterday the small ES fitting was the correct diameter, but the thread was much finer than that on the original bulb, so it wouldn't fit. I eventually located replacements with the required coarser thread at the local garden centre - going extra cheap after Christmas.

P.P.

[broadgage]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

Yes, grab while you can. Suspect unsold stock will be destroyed. Are there any new rules coming in on 1st Jan perhaps?

There are various restrictions on the manufacture and import of certain types of filament lamp, generally the higher wattage ones.
I am not aware of any restrictions on the wholesale or retail sale of existing stocks.

There are a number of exemptions including for rough service and extra low voltage lamps, and those needed for specialist trade purposes.

I would however advise stocking up on less common lamps, restrictions may be stricter in the future.
Also if other countries ban certain lamp types, then manufacture may cease for want of enough demand even if they are allowed in the UK.

The manufacture of lamps is becoming concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer very large companies, such firms tend not to produce small numbers of less demanded lamps.

As an example, 12 volt GLS lamps in lower wattages are now virtually unobtainable and I suspect that manufacture has ceased.

[Lowemission]

CPC still have 15w Pygmy bulbs in stock, they sell the usual clear type but also sell red and yellow ones, I bought some recently for my old Mums tea maker, there is no minimum order amount and postage is free.

All the Best
Julian