Off the shelf retail store screw-in LED and CFL bulb comparisons

[StillOvergrowin]

Removing the Globes from LED Bulbs

Removing the Globes from LED Bulbs

This is how I removed my globes.
Drill a hole put a screwdriver through it and use the handle for leverage.
No sharps.

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^My method is similar. Except for I use channel locks at the top where you put the screw driver through. Open them real wide, squeeze down on the globe. Close them shut, crushing the tip of the globe and pinching it between the handles, then use the base as leverage to wiggle, pry, pull the globe off. Squeezing the globe helps break the bead of glue. The Osram globes are glued on really well.


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This an absolutely amazingly awesome thread! You guys are going to change the world with this!
You inspired me to try the SIL method (took me almost 10 minutes of research just to find out wth that meant) and I wanted to share some of my moderately-experienced newbie ...experiences.



I had a 125W CFL that I used for years, but recently the $35 bulbs have only been lasting 6-8 months, so I need an alternative.

The SIL concept makes purchasing supplies MUCH easier!
I can buy cheap replacement bulbs at walmart 24 hours a day and even have it delivered to my front door instead of driving 30 minutes one-way to get a damn bulb. It greatly simplifies and streamlines my logistics.
Gods be praised!


I spent hours reading through the thread, and then ended up impulse buying some Great Value 15Watters at Walmart on my way back from trying to replace yet another of the $35 bulbs. The store was out of the 125W CFLs i usually bought, so I left empty handed and wasted an hour.



Being a bit skeptical of the claims about the LEDs, curiosity got the better of me, and I decided I'd risk one bulb and try to crack it open and not cry if I broke it- cuz it only $2!!


I used a set of $1 'grippy' gloves from the dollar store to give me a better grip on the bulb and base and a little protection for my hands.
My 1st attempt was with a utility knife and a new, sharp blade and also a large screwdriver.

I carefully ran the blade around the seam between the globe and the base, and then started prying with the screwdriver... but it didn't give at all, and I was afraid of wrecking the electronics inside if the screwdriver slipped.



So I cut a small exploratory hole ( actually a triangle/wedge) and looked inside the bulb. Damn there's a high degree of precision engineering and manufacturing inside a $2 LED bulb! I could also see that the globe didn't sit directly on the edge of the base, but instead there was an interior lip or ledge that was where the 2 pieces were joined.

I ended up just slicing all the way across the globe and sort of peeling it back and then was able to see enough to get the blade of the screwdriver inside and eventually pop off the globe. I was working slowly, but I'm sure it took me at least 10 minutes to do my 1st bulb. I got the globe off, but it was slow and a pain in the butt.
So I decided to try a 2nd bulb. I went for simplicity and ease on this one, so I just poked the knife blade through the globe about a half inch above the LED base. Sort of alternating between rotating the bulb and then pushing the blade down through the plastic globe, I got the globe off fairly easily and was left with a small collar of globe that I though I might try using a mini reflector later on. The plastic globe is surprisingly tough.



I did the 3rd bulb the same way as the 2nd, and it went a little quicker. It also left a slightly uneven collar, sooo...


Bulb #4, I used a hacksaw to cut the globe off. That was fairly easy if you go slowly and take your time...but I worried a bit about how much vibration I was subjecting the bulb to. And it created a LOT of plastic debris and dust that ended up on the electronics!


Embracing my new addiction, I sneaked out to the store later and bought another 4 pack of LED bulbs...


Bulb # 5 was done using the Channel Lock Grip it and Rip it method. I had some trepidation about how much force I had to put on the base to get the globe to separate from it...but that may just be my OCD.

My main method was to put one of the gloves down on the desk and place the bulb on top of it while I was working on it- mostly just to give it a softer work surface and to help hold the bulb in place (base to the left side and globe to the right). Then use your left hand (I'm RH) to hold the bulb in place while you open the pliers up as far as they can go and push then against the globe with your right hand. The globe is slippery and I had small pliers, but I found I could use my left thumb to apply enough pressure to the back of the pliers to force them to stay against the globe while I squeezed the pliers and crunched the globe.

I eventually pried off the globe, but it wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be. But - I did leave a nice clean edge on the base! I actually tore through the plastic globe a few times...it's sort of like peeling an orange if that makes sense... just pull off a small section at a time and work your way around.



I read more posts and some people talked about plugging the bulb in so it could heat up and then it might be easier to separate the globe.
I didn't have an extra socket handy... buuut I did have a preheated oven that was about 170F.
I cracked the oven door and held the bulb in the oven until it got too hot for me and I laid the bulb on the rack in the oven.

The IR thermometer read 130-150F on different parts of the base and globe. The bulb was inside the oven for about one and a half, to two minutes. I pulled it out, placed it on top of the glove on the desk and attacked it with the pliers.
To my surprise and delight, the globe was much easier to pry off of the base. It still took several 'bites' or 'crunches' on the bulb to be able to work the globe free, but it was much quicker, easier and cleaner than the other methods. One method that worked well was to hold the pliers at a 90 degree right angle to the bulb and work your way around the globe 'crimping' it with the pliers and pulling small segments away from the base as you go around.

I also think it would work if you dipped the globe into warm water to heat it up and dried it off before you opened it up. The plastic globe heats up quickly, but it also cools off quickly.



I can add some photos if anyone wants. I'm not sure if that's crapping up the thread and I should start another one, or if we want to keep all the SIL info in one thread.
I know this is long, but I'm trying to give back as much as I've learned from here.

 

[Hookahhead]

Good job getting the globes off, some of them can be tricky to get off. You had much better luck than this guy!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GRzdDpeumOs&t=2m45s

 

[StillOvergrowin]

I couldn't add this to my other post, so Ill post them on their own.
Click the pic to expand it if you need details.



Bulb and gloves:





Some exploratory surgery to get a peek inside:




Here you can see the inside ledge/lip as the globe starts to separate:





The pretty LEDs and a little bit of the globe left on:




TADA!! The finished product:




The gloves were a big help, and this is super easy to do once you just jump in and try it!


(Now I need to silicone those prongs sticking up from the board- anyone know what they are? Mini heat sinks? to anchor the board to the base??)

 

[Hookahhead]

The prongs are where the power enters the board (positive/negative). Others have talked about using RTV (high temp) silicon over them. You definitely do not want to brush against it or the LEDs when reaching in your cabinet. Those bulbs are packed with diodes!

 

[Legalcdn]

I used tin snips..twisted hole in top..starting cutting in circle like apple peeling..trimmed to bottom lip..30 seconds.. I like the RTV silcon idea..i accidentally touched one of the prongs..quick zap..but been hit with harder..

 

[f-e]

I forgot to press post, so this one is for scrogmonster, on the last page.

Your not hijacking mate. We started off talking of lamp comparisons, but that was so long ago, that I was called out for being off topic when I tried again. Your posts are exactly what people are looking for here now. Grow diary snippets, specifically under 1521lm household lamps. And your firmly in the top 10%

17w? I guess they're cheap, but 14w was the norm for a while, and 12w are on the shelf now. All to meet the demand of a 100w replacement. 12w and 17w is quite a gap in power use and heat. The 12w is perhaps 30% efficient, so 70% heat, so 8.5w of heat. The 17w makes as much light, so all the extra 5w is heat. 13.5w of heat, verse 8.5w. While your power bill also rises 40% to use 17w lamps not 12w lamps. Some LED sellers are now counting that 40% extra lighting bill, to be 40% extra air conditioning. So the claimed power saving can be huge.

The sparse bud looks over fed to me. Looking closely at other pics, I see clawing in places. Some close to claws. A few deformities. Unmissable signs of relocation, but no single reason. I think you need to back off on the food. Perhaps a lighting change such as the 12w lamps could increase the humidity and slow transpiration. Giving a similar effect. I don't really know what your figures are now though, so maybe you can't. I just saw some great grow pics, that people are going to love. Keep up the good work

 

[StillOvergrowin]

The prongs are where the power enters the board (positive/negative). Others have talked about using RTV (high temp) silicon over them. You definitely do not want to brush against it or the LEDs when reaching in your cabinet. Those bulbs are packed with diodes!

I know a few people mentioned it, but I hadn't seen anyone actually do it yet. I have some of the red RTV, but I think regular silicone is rated to 400F...and the clear would look better.


Seems to me that covering those should be standard procedure if we're going to open up the globes and expose them to a moist environment.

Will the LED shock you if you contact them? I like to foliar spray a lot, so I may need to rethinking spraying.


Thanks for the help and info.





And BIG thanks to everyone that put up pics of their grow show! It's always inspirational to see someone else achieving great results.

 

[PCBuds]

... I have some of the red RTV, but I think regular silicone is rated to 400F...and the clear would look better.

My clear RTV silicone is rated 400F. (regular clear silicone may not be rated as high?).

Then they have red, blue, black, grey and copper.

The copper has the highest heat rating at 700°F but I think it's actually got copper in the silicone to help it dissipate heat and it may conduct electricity?

I just ordered some of this stuff.
It conducts heat but not electricity.






It comes in white too if you're looking to color match. (I don't think it comes in clear though.)

Make sure you don't order the grease or paste. It doesn't harden.

 

[PCBuds]

Will the LED shock you if you contact them? I like to foliar spray a lot, so I may need to rethinking spraying...

The individual LEDs are soldered to the board and I guess it's possible to touch the edge and get a shock but those LED segments are hot as hell and you'd definitely notice that.



Water sprayed on the bulb or the individual LED segments isn't a good thing. You could potentially get a shock or wreck a bulb.
Even just water marks on the segment isn't good.

The bulbs do tend to hang down however, and you'd have to spray up to get a direct hit.

 

[StillOvergrowin]

I used tin snips..twisted hole in top..starting cutting in circle like apple peeling..trimmed to bottom lip..30 seconds.. I like the RTV silcon idea..i accidentally touched one of the prongs..quick zap..but been hit with harder..

That's an interesting idea. Did you cut all the way down to the base, or did you leave a collar?
Tin snips are a good idea...I tried cutting the globe with some sharp, heavy duty kitchen shears and hard a really hard time cutting through it.
That's sort of why I ended up trying the heat method. Cutting and prying these things is a pain!



Work smart - not hard.

 

[PCBuds]

I've used tin snips too.
The only problem I found is that some bulbs have globes with thick hard plastic and the snips would tend to break the plastic into little pieces as you are cutting around in a circle.

 

[StillOvergrowin]

The individual LEDs are soldered to the board and I guess it's possible to touch the edge and get a shock but those LED segments are hot as hell and you'd definitely notice that.

https://postimg.cc/hJM1Nwq2View Image

Water sprayed on the bulb or the individual LED segments isn't a good thing. You could potentially get a shock or wreck a bulb.
Even just water marks on the segment isn't good.

The bulbs do tend to hang down however, and you'd have to spray up to get a direct hit.

Is that black blob in the middle a dab of RTV on those leads?


It looks like the heat may have even darkened the plastic around the diodes.



I just checked my 15W Good Value bulb with an IR thermometer.
It's in a clip on light with an aluminum reflector.



The outside of the reflector close to the bulb read 95F.


When I pointed the thermometer into the LED array, the only reading I could get was 205F. It is probably hotter than 212, so I can't get a more accurate reading...but that's probably hot enough to boil water.

I like to spray/fog/mist so I might slide the plants out of the cabinet if I need to spray.



Thanks for the update.

 

[PCBuds]

Is that black blob in the middle a dab of RTV on those leads?

No, I'm pretty sure that's a capacitor.
EDIT: I just looked at my bulb again. That's the insulating "tubing" around the 120 V wire coming up though the circuit board.

It looks like the heat may have even darkened the plastic around the diodes.

Yea, it did. Some of my bulbs darkened all around the base.
That's why I don't want to put silicone on my bulbs. I figure that will hold in even more heat.
The special silicone I ordered is to try to make a light array and glue the LED circuit boards to a heatsink.
I've never been shocked by my bulbs (and don't care too much if I do. It's more startling than painful or dangerous.
I've been known to lick my finger and stick it in the light socket to test for power. Lol
I wouldn't want to try that in Europe though, they're 240 V over there.)

I just checked my 15W Good Value bulb with an IR thermometer.
It's in a clip on light with an aluminum reflector.

I've got one too but it doesn't work. (I bought it at a garage sale for $10)
I should spend the 30$ and get a new one

The outside of the reflector close to the bulb read 95F.


When I pointed the thermometer into the LED array, the only reading I could get was 205F. It is probably hotter than 212, so I can't get a more accurate reading...but that's probably hot enough to boil water.

I like to spray/fog/mist so I might slide the plants out of the cabinet if I need to spray.

Or just turn them off while you spray if that is possible and convenient?
Some guys clean the LED segments once in a while. I'm thinking alcohol and Q-tips

 

[StillOvergrowin]

No, I'm pretty sure that's a capacitor.
EDIT: I just looked at my bulb again. That's the insulating "tubing" around the 120 V wire coming up though the circuit board.
I thought it might be a capacitor, but I couldn't tell. And none of my walmart/Good Value brand have them. So did you seal off those power lead (prongs) at all?


Yea, it did. Some of my bulbs darkened all around the base.
That's why I don't want to put silicone on my bulbs. I figure that will hold in even more heat.
The special silicone I ordered is to try to make a light array and glue the LED circuit boards to a heatsink.
I've never been shocked by my bulbs (and don't care too much if I do. It's more startling than painful or dangerous.
I've been known to lick my finger and stick it in the light socket to test for power. Lol
I wouldn't want to try that in Europe though, they're 240 V over there.)




I've got one too but it doesn't work. (I bought it at a garage sale for $10)
I should spend the 30$ and get a new one.
Mine was less then$10. came from one of the big box stores. I wonder if Canadian Tire has something?
To be honest, I love Terpene's idea of using the premade vanity (AKA "the bathroom light") fixtures. I think those might become the new standard.

They should be fine for damp locations, they're CHEAP and they're easy to use. Plus, they come with 3-5 prewired sockets.

So that's $20 for a fixture, a $10 pack of LED bulbs, a couple dollars for a good quality cord to wire in- and you have sweet LED grow light for $35!!! Let the grows begin!
Start your grow with 1 fixture and you can easily and cheaply add more fixtures as your plants get bigger.



These hyper-efficient LEDs are a big game changer!

(makes me wonder what NASA uses...)




Or just turn them off while you spray if that is possible and convenient?
Some guys clean the LED segments once in a while. I'm thinking alcohol and Q-tips

Replies are in blue

 

[PCBuds]

No, I didn't put any silicone on my bulbs.

I just reached up and swapped two bulbs around yesterday. You only handle them by the rim. The worst part was that they were pretty hot.

I'll look into a new temperature meter.
The Canadian Tire one goes on sale for $30.
I'll check Amazon & eBay.

 

[Legalcdn]

5 light vanity are on clearance at lowes for $13 cdn..4 light unit is $10. Brand is project source. Might led lights were phillips, luminus (costco).. Snipped really easy..

If you are growing in coco or hempy.. In canada..check the 19 litre hdx totes at home depot.. They have a raised pattern on lid...can be DIY project to make into a "floraflex" top drip system into container.

 

[StillOvergrowin]

No, I didn't put any silicone on my bulbs.

I just reached up and swapped two bulbs around yesterday. You only handle them by the rim. The worst part was that they were pretty hot.

I'll look into a new temperature meter.
The Canadian Tire one goes on sale for $30.
I'll check Amazon & eBay.

LOL...I misunderstood and thought you meant you were buying a clip on light for $3...


The IR thermometers are really useful. You can measure temps on light reflectors, leaf canopy, fans, exhaust ducts and outlets and a ton of other things. I think I got mine on amz years ago, but I don't see a brand name on it. But I doubt I paid more than 30-40 dollars for it.

 

[StillOvergrowin]

5 light vanity are on clearance at lowes for $13 cdn..4 light unit is $10. Brand is project source. Might led lights were phillips, luminus (costco).. Snipped really easy..


...

Those lights have good rating and they were my 1st choice to try out. I'm going to grab a 3 bulb fixture for $10 and a high quality extension cord for $7.



So that's a fixture for right at $20!!


Aaaaand I'll probably grab another 4 pack of bulbs if I can find anything that looks interesting or promising.

 

[ScrogMonster]

Scrogmonter..
That is a lot of colas. I am just building a 21 light setup from 4 x 4 light bathroom vanity and a 5 light vanity. They are cheap at lowes. Total will be 315w covering about 3ft x 4ft. I have an inkbird 308 to kick heat on when too cold and exhaust when heat is too hot.

Nice nugs u harvested. What's the distance from lights to canopy top? I been using the manifold method for training..

I hope that works nicely for you. I may be over killing with 306w for 2ft x 4ft but it seems to work nice. I try to keep the distance about 4” some colas end up an inch or two closer or further. Manifold? Like trellises? Modular trellis?

 

[ScrogMonster]

I forgot to press post, so this one is for scrogmonster, on the last page.

Your not hijacking mate. We started off talking of lamp comparisons, but that was so long ago, that I was called out for being off topic when I tried again. Your posts are exactly what people are looking for here now. Grow diary snippets, specifically under 1521lm household lamps. And your firmly in the top 10%

17w? I guess they're cheap, but 14w was the norm for a while, and 12w are on the shelf now. All to meet the demand of a 100w replacement. 12w and 17w is quite a gap in power use and heat. The 12w is perhaps 30% efficient, so 70% heat, so 8.5w of heat. The 17w makes as much light, so all the extra 5w is heat. 13.5w of heat, verse 8.5w. While your power bill also rises 40% to use 17w lamps not 12w lamps. Some LED sellers are now counting that 40% extra lighting bill, to be 40% extra air conditioning. So the claimed power saving can be huge.

The sparse bud looks over fed to me. Looking closely at other pics, I see clawing in places. Some close to claws. A few deformities. Unmissable signs of relocation, but no single reason. I think you need to back off on the food. Perhaps a lighting change such as the 12w lamps could increase the humidity and slow transpiration. Giving a similar effect. I don't really know what your figures are now though, so maybe you can't. I just saw some great grow pics, that people are going to love. Keep up the good work

Thanks for the kind words mate. 12w each with same lumens would be nice. I wonder how much those would cost. At $1Each 16sqft - 72bulbs $72 bucks initial bulb costs these were good to start. Just a another few bucks per bulb it get pretty costly to replace them all but at some point down the road here that’ll be a drop in the bucket.