LED Spot & Flood Bulbs Power Outage LED Lighting R12 LED Bulb - 8 LED 1156 Bulb - BA15S Retrofit R12 LED Bulb - 1 LED 1156 Bulb - BA15S Retrofit R12 LED Bulb - 6 LED 1156 Bulb - BA15S RetrofitThere are two main types of light bulb bases: screw bases and pin bases. Each works in a different way to connect the light bulb to the electrical voltage in order to light the bulb. In this article, we will discuss screw bases. To learn about pin bases, click here. Screw bases are the most common light bulb base. In an incandescent or halogen screw base light bulb, two contact wires connect the filament to the base of the light bulb, where the electrical voltage connects to the light bulb. The contact wires are soldered to the base metal at two different points on the base in order to keep them affixed to the base metal. If the contact wires were not permanently affixed to the base metal, electrical current would not be able to continuously flow through the wires to energize the filament into producing light.

One of the contact wires is soldered on the side of the base, and the other is soldered at the bottom. Therefore, the light bulb makes electrical contact at two points on the base. Screw bases come in several sizes, and they are referred to by both a descriptive name and size. Unlike the light bulb shapes, the number in the light bulb base measures the light bulb base diameter in millimeters. The candelabra E12 has a diameter of 12 millimeters. The “E” in the light bulb size refers to Edison, the inventor of the screw base light bulb, and screw base light bulbs are sometimes called “Edison light bulbs.” Candelabra bases are mostly used in smaller, decorative incandescent, CFL, and CCFL light bulbs. The intermediate E17 base is not very common. It is found on smaller light bulb shapes such as S11, R12, and T6 light bulbs. The medium E26 base is the most common light bulb base. It is used in most incandescent, halogen, CFL, CCFL, and HID light bulbs. The mogul E39 base is found in larger sized light bulbs, such as high wattage HID.

The mogul pre-focused (MPF) base is similar to the screw base in that it connects the filament to the base with two soldered contact wires; Scottish Fold Cats For Sale Bay Areahowever, MPF bases do not screw into the socket. Carpet Cleaner Rental Forest Lake MnRather, the base metal has a smooth edge, and the base is pushed into the socket and then turned to lock it into place. Nova Scotia Duck Toller Puppies For Sale UkThe light bulb base and socket are manufactured in a way that predetermines the light bulb’s position in the socket. No matter how the end user places the light bulb base into the socket, it will always turn and lock into the same position every time, creating a fail-safe for the light bulb’s operation.

Light bulbs with special coatings designed to focus light downward may use this type of base so that the light bulb will always be installed in the correct position to distribute and focus light properly. The bayonet base is a smaller fail-safe light bulb base. Similar to the mogul pre-focused base, it has a smooth base metal that is placed into the socket with a push fit to ensure the light bulb’s proper position in the socket. However, the double contact bayonet (DCB) has two contact points at the bottom of the base that protrude from the base to make contact electrical contact. Bayonet bases are very rare in the U.S. They are more prevalent in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and they are primarily used in incandescent and CFL light bulbs. The wedge base is found in incandescent T3.25 light bulbs. Wedge bases do not have any base metal or solder. Rather, they are made by tapering the glass of the bulb in a manner that seals the light bulb. Two wires at the base of the glass act as the electrical voltage contact points for the wedge base.

Lighting Bases Guide Part 2: Pin Bases Lighting Bases Guide Part 3: 3-Way Bases Lighting Bases Guide Part 4: Lock-Out Bases Published on August 30th, 2014 | Modern light bulbs will come in a variety of different shapes and sizes and, needless to say, it can get pretty confusing. Typically, there are eight different light bulb shapes that one might find in use around their home. Modern light bulbs are used in a variety of different fixtures, and each fixture has its own unique set of requirements when it comes to the size, shape and the way the light bulb projects its light. As a result, selecting the proper light bulb has become more like finding a needle in a haystack. In order to help you understand which shapes and sizes you’ll need, we’ve come up with the following guide: These are the eight most common light bulb shapes you’ll find in your home: It’s important to note that while these names are fairly common throughout the industry, there is no universal set of terms to describe the shape of a light bulb.

For example, a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will be described as a “twist” or “spiral” shaped bulb. Because of this, we recommend that you bring your old light bulb with you to the store so you can compare it with your new light bulb to ensure it’s the proper shape and size. The following graphic should help to give you a better idea of what these bulb shapes look like: And since, for some reason, MR bulbs are not included in the above diagram, here’s a graphic and common use indicator: As we mentioned earlier, all of these light bulb shapes will come in different sizes. As you’re browsing the light bulb aisle and comparing different packages you may come across designations like A-19, PAR-20 or G-25. The first part of these designations (A,PAR, G) is referring to the actual shape of the bulb itself. The second part (the number) is the measurement of the bulb’s diameter at its widest point, and this is expressed in 1/8ths of an inch. So for example, a bulb labeled A-19 is an Arbitrary shaped bulb (A) that measures 19 eighths of an inch in diameter at the bulbs widest point.

Check out this graphic to get a visual idea of how this measurement works: Here is a list of the sizes that are available for each of the eight most common light bulbs you’ll find in your home: Even though there are wide variety of light bulb shapes and sizes available on the market today, there are three shapes and sizes in particular that you are most likely to encounter throughout your home. Check out the following list to see which ones those are and where you’re likely to find them: In many cases, the exterior of the bulb may not tell you what you need to know about how much energy it’ll use. Incandescents put out light by superheating a filament wire. As you can imagine, that’s not very efficient. 90% of the energy is wasted as heat. CFLs do not have filaments–they are powered by warmly heating a gaseous mixture that, when it gets “excited” glows brightly. This is why CFLs are dim when you first turn them on, and then put out more light as they warm up.

LED is an acronym for Light Emitting Diode, meaning that a piece of semiconductor material connects a negatively charged cathode and a positively charged anode. The transfer electrons along this semiconductor material, and this process produces light. Recently a trend in hip restaurants is to use everything vintage–bowls, decorations, and, yes, lighting. This is an unfortunate development on the lighting front because it means that many progressive restaurants are going back to incandescent bulbs to capture that retro look. However, thankfully, new LED bulbs have started to enter the market that have stretched the diode into filament-looking shape: These LEDs carry the benefits of other LEDs: supreme efficiency, bright lighting at whatever color spectrum desired, and long life. If you want to learn more about how light bulbs work, check out this article on light bulb colors and temperatures. Also, be sure to check out some of our other green home improvement projects: Green Living Ideas, after all, is a top 20 home improvement website!